| Literature DB >> 28386423 |
Barbara Tiddi1, Eugenia Polizzi di Sorrentino2, Julia Fischer3, Gabriele Schino2.
Abstract
To manoeuvre in complex societies, it is beneficial to acquire knowledge about the social relationships existing among group mates, so as to better predict their behaviour. Although such knowledge has been firmly established in a variety of animal taxa, how animals acquire such knowledge, as well as its functional significance, remains poorly understood. In order to understand how primates acquire and use their social knowledge, we studied kin-biased redirected aggression in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) relying on a large database of over 15 000 aggressive episodes. Confirming previous research, macaques redirected aggression preferentially to the kin of their aggressor. An analysis that controlled for the rate of affiliation between aggressors and targets of redirection showed that macaques identified the relatives of group mates on the basis of the frequency of their ongoing associations. By contrast, having observed group mates interact with their mother as infants did not increase the monkeys' success in correctly identifying kin relationships among third parties. Inter-individual variation in the successful identification of the kin of aggressors and in redirecting aggression accordingly translated into differences in the amount of aggression received, highlighting a selective advantage for those individuals that were better able to acquire and use social knowledge.Entities:
Keywords: inter-individual differences; kinship; primates; redirected aggression; social cognition
Year: 2017 PMID: 28386423 PMCID: PMC5367287 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160639
Source DB: PubMed Journal: R Soc Open Sci ISSN: 2054-5703 Impact factor: 2.963
Figure 1.Kinship and affiliation between aggressor and target of redirection. (a) Degree of maternal kinship between aggressor and target of redirection after observed aggressive episodes (N = 1101) or after control points (N = 744). (b) CSI between aggressor and target of redirection after observed aggressive episodes (N = 1890) or after control points (N = 1307). Marginal means and standard errors are shown.
Figure 2.Kinship between aggressor and target of redirection, controlling for affiliation. Degree of maternal kinship between aggressor and target of redirection after observed aggressive episodes (N = 1101) or after control points (N = 744), controlling for the CSI between aggressor and target of redirection. Marginal means and standard errors are shown.
Figure 3.Kinship between aggressor and target of redirection when the victim was older than both, controlling for affiliation. Degree of maternal kinship between aggressor and target of redirection after observed aggressive episodes (N = 239) or after control points (N = 153), controlling for the CSI between aggressor and target of redirection and including only those aggressive episodes in which the victim was older than both the aggressor and the target of redirection. Marginal means and standard errors are shown.
Figure 4.Aggression and victim's redirection to own kin. Aggression given (episodes per hour) in relation to the probability that the victim redirects aggression to one's own kin. Each point represents a different dyad (N = 1428).
Figure 5.Aggression received and redirection on the aggressor's kin. Aggression received (episodes per hour) in relation to the probability to redirect aggression to the aggressor's kin. Each point represents a different individual (N = 57).