TY - JOUR
T1 - Behavioral responsiveness of young chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to a novel environment
AU - Miller, L. C.
AU - Bard, K. A.
AU - Juno, C. J.
AU - Nadler, R. D.
PY - 1986/1/1
Y1 - 1986/1/1
N2 - Behavioral responsiveness to a novel environment was documented in 22 chimpanzees grouped according to age; 6-months, 1-year, 2-years and 5-years. An attachment figure, a human caretaker, accompanied each subject during the 15-min test sessions so as to preclude confounding of responses to novelty with separation responses. Extreme distress reported previously for chimpanzees and human children when tested alone in a novel situation was rarely observed in these tests when an attachment figure was present. Stereotyped rocking, an indication of mild distress occurred more frequently in the younger animals. Younger animals engaged in distal visual exploration of the environment while remaining close to the attachment figure, whereas the older animals locomoted more frequently and explored the environment directly with their hands. Repeated exposure to the environment reduced the differences among the 6-month, 1-year and 2-year groups. The 6-month group, however, continued to locomote least and least frequently engaged in tactile exploration. These data on chimpanzees resemble data on human children which suggest that an attachment figure: attenuates the distress exhibited by young individuals of these species when exposed to novel stimuli, and thereby provides a secure base which supports the exploration of novel stimuli, a prerequisite to behavioral adaptation.
AB - Behavioral responsiveness to a novel environment was documented in 22 chimpanzees grouped according to age; 6-months, 1-year, 2-years and 5-years. An attachment figure, a human caretaker, accompanied each subject during the 15-min test sessions so as to preclude confounding of responses to novelty with separation responses. Extreme distress reported previously for chimpanzees and human children when tested alone in a novel situation was rarely observed in these tests when an attachment figure was present. Stereotyped rocking, an indication of mild distress occurred more frequently in the younger animals. Younger animals engaged in distal visual exploration of the environment while remaining close to the attachment figure, whereas the older animals locomoted more frequently and explored the environment directly with their hands. Repeated exposure to the environment reduced the differences among the 6-month, 1-year and 2-year groups. The 6-month group, however, continued to locomote least and least frequently engaged in tactile exploration. These data on chimpanzees resemble data on human children which suggest that an attachment figure: attenuates the distress exhibited by young individuals of these species when exposed to novel stimuli, and thereby provides a secure base which supports the exploration of novel stimuli, a prerequisite to behavioral adaptation.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0022844578&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1159/000156270
DO - 10.1159/000156270
M3 - Article
C2 - 3583150
AN - SCOPUS:0022844578
SN - 0015-5713
VL - 47
SP - 128
EP - 142
JO - Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology
JF - Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology
IS - 2-3
ER -