Maternal separation and reunion of an infant orang-utan

An orang-utan mother-infant dyad was studied for effects of separation and reunion upon the infant's behavior and the mother-infant relationship. Data were obtained during two weeks each of pre-separation, separation and reunion. Typical reflections of protest and despair were observed in the i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Primates 1983-01, Vol.24 (1), p.67-76
Main Authors: Nadler, Ronald D., Codner, Mark A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An orang-utan mother-infant dyad was studied for effects of separation and reunion upon the infant's behavior and the mother-infant relationship. Data were obtained during two weeks each of pre-separation, separation and reunion. Typical reflections of protest and despair were observed in the infant during separation. Initial detachment and a subsequent intensification of the mother-infant relationship occurred following reunion. The results are consistent with the view that these reactions to separation and reunion are characteristics of the biological heritage of the Primates. Failure to observe detachment in most monkeys that have been studied seems to reflect differences between the behavior of monkey mothers, on the one hand, and great ape and human mothers, on the other hand, in response to the conditions of testing.
ISSN:0032-8332
1610-7365
DOI:10.1007/BF02381454