Old, socially housed rhesus monkeys manipulate objects
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
1993 |
Authors: |
Melinda A. Novak, Amy Musante, Heather Munroe, Peggy L. O'Neill, Cristofer Price, Stephen J. Suomi |
Publication/Journal: |
Zoo Biology |
Publisher: |
A Wiley Company, Inc., Wiley Subscription Services |
Keywords: |
object manipulation, sex differences, social facilitation |
ISBN: |
1098-2361 |
Abstract:
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430120306.abs Recent research has indicated that old, individually housed monkeys show little interest in novel objects. Yet unanswered is whether this effect is caused primarily by age or housing condition. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of social living in promoting responsiveness to objects. We measured the rates of object manipulation in older animals, assessed responsiveness over time to particular objects as a measure of habituation, and examined social influences on object use. Several social groups of rhesus monkeys that contained older adults were studied. These groups were housed in indoor pens or in an outdoor enclosure, and all monkeys had continuous access to a variety of objects in their home environment. In contrast to previous studies of individually housed monkeys, our group-housed monkeys showed sustained interest in objects. Old monkeys manipulated objects extensively, and this response was all the more significant, given that the objects were not novel. Monkeys housed in an outdoor enclosure showed object manipulation patterns that were not different from monkeys housed in indoor pens. However, females exhibited much higher object-related responses than males. Social facilitation played a role in the reactions of some monkeys to objects. Patterns of social facilitation as well as avoidance were present in two of the three indoor groups that were observed. Failure to manipulate objects in rhesus macaques appears to be more a function of individual housing than of old age. Factors such as environmental complexity, social needs, and early experience should be considered in order to understand why individually housed rhesus monkeys are unresponsive to objects. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.