All in the family: learning about human society from observing gorilla social structure
Date
1992
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
An observational study of a captive group of gorillas (G.g. gorilla) was conducted over a seven month period in response to the birth of an infant on July 4, 1991. Observations began when the infant was two months old and continued until she was eight months of age. The development of infant independence and how infant independence corresponded with the development of play were the main foci of the study. Another aspect of the study involved the analysis of family cohesion and silverback-immature interactions. The amount of time the infant spent in contact with the mother decreased over the course of the study, although the difference was not significant. The type of solitary play the infant was involved in more often significantly changed from object to locomotor play over the course of the study (x²=26.86, p<.01). These results and others suggest that the infant's social development relies upon a decrease in the amount of time spent in close proximity with the mother and on active exploration of the environment.