Nature vs. Nurture in Monkey Communication

This book describes the results of a cross-fostering
experiment to investigate the effects of experience
on emotional and informational content in rhesus
macaque (Macaca mulatta) vocal communication. The
subjects of the study were twelve rhesus macaques:
six were foster-reared by abusive mothers and six
were foster-reared by control mothers.
Vocalizations were recorded from the subjects in
their social groups for two years. The acoustic
variables measuring positive emotional expression
were lower in abused than control subjects. On the
other hand, abused subjects expressed exaggerated
levels of fear during mild contact aggression with
other animals. The second part of the study
statistically classified the calls of cross-fostered
monkeys to either their biological or foster
family. In the present study, matrilineal
signatures were clearly discriminated among
different families of rhesus macaques. Furthermore,
the calls of the majority of cross-fostered subjects
classified to the foster matriline, suggesting that
these signatures were learned rather than
inherited.

Autorentext

Tanja Jovanovic graduated from the Neuroscience and Animal Behavior Program at Emory University Psychology Department in 2002. Her graduate work focused on emotion in non-human primates. She is currently on the faculty of Emory University Department of Psychiatry in Atlanta where she studies emotion in humans with psychiatric conditions.

Klappentext

This book describes the results of a cross-fostering experiment to investigate the effects of experience on emotional and informational content in rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) vocal communication. The subjects of the study were twelve rhesus macaques: six were foster-reared by abusive mothers and six were foster-reared by control mothers. Vocalizations were recorded from the subjects in their social groups for two years. The acoustic variables measuring positive emotional expression were lower in abused than control subjects. On the other hand, abused subjects expressed exaggerated levels of fear during mild contact aggression with other animals. The second part of the study statistically classified the calls of cross-fostered monkeys to either their biological or foster family. In the present study, matrilineal signatures were clearly discriminated among different families of rhesus macaques. Furthermore, the calls of the majority of cross-fostered subjects classified to the foster matriline, suggesting that these signatures were learned rather than inherited.