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Mason, W. A., & Hollis, J. H. (1962). Communication between young rhesus monkeys. Anim. Behav., 10(3-4), 211–221.
Abstract: 1. 1. The communication performance of 12 rhesus monkeys was investigated in a situation in which the rewards of both members of a pair of monkeys could not exceed chance levels unless the operator monkey responded to cues provided by the informant monkey which indicated the location of food. Each member of the pair was trained in both operator and informant roles in different phases of the experiment. Communication performance improved progressively to levels consistently above chance. However, communication learning appeared to be specific to the role in which the individual was trained, and when roles were reversed no evidence of transfer was obtained. Tests of foodsharing behaviour showed a substantial increase in the tendency to share food with the partner following communication training. This occurred however, only when the partner was the only social stimulus present; if another monkey was also present there was no evidence of preferential responses to the partner. In all phases of communication training, monkeys which were housed together performed more efficiently than did monkeys housed individually.2. 2. The acquisition of stimulus-producing responses was investigated by causing an opaque screen to remain in front of the informant unless the operator monkey pulled a vertical lever at the front of its restraining cage. Initially, operators responded immediately to the foodcarts, but with further testing there was a steady increase in the tendency to defer the response to the food-carts until the lever had been pulled, revealing the informant monkey.3. 3. Transfer of communication training was tested with new monkey informants, and with two inanimate stimuli, a mechanical puppet, and a stationary plaque. The latter two objects were placed behind the rewarded food-carts before each trial. There was clear evidence of positive transfer to each of these conditions, but marked differences among conditions were obtained. Performance with the monkeys averaged 76 per cent. correct, as compared with 62 and 40 per cent., with the puppet and the plaque, respectively.4. 4. To test the ability of trained operator monkeys to select the appropriate informant on the basis of behavioural cues, the communication situation was arranged so that two informant monkeys were present on all trials. However, on any trial only one of these informants could be rewarded, and the operator's rewards were contingent upon delivering food to this informant. Efficiency of discrimination began at approximately 45 per cent, (chance = 25 per cent. and improved progressively to levels above 75 per cent.
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Dawson, B. V., & Foss, B. M. (1965). Observational learning in budgerigars. Anim. Behav., 13(4), 470–474.
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Richards, M. P. M. (1966). Maternal behaviour in virgin female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus waterhouse): the role of the age of the test pup. Anim. Behav., 14(2-3), 303–309.
Abstract: Summary One hundred and forty-four naive virgin female golden hamsters were each given a single 15 min test with three pups aged from day 1 (<24 hr) to day 18. A group of eight females was tested with each age of pup. Pups aged from day 1 to day 6 were generally attacked like prey, killed and eaten. Pups of intermediate age (day 6 to day 10) were usually initially attacked but this was often followed by maternal responses. The females', behaviour with the oldest pups suggested that they were being treated as strnge adult intruders. This result differs from that of a similar experiment with mice in which the youngest pups were found to be the most effective for eliciting materal responses. An explanation for this difference in terms of the evolutionary history of the golden hamster species is proposed.
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Richards, M. P. M. (1966). Maternal behaviour in the golden hamster: responsiveness to young in virgin, pregnant, and lactating females. Anim. Behav., 14(2-3), 310–313.
Abstract: Summary Three groups of eight female golden hamsters without prior breeding experience were presented with three newborn pups for a 15 min test period. Group V were virgin females, group P pregnant females and group L lactating females. Groups P and L were tested within 24 hr of parturition. Group V attacked and killed all pups presented. Group P showed maternal responses after initial attacks while group L accepted the pups. Groups P and L did not differ significantly on measures of maternal responsiveness but all three groups differed significantly from one another on measures of attacking behaviour and the eating of young.
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Noirot, E., & Richards, M. P. M. (1966). Maternal behaviour in virgin female golden hamsters: Changes consequent upon initial contact with pups. Anim. Behav., 14(1), 7–10.
Abstract: Summary Initial contact with pups of a certain age causes changes in virgin female hamsters' behaviour with pups of another age. This was shown by comparing the behaviour with 5-day-old pups in groups of naive (control) animals and of animals given one previous contact either with 1, 5 or 9-day-old pups. Maternal responses were more intense in the animals previously presented with 1 or 9-day-old pups than in the control animals. Attacking was increased after initial contact with 1-day-old pups and decreased after initial contact with 9-day-old pups. Animals presented twice with the same pattern did not show marked changes in either of the two activities.
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Cowley, J. J., & Griesel, R. D. (1966). The effect on growth and behaviour of rehabilitating first and second generation low protein rats. Anim. Behav., 14(4), 506–517.
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Tyler, S. J. (1972). The behaviour and social organisation of the new Forest ponies. Anim. Behav. Monogr., 5(2), 85–196.
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Powell, G. V. N. (1974). Experimental analysis of the social value of flocking by starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in relation to predation and foraging. Anim. Behav., 22(2), 501–505.
Abstract: In groups of ten, indidual starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, spent significantly less time in surveillance than did individuals in smaller groups and responded more quickly than single birds to a flying model hawk. Captive starlings in flocks reduce their individual surveillance efforts, but their combined efforts still enable them to be more effective than single birds in the detection of predators. Foraging behaviour of flocks was observed by placing single starlings with groups of tricoloured blackbirds, Agelaius tricolor; the starlings reduced the time they devoted to surveillance at the same rate as if they were with other starlings.
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Richards, S. M. (1974). The concept of dominance and methods of assessment. Anim. Behav., 22(Part 4), 914–930.
Abstract: The arrangement of a social group of individuals into a dominance hierarchy is useful in studies of social behaviour only if a wide variety of social interactions can then be predicted. However, definitions of dominance commonly used are numerous and confused. To assess the usefulness of the concept of dominance, studies were made on six breeding groups of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulata) to determine whether different measures of dominance agreed with each other. The measures tested in this study were found to agree. It is therefore suggested that dominance is a useful intervening variable. Possible reasons for the reported lack of correlation between some measures used by other authors are discussed.
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Syme, G. J., & Syme, L. A. (1975). The concept of spatial leadership in farm animals: An experiment with sheep. Anim. Behav., 23(Part 4), 921–925.
Abstract: The concept of spatial leadership as applied to farm animals is discussed with particular emphasis on methodological problems. Using three experimental procedures forced spatial leadership orders were measured in a group of Romney ewes. Comparisons between orders showed the effects of both the different experimental tasks and the social context on leadership structure. Both these variables were found to affect the orders obtained. The results are interpreted in terms of the utility of the concept of spatial leadership in domestic animals and the necessity for more systematic procedural investigations in this area.
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