Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Categorize Unknown Conspecifics According to Their Dominance Relations
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
2003 |
Authors: |
Dalila Bovet and David A. Washburn |
Publication/Journal: |
Journal of Comparative Psychology |
Keywords: |
animals, cognition, judgment, macaca-mulatta, male, social dominance, videotape recording, visual perception |
Abstract:
The authors trained 3 adult male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to categorize pairs of unknown
conspecifics presented in a video according to the dominance status of the videotaped monkeys. The
subjects were trained to choose the dominant monkey for a category of films (e.g., films showing 1
monkey chasing another); then, new films were presented involving different conspecifics, and the
monkeys’ first responses to this new category of behavior (e.g., monkeys fighting) were taken as
evidence of transfer. Two subjects were able to generalize categorical judgments of dominance to new
films involving new behaviors. These findings seem to indicate that monkeys can use abstract social
concepts and are aware of the social relationships within their group.