The (inicial) development of the sexual behavior in Sapajus xanthosternos

• Grant number: 22/11127-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2022
• End date: September 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Irene Silvia Delval Demonte
• Grantee: Felipe Garcia Rosa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The development of the sexuality in primates, humans and non-humans, is an important topic to understand the ontogenetic courses of the sexual behavior, but it's relatively not much studied. Non-humans primates studies have shown that, since before the birth, the social and hormonal environment influence on the development of the typical sexual behavior of the species. However, little is known about wich are these initial sexual behaviors, what are the specific caracteristics, when and in wich scenarios they happen in most of the primate species. The present study aims to describe and quantify the initial sexual repertory (i.e., initial sociosexuality) in female cubs of Sapajus xanthosternos. Therefore, we'll analyze the frequencies of the behavior over the first twelve months of life of these primates. We'll establish comparisons of the frequencies intra- and inter-subjects during the time; we'll evaluate the contexts and the preffered sexual partners, and we'll see if they change over this year; we'll identify the types and functions of these first sexual behaviors. Studies about the ontogeny of the sexual behavior in neotropical primates are, at the moment, non-existent. Thereby the innovative aspect of the present study assures high-impact publications and international collaborations. The study of the sexual development might help to unravel questions about child sexuality, the plasticity of this behavior and the natural diversity of the sexual behavior.