A comparison of temperament in nonhuman apes and human infants.
Abstract
The adaptive behavior of primates, including humans, is often mediated by temperament.
Human behavior likely differs from that of other primates in part due to temperament.
In the current study we compared the reaction of bonobos, chimpanzees, orangutans,
and 2.5-year-old human infants to novel objects and people - as a measure of their
shyness-boldness, a key temperamental trait. Human children at the age of 2.5 years
avoided novelty of all kinds far more than the other ape species. This response was
most similar to that seen in bonobos and least like that of chimpanzees and orangutans.
This comparison represents a first step in characterizing the temperamental profiles
of species in the hominoid clade, and these findings are consistent with the hypothesis
that human temperament has evolved since our lineage diverged from the other apes
in ways that likely have broad effects on behavior. These findings also provide new
insights into how species differences in ecology may shape differences in temperament.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Analysis of VarianceAnimals
Behavior, Animal
Child, Preschool
Female
Hominidae
Humans
Latency Period (Psychology)
Male
Observation
Shyness
Species Specificity
Temperament
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13651Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1111/j.1467-7687.2011.01082.xPublication Info
Herrmann, Esther; Hare, Brian; Cissewski, Julia; & Tomasello, Michael (2011). A comparison of temperament in nonhuman apes and human infants. Dev Sci, 14(6). pp. 1393-1405. 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2011.01082.x. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13651.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Brian Hare
Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology
Michael Tomasello
James F. Bonk Distinguished Professor
Major research interests in processes of social cognition, social learning, cooperation,
and communication from developmental, comparative, and cultural perspectives. Current
theoretical focus on processes of shared intentionality. Empirical research mainly
with human children from 1 to 4 years of age and great apes.
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