Neonatal imitation in rhesus macaques.

Bibliographic Collection: 
MOCA Reference, APE
Publication Type: Journal Article
Authors: Ferrari, Pier F; Visalberghi, Elisabetta; Paukner, Annika; Fogassi, Leonardo; Ruggiero, Angela; Suomi, Stephen J
Year of Publication: 2006
Journal: PLoS Biol
Volume: 4
Issue: 9
Pagination: e302
Date Published: 2006 Sep
Publication Language: eng
ISSN: 1545-7885
Keywords: Animals, Animals, Newborn, Behavior, Animal, Facial expression, Female, Imitative Behavior, Macaca mulatta, Male, Maternal Behavior, Mouth, Nonverbal Communication, Social Behavior, Time Factors, Tongue
Abstract:

The emergence of social behaviors early in life is likely crucial for the development of mother-infant relationships. Some of these behaviors, such as the capacity of neonates to imitate adult facial movements, were previously thought to be limited to humans and perhaps the ape lineage. Here we report the behavioral responses of infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to the following human facial and hand gestures: lip smacking, tongue protrusion, mouth opening, hand opening, and opening and closing of eyes (control condition). In the third day of life, infant macaques imitate lip smacking and tongue protrusion. On the first day of life, the model's mouth openings elicited a similar matched behavior (lip smacking) in the infants. These imitative responses are present at an early stage of development, but they are apparently confined to a narrow temporal window. Because lip smacking is a core gesture in face-to-face interactions in macaques, neonatal imitation may serve to tune infants' affiliative responses to the social world. Our findings provide a quantitative description of neonatal imitation in a nonhuman primate species and suggest that these imitative capacities, contrary to what was previously thought, are not unique to the ape and human lineage. We suggest that their evolutionary origins may be traced to affiliative gestures with communicative functions.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040302
Alternate Journal: PLoS Biol.
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