Abstract
One mother-infant dyad of each species of great ape, orang-utan, chimpanzee and gorilla, with an additional conspecific cagemate, were studied for the effects of maternal separation and reunion. High levels of agitation were observed in all infants immediately upon separation, followed by a longer period of behavioral depression with continuing, intermittent agitation. A compatible cagemate seemed to attenuate, to some degree, the behavioral depression reaction. Initial detachment following reunion with the mother occurred for all the great ape infants studied. Subsequent intensification of mother-infant attachment occurred during reunion for all three species. The findings of intermittent agitation during separation and the initial detachment upon reunion with the mother are not generally reported for monkeys, but are reported for human children. These data suggest that certain responses to maternal separation and reunion occur, to some degree, among all primates that have been studied, whereas other responses seen among apes and humans are not generally reported for monkeys.
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Codner, M.A., Nadler, R.D. Mother-infant separation and reunion in the great apes. Primates 25, 204–217 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02382392
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02382392