Facial Expressions Modulate the Ontogenetic Trajectory of Gaze-Following among Monkeys

Autor/inn/en	Teufel, Christoph; Gutmann, Anke; Pirow, Ralph; Fischer, Julia
Titel	Facial Expressions Modulate the Ontogenetic Trajectory of Gaze-Following among Monkeys
Quelle	In: Developmental Science, 13 (2010) 6, S.913-922 (10 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1363-755X
DOI	10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00956.x
Schlagwörter	Cues; Environmental Influences; Nonverbal Communication; Social Cognition; Eye Movements; Animals; Longitudinal Studies; Observation; Age Differences; Gender Differences + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Stichwort; Environmental influence; Umwelteinfluss; Non-verbal communication; Nonverbale Kommunikation; Soziale Kognition; Augenbewegung; Animal; Tier; Tiere; Longitudinal study; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal methods; Längsschnittuntersuchung; Beobachtung; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Geschlechterkonflikt
Abstract	Gaze-following, the tendency to direct one's attention to locations looked at by others, is a crucial aspect of social cognition in human and nonhuman primates. Whereas the development of gaze-following has been intensely studied in human infants, its early ontogeny in nonhuman primates has received little attention. Combining longitudinal and cross-sectional observational data from Barbary macaques at "La Foret des Singes", we show here that gaze-following among conspecifics develops within the first year of life with a rapid increase between 5 and 6 months, reaching adult levels at 1 year. Sex, rank, and relatedness of the animal whose gaze the subject followed did not affect gaze-following rates. Interestingly, however, the behavior was enhanced in all age classes if a gaze-cue was accompanied by a facial expression. Furthermore, the effect of facial expressions had a modulatory influence on the ontogenetic trajectory of gaze-following, suggesting that it is of functional significance in the development of the behavior. Follow-up analyses revealed that one specific facial expression that is given in response to social interactions between third parties was particularly efficient in eliciting gaze-following responses, indicating the importance of cues that are able to guide the acquisition of social information. Taken together, these results suggest that the development and the operation of gaze-following are tuned to the social and physical characteristics of a species' environment. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10