Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jun:15:93-98.
doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.02.026.

Parenting in Animals

Karen L Bales  1   2
Affiliations

Parenting in Animals

Karen L Bales. Curr Opin Psychol. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

The study of parenting in animals has allowed us to come to a better understanding of the neural and physiological mechanisms that underlie mammalian parental behavior. The long-term effects of parenting (and parental abuse or neglect) on offspring, and the neurobiological changes that underlie those changes, have also been best studied in animal models. Our greater experimental control and ability to directly manipulate neural and hormonal systems, as well as the environment of the subjects, will ensure that animal models remain important in the study of parenting; while in the future, the great variety of parental caregiving systems displayed by animals should be more thoroughly explored. Most importantly, cross-talk between animal and human subjects research should be promoted.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Titi monkey father carrying infant at the California National Primate Research Center. Photo by: Kathy West Studios ©2016
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prairie vole family. Photo by: Karen L. Bales
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dulac C, O’Connell LA, Wu Z. Neural control of maternal and paternal behaviors. Science. 2014;345:765–770. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hrdy SB. Variable postpartum responsiveness among humans and other primates with “cooperative breeding”: A comparative and evolutionary perspective. Hormones and Behavior. 2016;77:272–283. This paper outlines the hypothesis that human ancestors relied on alloparenting, which is distinct from great apes which are highly possessive of their offspring. Background from non-human primates is used to support this cogent and compelling argument. - PubMed
    1. Kleiman DG. Monogamy in mammals. Quarterly Review of Biology. 1977;52:39–69. - PubMed
    1. Fernandez-Duque E, Valeggia CR, Mendoza SP. The biology of paternal care in human and non-human primates. Annual Review of Anthropology. 2009;38:115–130.
    1. Kokko H, Jennions MD. Parental investment, sexual selection and sex ratios. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 2008;21:919–948. - PubMed