Primates got personality, too: Toward an integrative primatology of consistent individual differences in behavior

In recent years, research on animal personality has exploded within the field of behavioral ecology. Consistent individual differences in behavior exist in a wide range of species, and these differences can have fitness consequences and influence several aspects of a species' ecology. In compar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolutionary anthropology 2020-03, Vol.29 (2), p.56-67
Main Author: Blaszczyk, Maryjka B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Behavior
behavioral consistency
Behavioral ecology
Biomedicine
Health status
Individual differences
Life history
Monkeys & apes
Personality
Personality traits
Primate behavior
Primates
Primatology
Psychology
temperament
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Summary:In recent years, research on animal personality has exploded within the field of behavioral ecology. Consistent individual differences in behavior exist in a wide range of species, and these differences can have fitness consequences and influence several aspects of a species' ecology. In comparison to studies of other animals, however, there has been relatively little research on the behavioral ecology of primate personality. This is surprising given the large body of research within psychology and biomedicine showing that primate personality traits are heritable and linked to health and life history outcomes. In this article, I bring together theoretical perspectives on the ecology and evolution of animal personality with an integrative review of what we know about primate personality from studies conducted on captive, free‐ranging, and wild primates. Incorporating frameworks that emphasize consistency in behavior into primate behavioral ecology research holds promise for improving our understanding of primate behavioral evolution.
ISSN:1060-1538
1520-6505
DOI:10.1002/evan.21808