1,720,979 research outputs found
Il ruolo degli zoo nello studio del comportamento animale: vademecum per il ricercatore.
No full textIn Bonobos Yawn Contagion Is Higher among Kin and Friends
Full text linkIn humans, the distribution of yawn contagion is shaped by social closeness with strongly bonded pairs showing higher levels of contagion than weakly bonded pairs. This ethological finding led the authors to hypothesize that the phenomenon of yawn contagion may be the result of certain empathic abilities, although in their most basal form. Here, for the first time, we show the capacity of bonobos (Pan paniscus) to respond to yawns of conspecifics. Bonobos spontaneously yawned more frequently during resting/relaxing compared to social tension periods. The results show that yawn contagion was context independent suggesting that the probability of yawning after observing others\u27 yawns is not affected by the propensity to engage in spontaneous yawns. As it occurs in humans, in bonobos the yawing response mostly occurred within the first minute after the perception of the stimulus. Finally, via a Linear Mixed Model we tested the effect of different variables (e.g., sex, rank, relationship quality) on yawn contagion, which increased when subjects were strongly bonded and when the triggering subject was a female. The importance of social bonding in shaping yawn contagion in bonobos, as it occurs in humans, is consistent with the hypothesis that empathy may play a role in the modulation of this phenomenon in both species. The higher frequency of yawn contagion in presence of a female as a triggering subject supports the hypothesis that adult females not only represent the relational and decisional nucleus of the bonobo society, but also that they play a key role in affecting the emotional states of others
Birth in bonobos (Pan paniscus): a case report.
No full textBirth in non-human primates has been described
in several species but there is an almost total lack of data
about the reactions of other group members towards the
mother and the newborn. This report describes a delivery
by a member (hereafter «the mother») of a captive group
of bonobos (Pan paniscus) hosted at Apenheul Primate Park
(The Netherlands). Three observers followed the group: one
of them collected data on the mother, named Kumbuka, via
focal animal sampling, the second registered the identities
and behaviours of group members that were in proximity of
the mother, and the last one video-recorded the delivery. The
mother performed the characteristic squatting posture during
contractions, touched her vaginal area and moved her
hands from her vagina to her mouth and licked her fingers.
Four females (two adult, one juvenile, and one infant) were
extremely interested in the mother: they followed and frequently
touched her. Males and the other pregnant female
never approached the mother before birth took place. We also
observed the consumption of the placenta, which was shared
among group members. Although the other pregnant female
was one of the most important females in the group, she was
never seen in proximity of the mother and she neither asked
for the placenta nor received it
Play to learn. Teach by play
Full text linkThe synthesis provided by Kline in the target article is noteworthy, but ignores the inseparable role of play in the evolution of learning and teaching in both humans and other animals. Play is distinguished and advantaged by its positive feedback reinforcement through pleasure. Play, especially between adults and infants, is probably the platform from which human learning and teaching evolved
Is birth attendance a uniquely human feature? New evidence suggests that Bonobo females protect and support the parturient
No full textBirth attendance has been proposed as a distinguishing feature of humans (Homo sapiens) and it has been linked to the difficulty of the delivery process in our species. Here, we provide the first quantitative study based on video-recordings of the social dynamics around three births in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus), human closest living relative along with the chimpanzee. We show that the general features defining traditional birth attendance in humans can also be identified in bonobos. As in humans, birth in bonobos was a social event, where female attendants provided protection and support to the parturient until the infant was born. Moreover, bystander females helped the parturient during the expulsive phase by performing manual gestures aimed at holding the infant. Our results on bonobos question the traditional view that the “obligatory” need for assistance was the main driving force leading to sociality around birth in our species. Indeed, birth in bonobos is not hindered by physical constraints and the mother is self-sufficient in accomplishing the delivery. Although further studies are needed both in captivity and in the wild, we suggest that the similarities observed between birth attendance in bonobos and humans might be related to the high level of female gregariousness in these species. In our view, the capacity of unrelated females to form strong social bonds and cooperate could have represented the evolutionary pre-requisite for the emergence of human midwifery
Exploring the evolutionary foundations of empathy: Consolation in monkeys
No full textUnsolicited third-party affiliation occurs when victims of aggression receive a spontaneous affinitive
contact from a bystander. Consolation is a specific type of unsolicited third-party affiliation showing two
key components: 1) it alleviates distress in the victims and 2) is preferentially directed towards friends.
Consolation was thought to be present only in humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos linked to their higher
cognitive and empathic abilities. Previous investigations in monkeys found unsolicited third-party affiliation
in only two species with no evidence of consolation. In the research presented here we set out to test a
number of hypotheses concerning third-party affiliation in Macaca fuscata and M. tonkeana, two species that
differ remarkably for social style. M. fuscata is despotic, while M. tonkeana is one of the most tolerant species of
macaques. We found no evidence of unsolicited third-party affiliation in M. fuscata, but it was present in
M. tonkeana. In this species we found that unsolicited third-party affiliation reduced anxiety (measured by
scratching) in the victims and was directed towards friends and especially towards females who experienced
higher levels of anxiety compared to males. Third-party affiliation also occurred more frequently in the
absence of reconciliation. All the key features used to recognize consolation in humans and great apes are
present in M. tonkeana making it difficult not to conclude that consolation exists in this species. Since
consolation is most often considered to be driven by empathy, our results suggest that Tonkean macaques are
capable of empathetically reacting to the victim’s state of anxiety. Our results support the Social Constraints
Hypothesis showing that the degree of tolerance is a key factor in the expression of consolation. Investigating
behavioral patterns driven by even the most basic forms of empathy requires the choice of an appropriate
species and Macaca tonkeana is a good model to investigate the full phylogenetic range, evolutionary depth,
and origin of empathy in primates
Nato con la camicia. Nascita, placentofagia e socialità in una delle specie più vicine all’uomo: il bonobo.
No full textHigh-Ranking Geladas Protect and Comfort Others After Conflicts
No full textPost-conflict affiliation is a mechanism favored by natural selection to manage conflicts in animal groups thus avoiding group disruption. Triadic affiliation towards the victim can reduce the likelihood of redirection (benefits to third-parties) and protect and provide comfort to the victim by reducing its post-conflict anxiety (benefits to victims). Here, we test specific hypotheses on the potential functions of triadic affiliation in Theropithecus gelada, a primate species living in complex multi-level societies. Our results show that higher-ranking geladas provided more spontaneous triadic affiliation than lower-ranking subjects and that these contacts significantly reduced the likelihood of further aggression on the victim. Spontaneous triadic affiliation significantly reduced the victim’s anxiety (measured by scratching), although it was not biased towards kin or friends. In conclusion, triadic affiliation in geladas seems to be a strategy available to high-ranking subjects to reduce the social tension generated by a conflict. Although this interpretation is the most parsimonious one, it cannot be totally excluded that third parties could also be affected by the negative emotional state of the victim thus increasing a third party’s motivation to provide comfort. Therefore, the debate on the linkage between third-party affiliation and emotional contagion in monkeys remains to be resolved
Yawn contagion in humans and bonobos: emotional affinity matters more than species
Full text linkIn humans and apes, yawn contagion echoes emotional contagion, the basal layer of empathy. Hence, yawn contagion is a unique tool to compare empathy across species. If humans are the most empathic animal species, they should show the highest empathic response also at the level of emotional contagion. We gathered data on yawn contagion in humans (Homo sapiens) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) by applying the same observational paradigm and identical operational definitions. We selected a naturalistic approach because experimental management practices can produce different psychological and behavioural biases in the two species, and differential attention to artificial stimuli. Within species, yawn contagion was highest between strongly bonded subjects. Between species, sensitivity to others’ yawns was higher in humans than in bonobos when involving kin and friends but was similar when considering weakly-bonded subjects. Thus, emotional contagion is not always highest in humans. The cognitive components concur in empowering emotional affinity between individuals. Yet, when they are not in play, humans climb down from the empathic podium to return to the “understory”, which our species shares with apes
Pan paniscus or Pan ludens? Bonobos, playful attitude and social tolerance
No full textPlay, especially in its social form, is an enigmatic and multifunctional behavior that is essential for the development
and maintenance of a great variety of individual and social competences in many social species. Bonobos are recognized as one
of the most playful species and they can be used as a model to evaluate the importance of social play at all ages, given that they
play at high frequencies even as adults, thanks to their developmental delay. By summarizing what is known about play behavior in
bonobos and in other primate species, this chapter sheds light on the importance of social play in scaffolding the socio-emotional
and communicative competence of individuals. Results obtained on bonobos allow the strong links between play in adults and social
tolerance, a connection that becomes evident also in other species, including our own, to be revealed
- …
