Abstract
This study investigated lateral biases in nipple preferences, maternal cradling, carrying, and retrieval in 41 rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) mother-infant dyads living in two captive social groups. Observations were made during the first 6 weeks of infant life using a combination of scan sampling and adlibitum sampling techniques. Infants exhibited a significant left-nipple preference in the first weeks of life but the bias decreased with infant age. Mothers showed a left-arm bias in carrying their infants but no significant lateral bias in cradling or retrieval. Our results suggest that the left-side cradling bias reported in studies of humans and some other primates reflects a bias in the infant's nipple preference rather than in maternal behavior. The infants' preference for the left nipple is consistent with both Salk's (1960) heartbeat hypothesis and with more recent hypotheses linking this lateral bias with brain asymmetry and hemispheric specialization for mother-infant communication.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 305-312 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Developmental Psychobiology |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1998 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Brain asymmetry
- Laterality
- Maternal cradling
- Nipple preference
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Behavioral Neuroscience