Compared the abilities of 3 mother-reared and 3 human-raised (enculturated) chimpanzees and 16 human toddlers to imitatively learn novel actions on objects. Found that mother-reared chimpanzees were poorer imitators than both enculturated chimpanzees and human children, who did not differ from one another in imitative learning. On time delay…

The influence of 10 days of maternal separation on behavior and physiology was studied in monkey infants. Individual variability in behavioral and physiological response was marked and showed only minimal correlation with measures of early behavioral development and early mother-infant interaction. Implications for understanding pathophysiology of…

Experiments in teaching language or language-like behavior to chimpanzees and other primates may bear on the problem of the origin of language. Evidence appears to support the theory that man's first language was gestural. Recent pongid language experiments suggest: (1) a capacity for language is not solely human and therefore does not represent…

Research supported in part by National Science Foundation grant no. GB4925, U.S. Public Health Service Grant FR00164 from the Division of Research Facilities and Resources.

This case study examined the development of language skills in a bonobo and a chimpanzee raised by human caregivers since infancy, focusing on the primates' ability to comprehend simple speech, understand referential symbol use, and engage in intentionally communicative routines. It is argued that comparative results from these primates can…

A human demonstrator showed human children and captive chimpanzees how to drag food or toys closer using a rakelike tool. One side of the rake was less efficient than the other for dragging. Chimps tried to reproduce results rather than methods while children imitated and used the more efficient rake side. Concludes that imitation leads to…

Infant abuse and neglect were investigated in five families of group-living pigtail macaques over five generations. Neglect was mostly limited to first-born and newborns; closely related rather than distantly related females were more prone to abuse; and infants with siblings previously abused were at highest risk. Results provide evidence of…

Linguistics retains from its antecedents, philology and the study of sacred writings, some of their apologetic and theological bias. Thus it has not been able to face squarely the question how linguistic function may have evolved from animal communication. Chimpanzees' use of signs from American Sign Language forces re-examination of language…

The nature of science encompasses the entire world and within that realm, patterns of life can be observed, interpreted, and organized into a sensible arrangement of understanding. By discovering, through an intricate process, how shapes and images form into a complete design or sequence, students related similar scientific patterns to their own…

This book is written for children 5 through 10. Part of a series designed to develop their curiosity, fascinate them and educate them, this volume introduces the primate family, their physiology, and habits. Topics described include: (1) kinds of monkeys, including lemur, chimpanzee, gorilla, squirrel monkey, and marmoset; (2) behaviors when…