All in the family: learning about human society from observing gorilla social structure

Date
1992
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Producer
Director
Performer
Choreographer
Costume Designer
Music
Videographer
Lighting Designer
Set Designer
Crew Member
Funder
Rehearsal Director
Concert Coordinator
Moderator
Panelist
Alternative Title
Department
Haverford College. Department of Psychology
Type
Thesis
Original Format
Running Time
File Format
Place of Publication
Date Span
Copyright Date
Award
Language
eng
Note
Table of Contents
Terms of Use
Rights Holder
Access Restrictions
Haverford users only
Tripod URL
Identifier
Abstract
An observational study of a captive group of gorillas (G.g. gorilla) was conducted over a seven month period in response to the birth of an infant on July 4, 1991. Observations began when the infant was two months old and continued until she was eight months of age. The development of infant independence and how infant independence corresponded with the development of play were the main foci of the study. Another aspect of the study involved the analysis of family cohesion and silverback-immature interactions. The amount of time the infant spent in contact with the mother decreased over the course of the study, although the difference was not significant. The type of solitary play the infant was involved in more often significantly changed from object to locomotor play over the course of the study (x²=26.86, p<.01). These results and others suggest that the infant's social development relies upon a decrease in the amount of time spent in close proximity with the mother and on active exploration of the environment.
Description
Citation
Collections