Travel vision in infant monkeys: Maturation rate and abnormal stereotyped behaviors
✍ Scribed by Gershon Berkson; Rathe Karrer
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1968
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 447 KB
- Volume
- 1
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0012-1630
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✦ Synopsis
Three monkeys with travel vision and 5 controls were observed with their mothers during the first 6 months of age and then for another 3 months after they had been placed in social isolation. I n the home cagc, the experimental animals did not differ from controls except that two held a hand before their eyes in a stereotyped fashion not previously reported for animals. In an unfamiliar environment the blind animals did not look at an observer, threatened less than normal, and were awkward in moving around. Animals who held hands before eyes tended to approach a flickering visual stimulus. infant monkey maturation stereotyped behavior visual defect HEN A HIGHER PRIMATE is removed from its mother w at birth and reared in social isolation, it typically develops a number of stereotyped behaviors which are not prominent in the repertoire of an animal reared with its mother. These behaviors include digitsucking, self-clasping, and body rocking with head banging and rolling . Interest in studying these primate behaviors derives partly from the fact that many of them are also seen in normal human infants and in mentally deficient and psychotic persons. Sighted, mentally deficient patients manifest stereotyped behaviors, but similar behaviors are more prominent in those who are blind Guess, 1966), and they are so common in blind children of apparently normal intelligence that they have been named "blindisms." (This term, incorrect and inelegant, is falling out of use.)
In monkeys and apes, it has been demonstrated repeatedly that early separation from the mother is a necessary condition for development of stereotyped acts. What information there is regarding their causes in humans has been difficult to obtain and is inadequate. Nevertheless, many workers believe that some