Records |
Author |
Joffe, T.H.; Dunbar, R.I. |
Title |
Visual and socio-cognitive information processing in primate brain evolution |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1997 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological Sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
264 |
Issue |
1386 |
Pages |
1303-1307 |
Keywords |
Animals; Brain/anatomy & histology/*physiology; Cognition/physiology; *Evolution; Geniculate Bodies/anatomy & histology/physiology; Humans; Mental Processes/physiology; Neocortex/physiology; Primates/anatomy & histology/*physiology/*psychology; *Social Behavior; Visual Cortex/anatomy & histology/physiology |
Abstract |
Social group size has been shown to correlate with neocortex size in primates. Here we use comparative analyses to show that social group size is independently correlated with the size of non-V1 neocortical areas, but not with other more proximate components of the visual system or with brain systems associated with emotional cueing (e.g. the amygdala). We argue that visual brain components serve as a social information 'input device' for socio-visual stimuli such as facial expressions, bodily gestures and visual status markers, while the non-visual neocortex serves as a 'processing device' whereby these social cues are encoded, interpreted and associated with stored information. However, the second appears to have greater overall importance because the size of the V1 visual area appears to reach an asymptotic size beyond which visual acuity and pattern recognition may not improve significantly. This is especially true of the great ape clade (including humans), that is known to use more sophisticated social cognitive strategies. |
Address |
School of Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:9332015 |
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no |
Call Number |
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Serial |
2095 |
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Author |
Brosnan, S.F.; Schiff, H.C.; de Waal, F.B.M. |
Title |
Tolerance for inequity may increase with social closeness in chimpanzees |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
272 |
Issue |
1560 |
Pages |
253-258 |
Keywords |
Analysis of Variance; Animals; *Attitude; Group Processes; Pan troglodytes/*psychology; Reward; *Social Behavior; Socioeconomic Factors |
Abstract |
Economic decision-making depends on our social environment. Humans tend to respond differently to inequity in close relationships, yet we know little about the potential for such variation in other species. We examine responses to inequity in several groups of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in a paradigm similar to that used previously in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). We demonstrate that, like capuchin monkeys, chimpanzees show a response to inequity of rewards that is based upon the partner receiving the reward rather than the presence of the reward alone. However, we also found a great amount of variation between groups tested, indicating that chimpanzees, like people, respond to inequity in a variable manner, which we speculate could be caused by such variables as group size, the social closeness of the group (as reflected in length of time that the group has been together) and group-specific traditions. |
Address |
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 North Gatewood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. sbrosna@emory.edu |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:15705549 |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
169 |
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Author |
Barrett, L.; Henzi, P. |
Title |
The social nature of primate cognition |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological Sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
272 |
Issue |
1575 |
Pages |
1865-1875 |
Keywords |
Animals; Brain/anatomy & histology/*physiology; Cognition/*physiology; *Evolution; Intelligence/*physiology; Primates/*physiology; *Social Behavior |
Abstract |
The hypothesis that the enlarged brain size of the primates was selected for by social, rather than purely ecological, factors has been strongly influential in studies of primate cognition and behaviour over the past two decades. However, the Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis, also known as the social brain hypothesis, tends to emphasize certain traits and behaviours, like exploitation and deception, at the expense of others, such as tolerance and behavioural coordination, and therefore presents only one view of how social life may shape cognition. This review outlines work from other relevant disciplines, including evolutionary economics, cognitive science and neurophysiology, to illustrate how these can be used to build a more general theoretical framework, incorporating notions of embodied and distributed cognition, in which to situate questions concerning the evolution of primate social cognition. |
Address |
School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK. louiseb@liv.ac.uk |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:16191591 |
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no |
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Serial |
2086 |
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Author |
Brilot, B.O.; Johnstone, R.A. |
Title |
The limits to cost-free signalling of need between relatives |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
270 |
Issue |
1519 |
Pages |
1055-1060 |
Keywords |
*Animal Communication; Animals; Birds/physiology; Models, Biological; *Social Behavior |
Abstract |
Theoretical models have demonstrated the possibility of stable cost-free signalling of need between relatives. The stability of these cost-free equilibria depends on the indirect fitness cost of cheating and deceiving a donor into giving away resources. We show that this stability is highly sensitive to the distribution of need among signallers and receivers. In particular, cost-free signalling is likely to prove stable only if there is very large variation in need (such that the least-needy individuals stand to gain much less than the most-needy individuals from additional resources). We discuss whether these conditions are likely to be found in altricial avian breeding systems--the most intensively studied instance of signalling of need between relatives. We suggest that cost-free signalling is more likely to prove stable and will provide parents with more information during the earlier phases of chick growth, when parents can more easily meet the demands of a brood (and chicks are more likely to reach satiation). Later, informative yet cost-free signalling is unlikely to persist. |
Address |
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK. bob21@cam.ac.uk |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:12803895 |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
558 |
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Author |
Arlettaz, R.; Patthey, P.; Baltic, M.; Leu, T.; Schaub, M.; Palme, R.; Jenni-Eiermann, S. |
Title |
Spreading free-riding snow sports represent a novel serious threat for wildlife |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological Sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
274 |
Issue |
1614 |
Pages |
1219-1224 |
Keywords |
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Abstract |
Stress generated by humans on wildlife by continuous development of outdoor recreational activities is of increasing concern for biodiversity conservation. Human disturbance often adds to other negative impact factors affecting the dynamics of vulnerable populations. It is not known to which extent the rapidly spreading free-riding snow sports actually elicit detrimental stress (allostatic overload) upon wildlife, nor what the potential associated fitness and survival costs are. Using a non-invasive technique, we evaluated the physiological stress response induced by free-riding snow sports on a declining bird species of Alpine ecosystems. The results of a field experiment in which radiomonitored black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) were actively flushed from their snow burrows once a day during four consecutive days showed an increase in the concentration of faecal stress hormone (corticosterone) metabolites after disturbance. A large-scale comparative analysis across the southwestern Swiss Alps indicated that birds had higher levels of these metabolites in human-disturbed versus undisturbed habitats. Disturbance by snow sport free-riders appears to elevate stress, which potentially represents a new serious threat for wildlife. The fitness and survival costs of allostatic adjustments have yet to be estimated. |
Address |
Zoological Institute, Division of Conservation Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. raphael.arlettaz@nat.unibe.ch |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:17341459 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4075 |
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Author |
Bonnie, K.E.; Horner, V.; Whiten, A.; de Waal, F.B.M. |
Title |
Spread of arbitrary conventions among chimpanzees: a controlled experiment |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
274 |
Issue |
1608 |
Pages |
367-372 |
Keywords |
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Abstract |
Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have a rich cultural repertoire--traditions common in some communities are not present in others. The majority of reports describe functional, material traditions, such as tool use. Arbitrary conventions have received far less attention. In the same way that observations of material culture in wild apes led to experiments to confirm social transmission and identify underlying learning mechanisms, experiments investigating how arbitrary habits or conventions arise and spread within a group are also required. The few relevant experimental studies reported thus far have relied on cross-species (i.e. human-ape) interaction offering limited ecological validity, and no study has successfully generated a tradition not involving tool use in an established group. We seeded one of two rewarded alternative endpoints to a complex sequence of behaviour in each of two chimpanzee groups. Each sequence spread in the group in which it was seeded, with many individuals unambiguously adopting the sequence demonstrated by a group member. In one group, the alternative sequence was discovered by a low ranking female, but was not learned by others. Since the action-sequences lacked meaning before the experiment and had no logical connection with reward, chimpanzees must have extracted both the form and benefits of these sequences through observation of others. |
Address |
Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. kebonni@emory.edu |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:17164200 |
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no |
Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
157 |
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Author |
Healy, S.D.; Braham, S.R.; Braithwaite, V.A. |
Title |
Spatial working memory in rats: no differences between the sexes |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1999 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological Sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
266 |
Issue |
1435 |
Pages |
2303-2308 |
Keywords |
Animals; Estrus/metabolism; Female; Male; Memory/*physiology; Rats; Sex Factors; Swimming |
Abstract |
In a number of mammalian species, males appear to have superior spatial abilities to females. The favoured explanations for this cognitive difference are hormonal, with higher testosterone levels in males than females leading to better spatial performance, and evolutionary, where sexual selection has favoured males with increased spatial abilities for either better navigational skills in hunting or to enable an increased territory size. However, an alternative explanation for this sex difference focuses on the role of varying levels of oestrogen in females in spatial cognition (the 'fertility and parental care' hypothesis). One possibility is that varying oestrogen levels result in variation in spatial learning and memory so that, when tested across the oestrous cycle, females perform as well as males on days of low oestrogen but more poorly on days of high oestrogen. If day in the oestrous cycle is not taken into account then, across an experiment, any sex differences found would always produce male superiority. We used a spatial working memory task in a Morris water maze to test the spatial learning and memory abilities of male and female rats. The rats were tested across a number of consecutive days during which the females went through four oestrous cycles. We found no overall sex differences in latencies to reach a submerged platform in a Morris water maze but, on the day of oestrus (low oestrogen), females took an extra swim to learn the platform's location (a 100% increase over the other days in the cycle). Female swim speed also varied across the oestrous cycle but females were no less active on the day of oestrus. These results oppose the predictions of the fertility and parental care hypothesis. |
Address |
Department of Psychology, University of Newcastle, UK. s.healey@ed.ac.uk |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:10629980 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2818 |
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Author |
Flack, J.C.; Krakauer, D.C.; de Waal, F.B.M. |
Title |
Robustness mechanisms in primate societies: a perturbation study |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
272 |
Issue |
1568 |
Pages |
1091-1099 |
Keywords |
Aggression/physiology; Animals; *Conflict (Psychology); Female; *Hierarchy, Social; Macaca nemestrina/*physiology; Male; *Models, Theoretical; Observation; *Social Behavior |
Abstract |
Conflict management mechanisms have a direct, critical effect on system robustness because they mitigate conflict intensity and help repair damaged relationships. However, robustness mechanisms can also have indirect effects on system integrity by facilitating interactions among components. We explore the indirect role that conflict management mechanisms play in the maintenance of social system robustness, using a perturbation technique to 'knockout' components responsible for effective conflict management. We explore the effects of knockout on pigtailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) social organization, using a captive group of 84 individuals. This system is ideal in addressing this question because there is heterogeneity in performance of conflict management. Consequently, conflict managers can be easily removed without disrupting other control structures. We find that powerful conflict managers are essential in maintaining social order for the benefit of all members of society. We show that knockout of components responsible for conflict management results in system destabilization by significantly increasing mean levels of conflict and aggression, decreasing socio-positive interaction and decreasing the operation of repair mechanisms. |
Address |
Santa Fe Institute, NM 87501, USA. jflack@santafe.edu |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:16024369 |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
165 |
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Author |
Dugatkin, L.A.; Godin, J.G. |
Title |
Reversal of female mate choice by copying in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1992 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
249 |
Issue |
1325 |
Pages |
179-184 |
Keywords |
Acclimatization; Animals; *Choice Behavior; Female; Male; Poecilia; *Sexual Behavior, Animal |
Abstract |
Ever since Fisher (1958) formalized models of sexual selection, female mate choice has been assumed to be a genetically determined trait. Females, however, may also use social cues to select mates. One such cue might be the mate choice of conspecifics. Here we report the first direct evidence that a female's preference for a particular male can in fact be reversed by social cues. In our experiments using the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), this reversal was mediated by mate-copying opportunities, such that a female (the 'focal' female) is given the opportunity to choose between two males, followed by a period in which she observes a second female (the 'model' female) displaying a preference for the male she herself did not prefer initially. When allowed to choose between the same males a second time, compared with control tests, a significant proportion of focal females reversed their mate choice and copied the preference of the model female. These results provide strong evidence for the role of non-genetic factors in sexual selection and underlie the need for new models of sexual selection that explicitly incorporate both genetic and cultural aspects of mate choice. |
Address |
Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:1360679 |
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1824 |
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Author |
Drent, P.J.; van Oers, K.; van Noordwijk, A.J. |
Title |
Realized heritability of personalities in the great tit (Parus major) |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
Volume |
270 |
Issue |
1510 |
Pages |
45-51 |
Keywords |
Aggression; Animals; Animals, Domestic; Animals, Wild; *Behavior, Animal; Breeding; Exploratory Behavior; Female; *Heredity; Male; Selection (Genetics); Songbirds/*genetics/*physiology; Variation (Genetics) |
Abstract |
Behaviour under conditions of mild stress shows consistent patterns in all vertebrates: exploratory behaviour, boldness, aggressiveness covary in the same way. The existence of highly consistent individual variation in these behavioural strategies, also referred to as personalities or coping styles, allows us to measure the behaviour under standardized conditions on birds bred in captivity, link the standardized measurements to the behaviour under natural conditions and measure natural selection in the field. We have bred the great tit (Parus major), a classical model species for the study of behaviour under natural conditions, in captivity. Here, we report a realized heritability of 54 +/- 5% for early exploratory behaviour, based on four generations of bi-directional artificial selection. In addition to this, we measured hand-reared juveniles and their wild-caught parents in the laboratory. The heritability found in the mid-offspring-mid-parent regression was significantly different from zero. We have thus established the presence of considerable amounts of genetic variation for personality types in a wild bird. |
Address |
Netherlands Institute of Ecology, PO Box 40, 6666 ZG Heteren, The Netherlands. drent@cto.nioo.knaw.nl |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:12590770 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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591 |
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