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Modification of Reconciliation Behavior through Social Experience: An Experiment with Two Macaque Species
Author(s) -
Waal Frans B. M.,
Johanowicz Denise L.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1993.tb02950.x
Subject(s) - aggression , macaque , psychology , rhesus macaque , dominance (genetics) , developmental psychology , agonistic behaviour , social psychology , social grooming , zoology , biology , neuroscience , gene , biochemistry , immunology
Reconciliation, defined as a friendly reunion between former opponents shortly after an aggressive encounter, is common in the stumptail macaque ( Macaca arctoides ) but rare in the rhesus macaque ( M. mulatta ). Juveniles of the two species were cohoused for 5 months, after which they were observed with conspecifics only. Control rhesus monkeys, matched in age and sex to the experimental subjects, went through the same procedure without exposure to the other species. A threefold increase in the proportion of reconciled fights was measured in the rhesus subjects. The difference emerged gradually during cohousing with the tutor species and was sustained following removal of this species. Other behavior, such as grooming and aggression, decreased over time. It is suggested that the social attitude of the subjects was affected through contact with a species characterized by a more relaxed dominance style.