The effect of sex and age on the development of lipsmacking behavior in capuchin monkey infants (Sapajus libidinosus)

• Grant number: 20/15980-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2021
• End date: October 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Patrícia Izar Mauro
• Grantee: Ana Clara de Souza Varella
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/13237-1 - Phenotypic plasticity of tufted capuchin monkeys (genus Sapajus): effect of different ontogenetic trajectories or of context-dependent activation?, AP.TEM

Abstract

In the last decades, researchers have focused on the study of behaviors related to social and emotional regulation in primates, as well as on their interindividual differences, evaluating the behavioral variability in distinct situations and environments, considering that both intrinsic variables (age, sex, temperament) and extrinsic variables (enviromental demands) can influence the development and the exhibition of those behaviors. However, little is known about sex and age differences in behaviors to deal with fisical and social stimuli, such as the lipsmacking behavior. The lipsmacking behavior is a rhythmic mouth movement often studied in great apes. It is considered an affiliative behavior and a type of face to face interactions that appeases the receiver and facilitates social bonding. This study aims at investigating the early development of lipsmacking in eight infant capuchin monkeys, analysing sex and age differences in the second and ninth months of life, by comparing the data obtained through recorded videos of each individual. The data will be coded using the software Observer XT 15 and analyzed according to the appropriate statistical tests.