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Mother‐infant separation in group‐living rhesus macaques: A hormonal analysis
Author(s) -
Smotherman William P.,
Hunt Lynn E.,
McGinnis Lynda M.,
Levine Seymour
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420120304
Subject(s) - separation (statistics) , rhesus macaque , psychology , developmental psychology , macaque , hormone , group living , endocrine system , maternal deprivation , endocrinology , medicine , biology , neuroscience , ecology , immunology , machine learning , computer science
Adrenocortical responsiveness to separation in group‐living rhesus macaque mother‐infant pairs was determined. Cortisol evaluations were complemented by behavioral observations of mother‐infant interactions and group social behavior. Infants, but not their mothers, showed cortisol elevations that could be attributed specifically to separation. Steroid‐behavior relationships suggested that the infants of high dominant mothers evinced the greatest adrenocortical response to separation. These data exemplify the complexities involved in determining endocrine/behavior relationships in a group‐living situation.