Performance Correlates of Social Behavior and Organization in Non-Human Primates

• Main Author: Bunnell,Bradford N
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior; Learning; Macaca fascicularis; Males; Monkeys; PE61102A; Performance tests; Psychology; Response; Rhesus monkeys; Social psychology; Sociology and Law; Stress(Psychology); WU030

The purpose was to identify and investigate performance variables that are correlated with social behavior and organization in non-human primates. In two experiments, high ranking male rhesus monkeys (M. mulatta) working on a fixed interval reinforcement schedule had lower baseline response rates than animals that ranked low in their social groups. When reinforcement was randomly omitted, the high ranking animals exhibited more response bursting than the low ranking males. Subsequently, 23 male M. fascicularis (cynomologous, or crab-eating macaques) from three social groups were tested on a number of operant schedules, complex learning problems, and open field tasks. Levels of aggression was correlated with response bursting on a DRL schedule. High social rank was correlated with fast acquisition on DRL and changeover ratio schedules, poor performance on reversal learning set tasks, and increased response bursting following omission of reinforcement on a variable interval schedule. Relationships between social variables and open field exploration and response to novel objects were inconsistent or absent. A concept of social stress was invoked to account for the relationships between social and performance variables that were demonstrated in the project. (Author)