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Kittens as therapists: Social behavior sequences in isolated squirrel monkeys after exposure to young nonconspecifics
Author(s) -
Huebner Douglas K.,
King James E.
Publication year - 1984
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.420170304
Subject(s) - kitten , squirrel monkey , saimiri sciureus , zoology , psychology , stereotypy , biology , developmental psychology , neuroscience , medicine , cats , amphetamine , dopamine
Squirrel monkeys that had been exposed to repeated separations from cloth surrogates were given continuous access to domestic kittens. Information‐theoretic measures showed that these monkeys exerted greater constraint on behaviors of adult feral squirrel monkeys than did monkeys who had not received previous kitten exposure. The latter monkeys displayed a behavioral encapsulation characterized by increased susceptibility to the constraint imposed by their own preceding behaviors and a decreased susceptibility to constraint from other monkeys' behavior. In addition, kitten‐reared monkeys displayed a hig level of positive social behaviors, particularly following noncohesive or divisive behaviors by another monkey.