Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1990

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Major Professor

John Gittleman

Committee Members

Gordon Burghardt, Richard Saudargas, Suzette Tardif

Abstract

This study focused on the effect of parental experience on parent-infant interactions in the common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus,/u>. Three mated pairs each of experienced and inexperienced parents were observed at the Marmoset Research Center in Oak Ridge, Tn. Observations began when the infants were born and ended when they were 4 months old. The behaviors of interest included: nursing, carrying, rejection, retrieval, and grooming of infants. The results from this study indicated the following: 1) Experienced females nurse infants more often than inexperienced females one week postpartum; 2) Both inexperienced males and females tend to carry infants more often than experienced males and females during weeks 1-4 and 5-9; 3) Experienced males and females tend to reject reject and retrieve infants more frequently than inexperienced males and females during weeks 1-4. After week 5 inexperienced males and females tend to reject and retrieve infants more frequently than experienced parents; and 4) Both experienced and inexperienced parents rarely groom infants during weeks 1-4. Grooming increases slightly after week 5, but no significant differences were found in relation to parental experience. Possible influential variables and future problems are also discussed in relation to this study.

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