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. 2012 Dec;54(8):798-807.
doi: 10.1002/dev.21000. Epub 2011 Dec 27.

Developmental changes of rhesus monkeys in response to separation from the mother

Bo Zhang  1 , Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez, Amanda Hathaway, Carlos Waters, Kelli Vaughan, Pamela L Noble, Nathan A Fox, Stephen J Suomi, Daniel S Pine, Eric E Nelson
Affiliations

Developmental changes of rhesus monkeys in response to separation from the mother

Bo Zhang et al. Dev Psychobiol. 2012 Dec.

Abstract

The development of separation response behaviors in infant rhesus macaques across the first 6 months of life was assessed. Seventeen infants underwent a neonatal assessment at 7, 14, 21, and 30 days of age which included a brief period of social isolation. At 3 and 6 months of age these same monkeys and four additional subjects were again subjected to a period of brief social isolation and also exposed to a novel environment with their sedated mother. Results indicate a developmental increase followed by a steady decline in the frequency of separation vocalizations. A modest relationship between early-infancy locomotor profiles and separation responses was also observed at several time points suggesting a possible relationship between these measures. However, stable inter-individual measures of separation distress did not emerge until late in the infantile period. This could suggest that high levels of maternal contact-seeking behavior early in infancy are context specific and not a reliable index of enduring temperament.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Depicts the mean (+SEM) frequency of vocalizations per minute during separation sessions across the first 6 months of life.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Mean (+SEM) frequency of coo vocalizations at 3 and 6 months of age during the separation condition and free play test in which the infant was placed in a room with their sedated mother. ** indicates p < 0.01
Fig 3
Fig 3
Mean (+SEM) frequency of coo vocalizations during the separation and free play tests for groups high and low in physical contact with the mother at 3 and 6 months of age. High and low contact was determined by median split of contact time at each time point. * indicates p<.05.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Scatterplot of correlations between separation and free play vocalization frequency at 3 months (top panel) and 6 months of age (bottom panel).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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