Primate socialization,

by Frank E. Poirier

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394311124
• ISBN13: 9780394311128
• Release Date: January 1972
• Publisher: Random House
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Revisiting a classic

I've been reliving my days in graduate school recently, and have rediscovered some of my library focusing on classic studies in primate behavior as well as the behavior of other animal species. In my Ph. D. in Political Science program, one of my minor areas was the relationship between biology and politics (at the time, an exotic specialization--less so now). One of the classic works that I rediscovered is a work edited by Frank Poirier, "Primate Socialization." At the time, this subject was understudied. The focus Poirier notes (Page vii): :The contents of this book are an attempt to start a dialogue about a relatively unknown area of primate behavior--socialization." The meaning of socialization? Poirier says that it is (Page 4): ". . .how an animal's learned social relationships with its fellow social members--affects its behavior, and eventually, through such behavior, the social order." The first chapter is a nice introduction (written by Poirier) laying out a framework for study. Following that are actual studies of primate behavior as related to socialization. Among species and subjects examined are the macaques of Gibraltar, early infant development among captive Old World monkeys such as vervets and mangabeys, early social development of baboons, socialization among "wild" chimpanzees, incest avoidance among primates, paternal behavior in primates, and an analysis of cross-cultural data among humans on human socialization. Fir its time, a wonderful resource. I note how much underlining I did in this work, indicating how much value I found in some of the chapters.