A 10-year perspective of motherless-mother monkey behavior.

Abstract

Previous studies have reported that the maternal behavior of rhesus monkey females who themselves were reared without mothers ("motherless mothers") is generally inadequate and often abusive. The present study examined the maternal competency of SO such subjects with respect to the variables of rearing environment, age at first social contact, sex of offspring, age at first delivery, parity, and duration of exposure to previous offspring. The results suggested that physical contact with conspecifics, either with peers prior to adulthood or with their own infants immediately after birth, greatly reduced the probability that motherless mothers would be inadequate maternally.Researchers who have studied the consequences of social deprivation in rhesus monkeys are in virtual agreement that social isolation or restriction imposed early in life has devastating, and often permanent, effects on the social development of monkeys. As adults, monkeys reared for at least the first 6 months in physical isolation from conspecifics have been reported to exhibit anomalies in home-cage behavior (Cross & Harlow, 196S;Suomi, Harlow, & Kimball, 1971), in adaptation to novel environments (Harlow, Schiltz, & Harlow, 1969), in approach to complex stimuli (Sackett, 1972), and in suppression of ongoing response chains (Sackett, 1970). With respect to social activities, adult isolate-reared monkeys typically display excessive and inappropriately directed aggres-

Behavioral and environmental correlates of infant abuse in group- living pigtail macaques

“…Most infant play occurred in the second and in the third month of infant life whereas most abuse was concentrated in the first weeks, thus suggesting that the difference in play may have been a consequence of early abuse. Other studies of infant abuse in individually housed and group-living macaques have shown that abuse increases infant clinging and delays the acquisition of infant independence from their mothers, at least temporarily (Maestripieri, 1998;Ruppenthal et al, 1976). More studies are needed to accurately assess the long-term consequences of early abuse on social and psychological development.…”

“…Infant abuse has been observed in both mothers reared and housed in conditions of social deprivation (Reite & Caine, 1983;Ruppenthal, Arling, Harlow, Sackett, & Suomi, 1976) and mothers born and reared in social groups (hereafter group-living), in captivity and in the wild (Hiraiwa, 1981;Maestripieri, 1994aMaestripieri, , 1998Troisi, D'Amato, Fuccillo, & Scucchi, 1982). Whereas infant abuse displayed by socially deprived monkeys is only one example of a host of abnormal social behaviors, group-living abusive mothers are otherwise normal individuals who possess and display a full range of competent social behaviors.…”

The influence of repeated motherhood on periparturitional behavior in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis)

“…Nulliparous rhesus monkeys generally avoid sncklihgs. Ruppenthal et al (1976) noted that indifferent mothers were older at first delivery than abusive mothers and suggested that full maturity could have ameliorated abusive behavior. They also found that primiparous mothers were superior at the age of 8 years and suggested that full maturation of the hormonal system could be achieved then.…”

“…Of course another prerequisite for learning is that the primipara which stays with her infant performs true maternal behavior. Among solitarily-reared rhesus females (Ruppenthal et al, 1976), indifferent mothers had the opportunity to interact with their firstborn infants for a few days during some hours a day. Although paying no attention to their firstborn, they often accepted their next infants.…”

Child abuse and neglect: Usefulness of the animal data.

“…For example, regarding the role of experience--or lack thereof--as a determinant of inadequate maternal behavior, it must be noted that the increase in the proportion of adequate maternal care with successive infants was solely due to a reduction in indifference and neglect and not in abuse, which remained constant with successive offspring (Ruppenthal et al, 1976). Similarly, peer rearing was associated with a lower occurrence of infant neglect but not of abuse (Suomi, 1978).…”