Sexually Differentiated Object Preference in Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Berkowitz, Jamie

Publication:
Sexually Differentiated Object Preference in Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

dc.contributor.advisor	Melinda A. Novak
dc.contributor.author	Berkowitz, Jamie
dc.contributor.department	University of Massachusetts Amherst
dc.contributor.department	Neuroscience & Behavior
dc.date	2023-09-22T19:52:20.000
dc.date.accessioned	2024-04-26T20:51:44Z
dc.date.available	2024-04-26T20:51:44Z
dc.date.issued	2009-01-01
dc.date.submitted	2009-February
dc.description.abstract	Children have strong preferences for sex-typed toys; boys prefer trucks, whereas girls prefer dolls. These preferences appear to be driven by complex interactions of hormones and the socio-cultural environment. The relative contribution of each of these factors in children is impossible to isolate given ethical limitations. Non-human primate species afford the opportunity to examine preferences in the absence of societal values and influences that children experience. In two previous studies with non-human primates, one with vervet monkeys and one with rhesus monkeys, monkeys showed sex-typed object preferences that paralleled those of children. However, several uncontrolled variables could have influenced these preferences. Our study considered object characteristics and we controlled for possible color preferences. We also tested monkeys individually to eliminate the effects of social facilitation and dominance rank. In experiment 1, monkeys were given a choice between similar objects of different colors (Phase A) and moving vs. non-moving objects (Phase B). In experiment 2, monkeys were given a choice between dolls and trucks (Phase A) and subsequent phases looked at the influence of moving wheels (Phase B) and hardness (Phase C). Contrary to previous findings, monkeys did not show sex-typed object preferences. Instead, the monkeys preferred blue objects, hard PVC objects such as trucks and hard dolls, and dolls with wheels. The influence of previous reward based cognitive testing, familiarity of substrate materials, and rearing condition are considered as possible explanations for these findings.
dc.description.degree	Master of Science (M.S.)
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.7275/694502
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14394/45826
dc.relation.url	https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1314&context=theses&unstamped=1
dc.source.status	published
dc.subject	Behaviorial sciences
dc.subject	object preference
dc.subject	sex differences
dc.subject	rhesus monkeys
dc.subject	toy preference
dc.subject	Animals
dc.title	Sexually Differentiated Object Preference in Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta)
dc.type	open
dc.type	article
dc.type	thesis
digcom.contributor.author	isAuthorOfPublication\|email:jberkowi@psych.umass.edu\|institution:University of Massachusetts Amherst\|Berkowitz, Jamie
digcom.identifier	theses/227
digcom.identifier.contextkey	694502
digcom.identifier.submissionpath	theses/227
dspace.entity.type	Publication