학술논문

Infant rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) personality and subjective well-being
Document Type
Academic Journal
Source
PLoS ONE. December 19, 2019, Vol. 14 Issue 12, e0226747
Subject
Primates -- Psychological aspects -- Social aspects
Infants -- Psychological aspects -- Social aspects
Animal behavior -- Psychological aspects -- Social aspects
Bullying
Health
Science and technology
Psychological aspects
Social aspects
Evaluation
Language
English
ISSN
1932-6203
Abstract
Infant temperament is theorized to lay the foundation for adult personality; however, many questions remain regarding personality in infancy, including the number of dimensions, extent to which they are adult-like, and their relation to other outcomes, such as mental and physical health. Here we tested whether adult-like personality dimensions are already present in infancy in a nonhuman primate species. We measured personality and subjective well-being in 7-month-old rhesus macaques (N = 55) using the Hominoid Personality Questionnaire and Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire, both of which were developed for adult primates based on human measures. Multiple human raters, who provided infants with daily care since birth, independently rated each infant. We found high interrater reliability. Results from a parallel analysis and scree plot indicated a five component structure, which, using principal components analysis, we found to be comprised of dimensions relating to Openness (e.g., curiosity, inquisitive, playfulness), Assertiveness (e.g., dominance, bullying, aggressive), Anxiety (e.g., vigilance, fearful), Friendliness (e.g., sociable, affectionate, sympathetic), and Intellect (e.g., organized, not erratic). These components are largely analogous to those in adult macaques, suggesting remarkably stable structural personality components across the lifespan. Infant macaques' subjective well-being positively correlates with Openness and Assertiveness and negatively correlated with Anxiety, similar to findings in adult macaques and other primates. Together, these findings suggest that, in macaques, infant personality dimensions may be conceptually related to adult personality and challenge the view that infant temperament may be disorganized and not as meaningful as adult personality. Further research is necessary to explore the antecedents, predictive validity, and stability of these personality components across situations and with development.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Simpson 1,*, Lauren M. Robinson 2,3, Annika Paukner 4 Introduction Human and nonhuman primate infants display individual differences in various aspects of their psychology and behavior [1-4]. [...]