Performance Correlates of Social Behavior and Organization of Non-Human Primates.
Abstract
The purpose of this report is to identify and investigate performance variables that are correlated with social rank, social behavior, and social organization in monkeys of the genus Macaca. Java males from three troops (T-troop, NT-troop and I-troop, recently formed with males selected from T- and NT-troops) were assigned to two or more of the following behavioral tests: (1) VI-frustration task, (2) change-over ratio task, (3) various complex problem solving tasks, and (4) open field tests. Results from the current year's work have largely confirmed and extended previous findings of relationships between social variables and learning performance in the laboratory. In adult males, there is a tendency for poor performance to be associated with high rank both on complex learning tasks and on various operant schedules where response bursting is associated with high rank or frequency of aggressive responses. New data indicate that higher ranking animals enter a strange environment more readily than lower ranking animals. Also new is the apparent better performance of higher ranking males on acquisition of a changeover ratio schedule. This, if it holds up as testing continues over the next few months, will be the second instance of better performance by high ranking animals that we have obtained. In previous work, acquisition of efficient performance on a DRL schedule was positively correlated with high rank. Finally, the use of new techniques for assessing the social structure, organization, and dynamics of our social groups is expected to provide the basis for a much clearer understanding of the dimensions which account for the social/performance relationships that have, and are, emerging. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA062328
Entities
People
- Bradford N. Bunnell
- Joseph D. Allen
Organizations
- University of Georgia