On the physiology of grooming in a pigtail macaque

Boccia, Maria L.; Reite, Martin; Laudenslager, Mark L.

doi:10.1016/0031-9384(89)90089-9

Cited by 220 publications

(144 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…These studies support the view that brain integrated neural systems may provide the hormonal basis for positive emotions to be used as reinforcers. Physiological changes as a consequence of grooming have also been described by Boccia et al (1989) in pigtail Macaque. Data on primates indicate that social licking is used as tension-reducing behaviour (Schino et al, 1988).…”

Section: Socio-positive Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 89%

Positive indicators of cattle welfare and their applicability to on-farm protocols

Napolitano

Knierim

Grasso

et al. 2009

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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Most of the research on animal welfare has focused on the negative aspects of the matter including an array of stress categories, whereas little has been done about the positive states of well being. The present study aims to describe indicators of positive animal welfare suitable for on-farm assessment. Appropriate environmental stimulation favours good welfare and, in an adequately enriched environment, positive indicators of welfare such as play behaviour tend to be more common. In addition, animals are motivated to perform these behaviours only if their primary needs are satisfied. In cattle, beneficial effects of social licking have been observed with positive correlation between being licked vs. milk production and weight gain, respectively. Ruminants are gregarious and a high degree of synchronisation within the herd may indicate a positive welfare state, in particular for subordinate animals. They may be able to meet their basic feeding and resting requirements performing these behaviours when the competition for a particular resource is low, however their welfare state would be improved if they could choose when and where (i.e. along with the other members of the group) to perform such behaviours. Due to the reduced applicability (mainly young animals), low feasibility (time consuming) and lack of research on reliability, play behaviour, albeit of proven validity, does not appear to be suitable for a rapid implementation in a welfare assessment scheme. Social licking is rarely expressed and its detection may be time consuming and scarcely feasible. Although validity and reliability need more studies, behaviour synchrony seems to be a promising positive welfare indicator as the instantaneous scan sampling technique makes this indicator easily applicable. Recently, a new methodology called "qualitative assessment of animal behaviour" has been developed. The method relies on a number of terms which are freely generated by observers. Thus, when positive aspects are observed they can be rated on a quantitative scale. Because of its high inter-and intra-observer reliability, this method appears to be the most promising.

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Section: Socio-positive Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 89%

Positive indicators of cattle welfare and their applicability to on-farm protocols

Napolitano

Knierim

Grasso

et al. 2009

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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“…Boccia et al 1989, Aureli et al 1999, Shutt et al 2007). We could detect no relation between changes in GC levels and grooming given or received.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When successful, these behaviors subsequently also function to lower GC levels, allowing the organism to avoid the deleterious effects of chronic stress (Sapolsky et al 2000;Goymann & Wingfield 2004). Grooming appears to be one of the primary coping strategies adopted by female monkeys to reduce allostatic load (Boccia et al 1989, Aureli et al 1999Gust 1993;Shutt et al 2007). Little is known, however, about how and why grooming might function to alleviate stress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Focused grooming networks and stress alleviation in wild female baboons

Wittig

Crockford

Lehmann

et al. 2008

Hormones and Behavior

240

215

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We examine the relationship between glucocorticoid (GC) levels and grooming behavior in wild female baboons during a period of instability in the alpha male rank position. All females' GC levels rose significantly at the onset of the unstable period, though levels in females who were at lower risk of infanticide began to decrease sooner in the following weeks. Three factors suggest that females relied on a focused grooming network as a coping mechanism to alleviate stress. First, all females' grooming networks became less diverse in the weeks following the initial upheaval. Second, females whose grooming had already focused on a few predictable partners showed a less dramatic rise in GC levels than females whose grooming network had been more diverse. Third, females who contracted their grooming network the most experienced a greater decrease in GC levels in the following week. We conclude that close bonds with a few preferred partners allow female baboons to alleviate the stress associated with social instability.

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“…55,56 Indirect physiological evidence is provided by the fact that allo-grooming reduces both self-directed behaviors 50 and heart rate. 51,57 There is also pharmacological evidence to support the link, as anxiogenic and anxiolytic drugs selectively increase and decrease levels of self-directed behavior respectively. 58,59 Furthermore, levels of self-grooming and self-scratching have been used successfully in a number of studies across primate species to investigate the stress-inducing and stressalleviating effects of aggressive conflict and post-conflict interactions and variations in stress levels therein.…”

Section: Opponent Relationship Repairmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why are bystanders friendly to recipients of aggression?

Fraser

Koski

Wittig

et al. 2009

Communicative & Integrative Biology

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The escalation of conflicts of interest into aggressive conflict can be costly in terms of increased post-conflict stress and damage to the opponents' relationship. Some costs may be mitigated through post-conflict interactions. One such type of interaction is affiliative contact from a bystander to the recipient of aggression. This type of interaction has been suggested to have a number of functions, including stress reduction and opponent relationship repair. It may also protect bystanders from redirected aggression from the original recipient of aggression. Here we review the evidence for such functions and propose a framework within which the function and occurrence of post-conflict affiliation directed from a bystander to the recipient of aggression is related to the quality of the relationships between the individuals involved and the patterns of behavior expressed.

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On the physiology of grooming in a pigtail macaque

Cited by 220 publications

References 13 publications

Positive indicators of cattle welfare and their applicability to on-farm protocols

Positive indicators of cattle welfare and their applicability to on-farm protocols

Focused grooming networks and stress alleviation in wild female baboons

Why are bystanders friendly to recipients of aggression?

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