Primate Behaviour and Social Ecology

by Hilary O. Box

Overview

One of the most obvious changes that has occurred in behavioural biology in recent years is that it has become conspicuously a problem orientated subject. Moreover, one of the most important consequences of this has been to stimulate interdisciplinary links between evolutionary biology, zoology, ecology, anthro­ pology and psychology. The time is now right to ask questions which relate whole animals in the contexts of their ecosystems, with their social behaviour and development, with their perceptual and cog­ nitive capacities. These are new ways of looking at old problems, but we are still at the stage of finding out what kinds of questions to ask. For several years now I have been involved in teaching behavioural biology to students of psychology as well as zoology, and have greatly appreciated the opportunity to relate material across many different subject areas. It is the interfacing of problems, as in ecology and psychology for example, that makes 'more sense' of topics such as 'intelligence', responses to 'novelty', feeding strategies and socialleaming. The aim of the book is to provide readily digestible information in a number of areas of current interest in behavioural biology. Above all, it is intended to provide a basis for discussion and further inquiry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789401089432
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	10/08/2011
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1984
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.02(d)

Table of Contents

of the book.- Primates as an order.- 1 Social Ecology.- Functional questions.- Evolutionary social ecology.- Proximate social ecology.- Interspecies correlations.- Food.- Primates as prey.- Primates as predators.- Intraspecies social behaviour and ecology.- Ecological variables and social development.- Behaviour in captivity.- 2 Behavioural Responses to Change-Natural Events I.- Behaviour associated with birth.- When and where birth takes place.- The social context in which birth occurs.- Responses to new infants - caregiving activities.- Allomaternal behaviour.- Male interactions with infants.- Orphans.- Responses to dead infants.- Infants and the reproductive success of their mothers.- Kidnapping.- Infant use in intermale encounters.- Infanticide.- 3 Behavioural Responses to Change-Natural Events II.- Peripheralization.- Isolation.- Intertroop movement.- The formation of new social units.- Troop fission.- The formation of new social units in captivity.- Experiments in social discrimination.- Introducing strange individuals into established social units.- Reintroduction of individuals into their social units.- The removal of individuals from established social units.- Responses to dead individuals.- Social differentiation of kin.- 4 Behavioural Responsiveness - Experimental Studies.- Responsiveness to new situations.- Responsiveness and life strategies.- Feeding strategies.- Responses to danger.- The influence of social context.- 5 Assessments of Cognitive Capacity.- Neurological correlates.- Behavioural correlates.- Self-awareness.- Language.- Piagetian techniques.- The use of tools.- Evolutionary hypotheses.- 6 Socially Mediated Learning.- Evidence for social traditions.- The question of culture.- Mediating influences.- References.- Author Index.