Socialization, Hormones, and the Regulation of Maternal Behavior in Nonhuman Simian Primates

Abstract

This chapter synthesizes theory and evidence concerning the regulation of maternal behavior in mammals belonging to the order primates. It reviews the theory and evidence impinging on the following hypotheses of maternal behavior regulation in monkeys and apes: (1) preadult experience of other females' infants in the natal social group is sufficient for the demonstration of species-typical maternal behavior by a female toward her own infants; (2) preadult experience of other females' infants in the natal social group is essential for the demonstration of species-typical maternal behavior by a female toward her own infants; and (3) hormonal changes occurring during late pregnancy, labor, and parturition (peripartum), are essential for the demonstration of species-typical maternal behavior toward her own infants by a fully socialized female. The chapter describes the “context” in which the regulation of maternal behavior occurs in monkeys and apes by summarizing relevant aspects of their lifestyles, morphology, and reproductive life histories. It integrates the evidence for and against the socialization and neuroendocrine hypotheses, and, by logical extension of this evidence, proposes a model containing both social and neuroendocrine causal factors, as a basis for future research into the regulation of primate maternal behavior.