Similarities and differences in the functional architecture of mother- infant communication in rhesus macaque and British mother-infant dyads
Abstract Similarly to humans, rhesus macaques engage in mother-infant face-to-face interactions. However, no previous studies have described the naturally occurring structure and development of mother-infant interactions in this population and used a comparative-developmental perspective to directly...
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Nature Portfolio
2023-08-01
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Series: | Scientific Reports |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39623-3 |
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author | V. Sclafani L. De Pascalis L. Bozicevic A. Sepe P. F. Ferrari L. Murray |
author_facet | V. Sclafani L. De Pascalis L. Bozicevic A. Sepe P. F. Ferrari L. Murray |
author_sort | V. Sclafani |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Abstract Similarly to humans, rhesus macaques engage in mother-infant face-to-face interactions. However, no previous studies have described the naturally occurring structure and development of mother-infant interactions in this population and used a comparative-developmental perspective to directly compare them to the ones reported in humans. Here, we investigate the development of infant communication, and maternal responsiveness in the two groups. We video-recorded mother-infant interactions in both groups in naturalistic settings and analysed them with the same micro-analytic coding scheme. Results show that infant social expressiveness and maternal responsiveness are similarly structured in humans and macaques. Both human and macaque mothers use specific mirroring responses to specific infant social behaviours (modified mirroring to communicative signals, enriched mirroring to affiliative gestures). However, important differences were identified in the development of infant social expressiveness, and in forms of maternal responsiveness, with vocal responses and marking behaviours being predominantly human. Results indicate a common functional architecture of mother-infant communication in humans and monkeys, and contribute to theories concerning the evolution of specific traits of human behaviour. |
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institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2045-2322 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:20:43Z |
publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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series | Scientific Reports |
spelling | doaj.art-a19b6160474e4db7bd7dc25f6fa206322023-11-26T12:50:21ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-08-0113111810.1038/s41598-023-39623-3Similarities and differences in the functional architecture of mother- infant communication in rhesus macaque and British mother-infant dyadsV. Sclafani0L. De Pascalis1L. Bozicevic2A. Sepe3P. F. Ferrari4L. Murray5Winnicott Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of ReadingWinnicott Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of ReadingWinnicott Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of ReadingDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of ParmaDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of ParmaWinnicott Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of ReadingAbstract Similarly to humans, rhesus macaques engage in mother-infant face-to-face interactions. However, no previous studies have described the naturally occurring structure and development of mother-infant interactions in this population and used a comparative-developmental perspective to directly compare them to the ones reported in humans. Here, we investigate the development of infant communication, and maternal responsiveness in the two groups. We video-recorded mother-infant interactions in both groups in naturalistic settings and analysed them with the same micro-analytic coding scheme. Results show that infant social expressiveness and maternal responsiveness are similarly structured in humans and macaques. Both human and macaque mothers use specific mirroring responses to specific infant social behaviours (modified mirroring to communicative signals, enriched mirroring to affiliative gestures). However, important differences were identified in the development of infant social expressiveness, and in forms of maternal responsiveness, with vocal responses and marking behaviours being predominantly human. Results indicate a common functional architecture of mother-infant communication in humans and monkeys, and contribute to theories concerning the evolution of specific traits of human behaviour.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39623-3 |
spellingShingle | V. Sclafani L. De Pascalis L. Bozicevic A. Sepe P. F. Ferrari L. Murray Similarities and differences in the functional architecture of mother- infant communication in rhesus macaque and British mother-infant dyads Scientific Reports |
title | Similarities and differences in the functional architecture of mother- infant communication in rhesus macaque and British mother-infant dyads |
title_full | Similarities and differences in the functional architecture of mother- infant communication in rhesus macaque and British mother-infant dyads |
title_fullStr | Similarities and differences in the functional architecture of mother- infant communication in rhesus macaque and British mother-infant dyads |
title_full_unstemmed | Similarities and differences in the functional architecture of mother- infant communication in rhesus macaque and British mother-infant dyads |
title_short | Similarities and differences in the functional architecture of mother- infant communication in rhesus macaque and British mother-infant dyads |
title_sort | similarities and differences in the functional architecture of mother infant communication in rhesus macaque and british mother infant dyads |
url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39623-3 |
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