1
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Fricker BA, Kelly AM. From grouping and cooperation to menstruation: Spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus) are an emerging mammalian model for sociality and beyond. Horm Behav 2024; 158:105462. [PMID: 38000170 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
While spiny mice are primarily used as a model for Type II diabetes and for studying complex tissue regeneration, they are also an emerging model for a variety of studies examining hormones, behavior, and the brain. We began studying the spiny mouse to take advantage of their highly gregarious phenotype to examine how the brain facilitates large group-living. However, this unique rodent can be readily bred and maintained in the lab and can be used to ask a wide variety of scientific questions. In this brief communication we provide an overview of studies that have used spiny mice for exploring physiology and behavior. Additionally, we describe how the spiny mouse can serve as a useful model for researchers interested in studying precocial development, menstruation, cooperation, and various grouping behaviors. With increasingly available technological advancements for non-traditional organisms, spiny mice are well-positioned to become a valuable organism in the behavioral neuroscience community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon A Fricker
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States of America.
| | - Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States of America.
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2
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Tomasello M. Differences in the Social Motivations and Emotions of Humans and Other Great Apes. HUMAN NATURE (HAWTHORNE, N.Y.) 2023; 34:588-604. [PMID: 37971576 PMCID: PMC10739453 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-023-09464-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Humans share with other mammals and primates many social motivations and emotions, but they are also much more cooperative than even their closest primate relatives. Here I review recent comparative experiments and analyses that illustrate humans' species-typical social motivations and emotions for cooperation in comparison with those of other great apes. These may be classified most generally as (i) 'you > me' (e.g., prosocial sympathy, informative and pedagogical motives in communication); (ii) 'you = me' (e.g., feelings of mutual respect, fairness, resentment); (iii) 'we > me' (e.g., feelings of obligation and guilt); and (iv) 'WE (in the group) > me' (e.g., in-group loyalty and conformity to norms, shame, and many in-group biases). The existence of these species-typical and species-universal motivations and emotions provides compelling evidence for the importance of cooperative activities in the human species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Tomasello
- Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
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3
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Samuni L, Surbeck M. Cooperation across social borders in bonobos. Science 2023; 382:805-809. [PMID: 37972165 DOI: 10.1126/science.adg0844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Cooperation beyond familial and group boundaries is core to the functioning of human societies, yet its evolution remains unclear. To address this, we examined grooming, coalition, and food-sharing patterns in bonobos (Pan paniscus), one of our closest living relatives whose rare out-group tolerance facilitates interaction opportunities between groups. We show that, as in humans, positive assortment supports bonobo cooperation across borders. Bonobo cooperative attitudes toward in-group members informed their cooperative relationships with out-groups, in particular, forming connections with out-group individuals who also exhibited high cooperation tendencies. Our findings show that cooperation between unrelated individuals across groups without immediate payoff is not exclusive to humans and suggest that such cooperation can emerge in the absence of social norms or strong cultural dispositions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liran Samuni
- Cooperative Evolution Lab, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Martin Surbeck
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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4
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Sauciuc GA, Persson T. Empirical challenges from the comparative and developmental literature to the Shared Intentionality Theory - a review of alternative data on recursive mind reading, prosociality, imitation and cumulative culture. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1157137. [PMID: 37901066 PMCID: PMC10613111 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1157137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans have an irresistible inclination to coordinate actions with others, leading to species-unique forms of cooperation. According to the highly influential Shared Intentionality Theory (SITh), human cooperation is made possible by shared intentionality (SI), typically defined as a suite of socio-cognitive and motivational traits for sharing psychological states with others, thereby enabling individuals to engage in joint action in the mutually aware pursuit of shared goals. SITh theorises that SI evolved as late as 400,000 years ago, when our ancestors (in particular, Homo heidelbergensis) turned to a kind of food procurement that obligatorily required joint coordinated action. SI is, thus, hypothesized to be absent in other extant species, including our closest genetic relatives, the nonhuman great apes ("apes"). According to SITh, ape psychology is exclusively driven by individualistic motivations, as opposed to human psychology which is uniquely driven by altruistic motivations. The evolutionary scenario proposed by SITh builds on a series of findings from socio-cognitive research with apes and human children, and on the assumption that abilities expressed early in human development are human universals, unlikely to have been shaped by socio-cultural influences. Drawing on the primatological and developmental literature, we provide a systematic - albeit selective - review of SITh-inconsistent findings concerning psychological and behavioural traits theorised to be constitutive of SI. The findings we review pertain to all three thematic clusters typically addressed in SITh: (i) recursive mind reading; (ii) prosociality; (iii) imitation and cumulative culture. We conclude that such alternative data undermine two core SITh claims: the late evolutionary emergence of SI and the radical divide between ape and human psychology. We also discuss several conceptual and methodological limitations that currently hamper reliable comparative research on SI, in particular those engendered by Western-centric biases in the social sciences, where an overreliance on Western samples has promoted the formulation of Western-centric conceptualisations, operationalisations and methodologies.
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5
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Valdivieso-Cortadella S, Bernardi-Gómez C, Aureli F, Llorente M, Amici F. Yawning and scratching contagion in wild spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Sci Rep 2023; 13:8367. [PMID: 37225745 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35693-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioural contagion is a widespread phenomenon in animal species, which is thought to promote coordination and group cohesion. Among non-human primates, however, there is no evidence of behavioural contagion in Platyrrhines (i.e. primates from South and Central America) yet. Here, we investigated whether behavioural contagion is also present in this taxon, by assessing yawning and scratching contagion in a wild group (N = 49) of Geoffroy's spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). We conducted focal samples to examine whether individuals observing the triggering event (i.e. a naturally occurring yawning or scratching event in the group) would be more likely to yawn or scratch in the following 3 min, as compared to individuals who did not observe the triggering event. We ran generalized linear mixed models using a Bayesian approach, and found that the probability of yawning and scratching was higher for individuals observing others yawning and scratching, respectively, as compared to individuals who did not observe such an event. Behavioural contagion did not vary depending on the observer's sex, kinship or relationship quality with the individual performing the triggering event. These findings provide the first evidence for yawning and scratching contagion in a wild group of spider monkeys, and importantly contribute to the debate about the evolutionary origins of behavioural contagion in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Filippo Aureli
- Instituto de Neuroetologia, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa-Enríquez, Mexico
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L1 2SF, UK
| | - Miquel Llorente
- Universitat de Girona, Fundació UdG: Innovació i Formació, 17003, Girona, Spain
- Departament de Psicologia, Universitat de Girona, 17004, Girona, Spain
| | - Federica Amici
- Institute of Biology, Human Biology and Primate Cognition Group, University of Leipzig, 04109, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
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6
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Palagi E. Adult play and the evolution of tolerant and cooperative societies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 148:105124. [PMID: 36931414 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Play is generally considered an immature affair. However, adult play is present in several mammal species living in complex social systems. Here, I hypothesize that adult social play is favored by natural selection in those species characterized by high level of social tolerance and/or by the need of others' cooperation to reach a goal (i.e., leverage). The integration and comparison of bio-behavioral data on non-human primates and wild social carnivores allows drawing a comprehensive picture on the importance of adult play in facing unpredictable, novel social situations and in overcoming stressful experiences. The ability to cope with potentially competitive interactions through play can favor the emergence of egalitarian societies. A further interesting and beneficial aspect of adult play is its role in synchronizing group activities and favoring collective decision making by renovating the motivation to cooperate in groupmates. As a last step, some considerations about the presence of adult play in the most egalitarian and cooperative human groups (e.g., hunter-gatherer societies) allows discussing the apparent dichotomy between cultural and biological evolution of certain behavioral traits, including social play in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Palagi
- Department of Biology - Unit of Ethology - University of Pisa, Via Alessandro Volta 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
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7
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Caselli M, Malaman B, Cordoni G, Guéry JP, Kok J, Demuru E, Norscia I. Not lost in translation: Changes in social dynamics in Bonobos after colony relocation and fusion with another group. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
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8
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Caselli M, Russo E, Guéry JP, Demuru E, Norscia I. More Than Just Kibbles: Keeper Familiarity and Food Can Affect Bonobo Behavior. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13030410. [PMID: 36766299 PMCID: PMC9913499 DOI: 10.3390/ani13030410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The welfare of captive animals relies on numerous factors. Keepers can affect animals' welfare and this could especially apply to emotionally and cognitively complex species, such as great apes. We collected video data over three months on 17 bonobos (La Vallée des Singes, France) and extracted five behaviours (play, aggression, anxiety, gestures, sociosexual interactions) -during two-minute slots-under three conditions: keeper-present/food-unavailable; keeper-present/food-available; keeper-absent/food-unavailable. We ran generalized linear models to investigate whether behavioral frequencies were affected by food presence/quality and keeper familiarity. Anxiety-related behaviors increased when the keeper was present and in absence of food, due to food expectation. Sociosexual interactions increased in presence of more familiar keepers and in absence of food, maybe to decrease the tension around food. Gestures increased in presence of more familiar keepers and with low-quality food, which was provided in large 'catchable' pieces. Aggression levels increased with high-quality food with no effect of keeper. Play behavior was not affected by any variable. Hence, bonobos were affected not just by food but also by keeper features. Considering multiple variables in the 'welfare equation' can improve captive management and increase the well-being of bonobos, a species that is much closer to humans than to other non-human animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Caselli
- Department of Life Science and System Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Emilio Russo
- Department of Life Science and System Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | | | - Elisa Demuru
- Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage, CNRS-UMR 5596, Université de Lyon, 14 Avenue Berthelot, 69363 Lyon, France
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Lab, CRNL, CNRS-UMR 5292, InsermUMR_S1028, Université de Saint-Etienne, 21, rue du Dr. Paul Michelon, 42100 Saint-Etienne, France
- Correspondence: (E.D.); (I.N.); Tel.: +33-0472-726546 (E.D.); +39-011-670-4547 (I.N.)
| | - Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Science and System Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
- Correspondence: (E.D.); (I.N.); Tel.: +33-0472-726546 (E.D.); +39-011-670-4547 (I.N.)
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9
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First evidence of contagious yawning in a wild lemur. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03284-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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10
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Nolte S, Sterck EHM, van Leeuwen EJC. Does tolerance allow bonobos to outperform chimpanzees on a cooperative task? A conceptual replication of Hare et al., 2007. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:220194. [PMID: 36686553 PMCID: PMC9810421 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Across various taxa, social tolerance is thought to facilitate cooperation, and many species are treated as having species-specific patterns of social tolerance. Yet studies that assess wild and captive bonobos and chimpanzees result in contrasting findings. By replicating a cornerstone experimental study on tolerance and cooperation in bonobos and chimpanzees (Hare et al. 2007 Cur. Biol. 17, 619-623 (doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.02.040)), we aim to further our understanding of current discrepant findings. We tested bonobos and chimpanzees housed at the same facility in a co-feeding and cooperation task. Food was placed on dishes located on both ends or in the middle of a platform. In the co-feeding task, the tray was simply made available to the ape duos, whereas in the cooperation task the apes had to simultaneously pull at both ends of a rope attached to the platform to retrieve the food. By contrast to the published findings, bonobos and chimpanzees co-fed to a similar degree, indicating a similar level of tolerance. However, bonobos cooperated more than chimpanzees when the food was monopolizable, which replicates the original study. Our findings call into question the interpretation that at the species level bonobos cooperate to a higher degree because they are inherently more tolerant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suska Nolte
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, University Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elisabeth H. M. Sterck
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, University Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, University Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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11
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The evolution of prestige: Perspectives and hypotheses from comparative studies. NEW IDEAS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2022.100987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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12
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Coccia G, La Greca F, Di Luca M, Scheggia D. Dissecting social decision-making: A spotlight on oxytocinergic transmission. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1061934. [PMID: 36618824 PMCID: PMC9813388 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1061934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Social decision-making requires the ability to balance both the interests of the self and the interests of others to survive in social environments. Empathy is essential to the regulation of this type of interaction, and it often sustains relevant prosocial behaviors such as altruism and helping behavior. In the last decade, our capacity to assess affective and empathy-like behaviors in rodents has expanded our understanding of the neurobiological substrates that underly social decision-making processes such as prosocial behaviors. Within this context, oxytocinergic transmission is profoundly implicated in modulating some of the major components of social decision-making. Thus, this review will present evidence of the association between oxytocin and empathy-like and prosocial behaviors in nonhuman animals. Then, we will dissect the involvement of oxytocinergic transmission-across different brain regions and pathways-in some of the key elements of social decision-making such as emotional discrimination, social recognition, emotional contagion, social dominance, and social memory. Evidence of the modulatory role of oxytocin on social decision-making has raised considerable interest in its clinical relevance, therefore we will also discuss the controversial findings on intranasal oxytocin administration.
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13
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Brooks J, Yamamoto S. The evolution of group-mindedness: comparative research on top-down and bottom-up group cooperation in bonobos and chimpanzees. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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14
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Heesen R, Austry DA, Upton Z, Clay Z. Flexible signalling strategies by victims mediate post-conflict interactions in bonobos. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210310. [PMID: 35934966 PMCID: PMC9358318 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Compared to other animals, humans supposedly excel at voluntarily controlling and strategically displaying emotional signals. Yet, new data shows that nonhuman great apes' emotion expressions may also be subject to voluntary control. A key context to further explore this is during post-conflict (PC) periods, where signalling by distressed victims may influence bystander responses, including the offering of consolation. To address this, our study investigates the signalling behaviour of sanctuary-living bonobo victims following aggression and its relation to audience composition and PC interactions. Results show that the production of paedomorphic signals by victims (regardless of age) increased their chances of receiving consolation. In adults, the production of such signals additionally reduced the risk of renewed aggression from opponents. Signal production also increased with audience size, yet strategies differed by age: while immatures reduced signalling in proximity of close-social partners, adults did so especially after receiving consolation. These results suggest that bonobos can flexibly adjust their emotion signalling to influence the outcome of PC events, and that this tendency has a developmental trajectory. Overall, these findings highlight the potential role that flexible emotion communication played in the sociality of our last common ancestor with Pan. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cognition, communication and social bonds in primates'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zoe Upton
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Zanna Clay
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, UK
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15
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Verspeek J, van Leeuwen EJC, Laméris DW, Stevens JMG. Self-interest precludes prosocial juice provisioning in a free choice group experiment in bonobos. Primates 2022; 63:603-610. [PMID: 35947244 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-01008-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies on prosociality in bonobos have reported contrasting results, which might partly be explained by differences in experimental contexts. In this study, we implement a free choice group experiment in which bonobos can provide fruit juice to their group members at a low cost for themselves. Four out of five bonobos passed a training phase and understood the setup and provisioned fruit juice in a total of 17 dyads. We show that even in this egalitarian group with a shallow hierarchy, the majority of pushing was done by the alpha female, who monopolized the setup and provided most juice to two adult females, her closest social partners. Nonetheless, the bonobos in this study pushed less frequently than the chimpanzees in the original juice-paradigm study, suggesting that bonobos might be less likely than chimpanzees to provide benefits to group members. Moreover, in half of the pushing acts, subjects obtained juice for themselves, suggesting that juice provisioning was partly driven by self-regarding behavior. Our study indicates that a more nuanced view on the prosocial food provisioning nature of bonobos is warranted but based on this case study, we suggest that the observed sex differences in providing food to friends corresponds with the socio-ecological sex difference in cooperative interactions in wild and zoo-housed bonobos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Verspeek
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp (Wilrijk), 2610, Antwerp, Belgium. .,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, K. Astridplein 26, 2018, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Edwin J C van Leeuwen
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp (Wilrijk), 2610, Antwerp, Belgium.,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, K. Astridplein 26, 2018, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Daan W Laméris
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp (Wilrijk), 2610, Antwerp, Belgium.,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, K. Astridplein 26, 2018, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jeroen M G Stevens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp (Wilrijk), 2610, Antwerp, Belgium.,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, K. Astridplein 26, 2018, Antwerp, Belgium.,SALTO, Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University College, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
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16
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Hickmott AJ, Boose KJ, Wakefield ML, Brand CM, Snodgrass JJ, Ting N, White FJ. A comparison of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentration and gut microbiota diversity in bonobos ( Pan paniscus). MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 35960548 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Sex, age, diet, stress and social environment have all been shown to influence the gut microbiota. In several mammals, including humans, increased stress is related to decreasing gut microbial diversity and may differentially impact specific taxa. Recent evidence from gorillas shows faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentration (FGMC) did not significantly explain gut microbial diversity, but it was significantly associated with the abundance of the family Anaerolineaceae. These patterns have yet to be examined in other primates, like bonobos (Pan paniscus). We compared FGMC to 16S rRNA amplicons for 202 bonobo faecal samples collected across 5 months to evaluate the impact of stress, measured with FGMC, on the gut microbiota. Alpha diversity measures (Chao's and Shannon's indexes) were not significantly related to FGMC. FGMC explained 0.80 % of the variation in beta diversity for Jensen-Shannon and 1.2% for weighted UniFrac but was not significant for unweighted UniFrac. We found that genus SHD-231, a member of the family Anaerolinaceae had a significant positive relationship with FGMC. These results suggest that bonobos are relatively similar to gorillas in alpha diversity and family Anaerolinaceae responses to FGMC, but different from gorillas in beta diversity. Members of the family Anaerolinaceae may be differentially affected by FGMC across great apes. FGMC appears to be context dependent and may be species-specific for alpha and beta diversity but this study provides an example of consistent change in two African apes. Thus, the relationship between physiological stress and the gut microbiome may be difficult to predict, even among closely related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexana J Hickmott
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.,Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA.,Southwest National Primate Research Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Klaree J Boose
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Monica L Wakefield
- Sociology, Anthropology, and Philosophy, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA
| | - Colin M Brand
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, USA.,Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - J Josh Snodgrass
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Nelson Ting
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Frances J White
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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17
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Theofanopoulou C, Andirkó A, Boeckx C, Jarvis ED. Oxytocin and vasotocin receptor variation and the evolution of human prosociality. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2022; 11:100139. [PMID: 35757177 PMCID: PMC9227999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern human lifestyle strongly depends on complex social traits like empathy, tolerance and cooperation. These diverse facets of social cognition have been associated with variation in the oxytocin receptor (OTR) and its sister genes, the vasotocin/vasopressin receptors (VTR1A/AVPR1A and AVPR1B/VTR1B). Here, we compared the available genomic sequences of these receptors between modern humans, archaic humans, and 12 non-human primate species, and identified sites that show heterozygous variation in modern humans and archaic humans distinct from variation in other primates, and for which we could find association studies with clinical implications. On these sites, we performed a range of analyses (variant clustering, pathogenicity prediction, regulation, linkage disequilibrium frequency), and reviewed the literature on selection data in different modern-human populations. We found five sites with modern human specific variation, where the modern human allele is the major allele in the global population (OTR: rs1042778, rs237885, rs6770632; VTR1A: rs10877969; VTR1B: rs33985287). Among them, variation in the OTR-rs6770632 site was predicted to be the most functional. Two alleles (OTR: rs59190448 and rs237888) present only in modern humans and archaic humans were putatively under positive selection in modern humans, with rs237888 predicted to be a highly functional site. Three sites showed convergent evolution between modern humans and bonobos (OTR: rs2228485 and rs237897; VTR1A: rs1042615), with OTR-rs2228485 ranking highly in terms of functionality and reported to be under balancing selection in modern humans (Schaschl, 2015) [1]. Our findings have implications for understanding hominid prosociality, as well as the similarities between modern human and bonobo social behavior. We compared the oxytocin/vasotocin receptors in modern humans, archaic humans, and non-human primates. We found 5 sites with modern human specific variation. In these sites, the modern human allele is the major allele in the global population. Several sites were predicted to be functional and with selection signatures in modern humans. We also identified 3 sites of convergent evolution in modern humans and bonobos.
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Gallup AC, Wozny S. Interspecific Contagious Yawning in Humans. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12151908. [PMID: 35892558 PMCID: PMC9332820 DOI: 10.3390/ani12151908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Contagious yawning has been observed in humans and a growing number of social vertebrates. While the majority of studies on yawn contagion have documented this phenomenon amongst conspecifics, there is also evidence for interspecific contagious yawning among non-human animals in captivity. This study was the first to formally investigate whether humans also yawn in response to yawns from different species. In particular, participants were exposed to yawning stimuli either from (1) fish, (2) amphibians, (3) reptiles, (4) birds, (5) non-primate mammals, (6) apes, or (7) domesticated cats and dogs. Overall, the results provide strong support for interspecific contagious yawning in humans, with 69% reporting yawn contagion during testing. This response was not altered by phylogenetic proximity or domestication, suggesting that the mechanisms governing yawn contagion are generalized, and can be triggered by varied representations of yawning across diverse taxa. Abstract Contagious yawning, or the reflexive tendency to yawn following the detection of yawning in others, is well-documented among humans and a growing number of social vertebrates. While the most common form of yawn contagion occurs between conspecifics, some non-human animals in captivity have been reported to yawn in response to yawns from human handlers/caregivers. The current research sought to provide the first formal investigation of whether people yawn contagiously in response to yawns from non-human animals. In addition, this study aimed to test whether this response was modulated by phylogenetic relatedness and domestication/social closeness. A total of 296 participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk self-reported on their yawning behavior following exposure to a (1) control (non-yawning) condition or a compilation of yawning stimuli either from (2) fish, (3) amphibians, (4) reptiles, (5) birds, (6) non-primate mammals, (7) apes, or (8) domesticated cats and dogs. The results provide strong support for interspecific yawn contagion. However, neither the propensity to yawn (binary) nor total yawn frequency varied significantly across interspecific conditions. Overall, these findings suggest that the mechanisms governing yawn contagion can be activated by varied forms of yawning stimuli, including those from distantly related and unfamiliar species.
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Gallup AC, Schild AB, Ühlein MA, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. No Evidence for Contagious Yawning in Juvenile Ravens ( Corvus corax): An Observational Study. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:1357. [PMID: 35681822 PMCID: PMC9179381 DOI: 10.3390/ani12111357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The overt and reflexive matching of behaviors among conspecifics has been observed in a growing number of social vertebrates, including avian species. In general, behavioral contagion-such as the spread of yawning-may serve important functions in group synchronization and vigilance behavior. Here, we performed an exploratory study to investigate yawn contagion among 10 captive juvenile ravens (Corvus corax), across two groups. Using observational methods, we also examined the contagiousness of three other distinct behaviors: stretching, scratching, and shaking. A total of 44 20 min observations were made across both groups, including 28 in the morning and 16 in the afternoon. The time and occurrence of all the behaviors from each bird were coded, and the temporal pattern of each behavior across both groups was then analyzed to assess the degree of social contagion. Overall, we found no evidence for contagious yawning, stretching, scratching, or shaking. However, yawns were relatively infrequent per observation (0.052 ± 0.076 yawns/bird) and thus experimental methods should be used to support this finding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C. Gallup
- Psychology and Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences Programs, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY 13502, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA
| | - Anja B. Schild
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Markus A. Ühlein
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (A.B.S.); (M.A.Ü.); (T.B.)
| | - Jorg J. M. Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
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20
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Lemoine SRT, Samuni L, Crockford C, Wittig RM. Parochial cooperation in wild chimpanzees: a model to explain the evolution of parochial altruism. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210149. [PMID: 35369746 PMCID: PMC8977654 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Parochial altruism, taking individual costs to benefit the in-group and harm the out-group, has been proposed as one of the mechanisms underlying the human ability of large-scale cooperation. How parochial altruism has evolved remains unclear. In this review paper, we formulate a parochial cooperation model in small-scale groups and examine the model in wild chimpanzees. As suggested for human parochial altruism, we review evidence that the oxytocinergic system and in-group cooperation and cohesion during out-group threat are integral parts of chimpanzee collective action during intergroup competition. We expand this model by suggesting that chimpanzee parochial cooperation is supported by the social structure of chimpanzee groups which enables repeated interaction history and established social ties between co-operators. We discuss in detail the role of the oxytocinergic system in supporting parochial cooperation, a pathway that appears integral already in chimpanzees. The reviewed evidence suggests that prerequisites of human parochial altruism were probably present in the last common ancestor between Pan and Homo. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain R. T. Lemoine
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Liran Samuni
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, CNRS/University of Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Roman M. Wittig
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, CNRS/University of Lyon, Bron, France
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22
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Abstract
Already as infants humans are more fearful than our closest living primate relatives, the chimpanzees. Yet heightened fearfulness is mostly considered maladaptive, as it is thought to increase the risk of developing anxiety and depression. How can this human fear paradox be explained? The fearful ape hypothesis presented herein stipulates that, in the context of cooperative caregiving and provisioning unique to human great ape group life, heightened fearfulness was adaptive. This is because from early in ontogeny fearfulness expressed and perceived enhanced care-based responding and provisioning from, while concurrently increasing cooperation with, mothers and others. This explanation is based on a synthesis of existing research with human infants and children, demonstrating a link between fearfulness, greater sensitivity to and accuracy in detecting fear in others, and enhanced levels of cooperative behaviors. These insights critically advance current evolutionary theories of human cooperation by adding an early-developing affective component to the human cooperative makeup. Moreover, the current proposal has important cultural, societal, and health implications, as it challenges the predominant view in Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies that commonly construe fearfulness as a maladaptive trait, potentially ignoring its evolutionary adaptive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Grossmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
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23
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Demuru E, Clay Z, Norscia I. What makes us apes? The emotional building blocks of intersubjectivity in hominids. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2022.2044390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Demuru
- Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage, CNRS UMR 5596, University of Lyon 2, Lyon, France
- Équipe de Neuro-éthologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm UMR S 1028, University of Lyon/Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Zanna Clay
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, 10123, Italy
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24
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Do immigrant female bonobos prefer older resident females as important partners when integrating into a new group? Primates 2022; 63:123-136. [PMID: 35119562 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00971-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Intergroup transfer is a critical part of the life history of group-living species, with considerable variation in its timings and patterns among species. Immigrant female bonobos are documented to smoothly integrate into a new group through forming affiliative relationships with old, high-ranking resident females (Idani, Folia Primatol 57:83-95, 1991). However, only a few studies are available on immigration costs and strategies for female bonobos. Here, we compared social relationships of natal females (known to be 4.5-7.2 years old) and immigrant females (estimated to be 6.8-12.3 years old) from one bonobo group at Wamba in the Luo Scientific Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Similar to previous studies, resident females did not appear to spatially isolate immigrant females or act aggressively toward them. However, resident males were more frequently aggressive toward immigrant females than toward natal females. Both natal and immigrant females tended to groom high-ranking females more than middle- and low-ranking females, although immigrant females spent more time grooming unrelated females than natal females. Immigrant females did not exhibit rank-related partner preference for genito-genital rubbing and copulation. Although we did not control for age differences because of the small sample size, our results provide partial support for the hypothesis that old female bonobos are important partners for the successful integration of young females into an unfamiliar group. This strategy could explain why female bonobos disperse before reaching sexual maturity, which contrasts with the need for female chimpanzees to display sexual swellings and draw male interest as protection against aggression from resident females.
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25
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Verspeek J, van Leeuwen EJC, Laméris DW, Staes N, Stevens JMG. Adult bonobos show no prosociality in both prosocial choice task and group service paradigm. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12849. [PMID: 35178297 PMCID: PMC8815371 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies reported contrasting conclusions concerning bonobo prosociality, which are likely due to differences in the experimental design, the social dynamics among subjects and characteristics of the subjects themselves. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the occurrence of prosociality in animals: the cooperative breeding hypothesis and the self-domestication hypothesis. While the former predicts low levels of prosociality in bonobos because they are non-cooperative breeders, the latter predicts high levels of prosociality because self-domestication has been proposed to select for high levels of tolerance in this species. Here, we presented a group of thirteen bonobos with two platform food-provisioning tasks: the prosocial choice task (PCT) and the group service paradigm (GSP). The latter has so far never been applied to bonobos. To allow for free choice of participation and partner, we implemented both tasks in a group setting. Like in previous PCT studies, bonobos did not choose the prosocial option more often when a group member could benefit vs not benefit. In the GSP, where food provisioning is costly, only subadult bonobos showed a limited amount of food provisioning, which was much lower than what was previously reported for chimpanzees. In both experiments, adult subjects were highly motivated to obtain rewards for themselves, suggesting that bonobos behaved indifferently to the gains of group members. We suggest that previous positive food-provisioning prosociality results in bonobos are mainly driven by the behaviour of subadult subjects. The lack of prosociality in this study corresponds to the hypothesis that proactive food provisioning co-occurs with cooperative breeding and suggests that proactive prosociality might not be part of the self-domestication syndrome in bonobos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Verspeek
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Daan W. Laméris
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Nicky Staes
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jeroen M. G. Stevens
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium,SALTO, Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University College, Brussels, Belgium
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26
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Lin KY, Schank JC. Small group size promotes more egalitarian societies as modeled by the hawk-dove game. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279545. [PMID: 36574418 PMCID: PMC9794044 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The social organization of groups varies greatly across primate species, ranging from egalitarian to despotic. Moreover, the typical or average size of groups varies greatly across primate species. Yet we know little about how group size affects social organization across primate species. Here we used the hawk-dove game (HDG) to model the evolution of social organization as a function of maximum group size and used the evolved frequency of hawks as a measure of egalitarian/despotism in societies. That is, the lower the frequency of hawks, the more egalitarian a society is, and the higher the frequency of hawks, the more despotic it is. To do this, we built an agent-based model in which agents live in groups and play the HDG with fellow group members to obtain resources to reproduce offspring. Offspring inherit the strategy of their parent (hawk or dove) with a low mutation rate. When groups reach a specified maximum size, they are randomly divided into two groups. We show that the evolved frequency of hawks is dramatically lower for relatively small maximum group sizes than predicted analytically for the HDG. We discuss the relevance of group size for understanding and modeling primate social systems, including the transition from hunter-gather societies to agricultural societies of the Neolithic era. We conclude that group size should be included in our theoretical understanding of the organization of primate social systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Yin Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey C. Schank
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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27
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Heesen R, Zuberbühler K, Bangerter A, Iglesias K, Rossano F, Pajot A, Guéry JP, Genty E. Evidence of joint commitment in great apes' natural joint actions. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:211121. [PMID: 34909217 PMCID: PMC8652280 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Human joint action seems special, as it is grounded in joint commitment-a sense of mutual obligation participants feel towards each other. Comparative research with humans and non-human great apes has typically investigated joint commitment by experimentally interrupting joint actions to study subjects' resumption strategies. However, such experimental interruptions are human-induced, and thus the question remains of how great apes naturally handle interruptions. Here, we focus on naturally occurring interruptions of joint actions, grooming and play, in bonobos and chimpanzees. Similar to humans, both species frequently resumed interrupted joint actions (and the previous behaviours, like grooming the same body part region or playing the same play type) with their previous partners and at the previous location. Yet, the probability of resumption attempts was unaffected by social bonds or rank. Our data suggest that great apes experience something akin to joint commitment, for which we discuss possible evolutionary origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaela Heesen
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, UK
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, Scotland
| | - Adrian Bangerter
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Katia Iglesias
- School of Health Sciences (HEdS-FR), HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of WesternSwitzerland
| | - Federico Rossano
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Aude Pajot
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | | | - Emilie Genty
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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28
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Segovia-Cuéllar A, Del Savio L. On the use of evolutionary mismatch theories in debating human prosociality. MEDICINE, HEALTH CARE, AND PHILOSOPHY 2021; 24:305-314. [PMID: 33982191 PMCID: PMC8349330 DOI: 10.1007/s11019-021-10025-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
According to some evolutionary theorists human prosocial dispositions emerged in a context of inter-group competition and violence that made our psychology parochially prosocial, ie. cooperative towards in-groups and competitive towards strangers. This evolutionary hypothesis is sometimes employed in bioethical debates to argue that human nature and contemporary environments, and especially large-scale societies, are mismatched. In this article we caution against the use of mismatch theories in moral philosophy in general and discuss empirical evidence that puts into question mismatch theories based on parochial prosociality. Evolutionary mismatch theories play at best a rhetorical role in these moral debates and may misrepresent the status of relevant evolutionary research. We finally recommend that moral philosophers interested in the evolutionary literature also engage with dispositions such as xenophilia and social tolerance to counterbalance the focus on psychological mismatches adopted so far.
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29
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Heesen R, Bangerter A, Zuberbühler K, Iglesias K, Neumann C, Pajot A, Perrenoud L, Guéry JP, Rossano F, Genty E. Assessing joint commitment as a process in great apes. iScience 2021; 24:102872. [PMID: 34471860 PMCID: PMC8390869 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Many social animals interact jointly, but only humans experience a specific sense of obligation toward their co-participants, a joint commitment. However, joint commitment is not only a mental state but also a process that reveals itself in the coordination efforts deployed during entry and exit phases of joint action. Here, we investigated the presence and duration of such phases in N = 1,242 natural play and grooming interactions of captive chimpanzees and bonobos. The apes frequently exchanged mutual gaze and communicative signals prior to and after engaging in joint activities with conspecifics, demonstrating entry and exit phases comparable to those of human joint activities. Although rank effects were less clear, phases in bonobos were more moderated by friendship compared to phases in chimpanzees, suggesting bonobos were more likely to reflect patterns analogous to human “face management”. This suggests that joint commitment as process was already present in our last common ancestor with Pan. Great apes exchange signals and gaze before entering and exiting joint actions Joint action structure of both ape species resembles that of humans Coordinated joint action phases indicate an underlying joint commitment Social bonds affect joint action structure more in bonobos than in chimpanzees
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaela Heesen
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.,Department of Psychology, Durham University, UK
| | - Adrian Bangerter
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK.,Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Katia Iglesias
- School of Health Sciences (HEdS-FR), HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Christof Neumann
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.,German Primate Center (DPZ), Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Aude Pajot
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Laura Perrenoud
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | | | - Federico Rossano
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, USA
| | - Emilie Genty
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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30
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Lewis LS, Kano F, Stevens JMG, DuBois JG, Call J, Krupenye C. Erratum to "Bonobos and chimpanzees preferentially attend to familiar members of the dominant sex" [ Animal Behaviour 177 (2021) 193-206]. Anim Behav 2021. [PMID: 34292277 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.027.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura S Lewis
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, U.S.A.,School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, U.K
| | - Fumihiro Kano
- Kumamoto Sanctuary, Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.,Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jeroen M G Stevens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Belgium.,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jamie G DuBois
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, U.K.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K
| | - Josep Call
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, U.K
| | - Christopher Krupenye
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, U.K.,Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.,Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, U.K
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31
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Norscia I, Agostini L, Moroni A, Caselli M, Micheletti-Cremasco M, Vardé C, Palagi E. Yawning Is More Contagious in Pregnant Than Nulliparous Women : Naturalistic and Experimental Evidence. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 32:301-325. [PMID: 34255275 PMCID: PMC8321968 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-021-09404-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Contrary to spontaneous yawning, which is widespread in vertebrates and probably evolutionary ancient, contagious yawning—yawning triggered by others’ yawns—is considered an evolutionarily recent phenomenon, found in species characterized by complex sociality. Whether the social asymmetry observed in the occurrence of contagious yawning is related to social and emotional attachment and may therefore reflect emotional contagion is a subject of debate. In this study we assessed whether yawn contagion was enhanced in pregnant women, a cohort of subjects who develop prenatal emotional attachment in preparation for parental care, via hormonal and neurobiological changes. We predicted that if yawn contagion underlies social and emotional attachment, pregnant women would be more likely to contagiously yawn than nonpregnant, nulliparous women of reproductive age. We gathered data in two different settings. In the experimental setting, 49 women were exposed to video stimuli of newborns either yawning or moving their mouth (control) and we video-recorded the women during repeated trials to measure their yawning response. In the naturalistic setting, 131 women were observed in a social environment and their yawning response was recorded. We tested the factors influencing the yawning response, including the reproductive status (pregnant vs. not pregnant). In both settings, yawn contagion occurred significantly more in pregnant than nonpregnant women. By showing that pregnant women were most likely to respond to others’ yawns, our results support the hypothesis that the social variation observed in yawn contagion may be influenced by emotional attachment and that yawning in highly social species might have been coopted for emotional contagion during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
| | - Lucia Agostini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Alessia Moroni
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Marta Caselli
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Concetta Vardé
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, Pinerolo, Turin, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Palagi
- Department of Biology, Unit of Ethology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Uniting against a common enemy: Perceived outgroup threat elicits ingroup cohesion in chimpanzees. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246869. [PMID: 33626062 PMCID: PMC7904213 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Outgroup threat has been identified as an important driver of ingroup cohesion in humans, but the evolutionary origin of such a relationship is unclear. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the wild are notably aggressive towards outgroup members but coordinate complex behaviors with many individuals in group hunting and border patrols. One hypothesis claims that these behaviors evolve alongside one another, where outgroup threat selects for ingroup cohesion and group coordination. To test this hypothesis, 5 groups of chimpanzees (N = 29 individuals) were observed after hearing either pant-hoots of unfamiliar wild chimpanzees or control crow vocalizations both in their typical daily environment and in a context of induced feeding competition. We observed a behavioral pattern that was consistent both with increased stress and vigilance (self-directed behaviors increased, play decreased, rest decreased) and increased ingroup cohesion (interindividual proximity decreased, aggression over food decreased, and play during feeding competition increased). These results support the hypothesis that outgroup threat elicits ingroup tolerance in chimpanzees. This suggests that in chimpanzees, like humans, competition between groups fosters group cohesion.
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Gilbert P. Creating a Compassionate World: Addressing the Conflicts Between Sharing and Caring Versus Controlling and Holding Evolved Strategies. Front Psychol 2021; 11:582090. [PMID: 33643109 PMCID: PMC7902494 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.582090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For thousands of years, various spiritual traditions and social activists have appealed to humans to adopt compassionate ways of living to address the suffering of life. Yet, along with our potential for compassion and self-sacrifice, the last few thousand years of wars, slavery, tortures, and holocausts have shown humans can be extraordinarily selfish, callous, vicious, and cruel. While there has been considerable engagement with these issues, particularly in the area of moral psychology and ethics, this paper explores an evolutionary analysis relating to evolved resource-regulation strategies that can be called "care and share" versus "control and hold." Control and hold are typical of primates that operate through intimidatory social hierarchies. Care and share are less common in non-human primates, but evolved radically in humans during our hunter-gatherer stage when our ancestors lived in relatively interdependent, small, mobile groups. In these groups, individualistic, self-focus, and self-promoting control and hold strategies (trying to secure and accumulate more than others) were shunned and shamed. These caring and sharing hunter-gatherer lifestyles also created the social contexts for the evolution of new forms of childcare and complex human competencies for language, reasoning, planning, empathy, and self-awareness. As a result of our new 'intelligence', our ancestors developed agriculture that reduced mobility, increased group size, resource availability and storage, and resource competition. These re-introduced competing for, rather than sharing of, resources and advantaged those who now pursue (often aggressively) control and hold strategies. Many of our most typical forms of oppressive and anti-compassionate behavior are the result of these strategies. Rather than (just) thinking about individuals competing with one another, we can also consider these different resource regulation strategies as competing within populations shaping psychophysiological patterns; both wealth and poverty change the brain. One of the challenges to creating a more compassionate society is to find ways to create the social and economic conditions that regulate control and hold strategies and promote care and share. No easy task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Gilbert
- Centre for Compassion Research and Training, College of Health and Social Care Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
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Cheng L, Lucchesi S, Mundry R, Samuni L, Deschner T, Surbeck M. Variation in aggression rates and urinary cortisol levels indicates intergroup competition in wild bonobos. Horm Behav 2021; 128:104914. [PMID: 33373622 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Intergroup competition is a widespread phenomenon across taxa and groups typically compete over access to limited resources, such as food and mates. Such competition may be quantified by changes in individuals' behavioral and physiological status in response to intergroup encounters (IGEs). Bonobos, one of our closest living relatives, are often regarded as xenophilic and exhibit high tolerance towards out-group individuals. This tolerance between groups may still be accompanied by intergroup competition over resources. We hereby compared variation in aggression rates and urinary cortisol levels of bonobos during and outside contexts of IGEs in the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve and investigated whether food and mate availability influenced males' and females' aggression and cortisol levels, when controlling for dominance rank and the number of individuals present. We found that although females had higher aggression rates and urinary cortisol levels during than outside contexts of IGEs, these increases were not related to food availability or changes in between-group dynamics when maximally tumescent females were present, rather than absent. Furthermore, males showed higher aggression rates and urinary cortisol levels during than outside contexts of IGEs. However, males' responses during IGEs were not related to the presence of maximally tumescent females and food availability. Taken together, while competition intensified during seemingly tolerant IGEs in bonobos, such competition was unrelated to short-term changes in food and mate availability. Despite physical and physiological costs of aggression, bonobos associate with out-group individuals frequently and for extended periods. This suggests potential benefits of bonobo intergroup associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leveda Cheng
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Stefano Lucchesi
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Roger Mundry
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Liran Samuni
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Surbeck
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Norscia I, Coco E, Robino C, Chierto E, Cordoni G. Yawn contagion in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa). Sci Rep 2021; 11:1851. [PMID: 33473157 PMCID: PMC7817675 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80545-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Contrary to spontaneous yawning—an ancient phenomenon common to vertebrates—contagious yawning (elicited by others’ yawns) has been found only in highly social species and may reflect an emotional inter-individual connection. We investigated yawn contagion in the domestic pig, Sus scrofa. Owing to the complex socio-emotional and cognitive abilities of Sus scrofa, we posited that yawn contagion could be present in this species (Prediction 1) and influenced by individual/social factors (Prediction 2). In June-November 2018, on 104 semi-free ranging adolescent/adult pigs, 224 videos were recorded for video analysis on yawning. Kinship information was refined via genetic analyses. Statistical elaboration was conducted via GLMMs and non-parametric/randomization/cross-tabulation tests. We found yawn contagion in Sus scrofa, as it was more likely that pigs yawned when perceiving rather than not perceiving (yawning/control condition) others’ yawns (response peak in the first out of three minutes). Yawn contagion was more likely: (1) in response to males’ yawns; (2) as the age increased; (3) within short distance (1 m); (4) between full siblings, with no significant association between kinship and distance. The influence of kinship suggests that—as also hypothesized for Homo sapiens—yawn contagion might be linked with emotional communication and possibly contagion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy.
| | - Elisabetta Coco
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Carlo Robino
- Department of Public Health Sciences and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Elena Chierto
- Department of Public Health Sciences and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Giada Cordoni
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy.
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Nieuwburg EGI, Ploeger A, Kret ME. Emotion recognition in nonhuman primates: How experimental research can contribute to a better understanding of underlying mechanisms. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 123:24-47. [PMID: 33453306 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.11.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Recognising conspecifics' emotional expressions is important for nonhuman primates to navigate their physical and social environment. We address two possible mechanisms underlying emotion recognition: emotional contagion, the automatic matching of the observer's emotions to the emotional state of the observed individual, and cognitive empathy, the ability to understand the meaning and cause of emotional expressions while maintaining a distinction between own and others' emotions. We review experimental research in nonhuman primates to gain insight into the evolution of emotion recognition. Importantly, we focus on how emotional contagion and cognitive empathy can be studied experimentally. Evidence for aspects of cognitive empathy in different nonhuman primate lineages suggests that a wider range of primates than commonly assumed can infer emotional meaning from emotional expressions. Possibly, analogous rather than homologous evolution underlies emotion recognition. However, conclusions regarding its exact evolutionary course require more research in different modalities and species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth G I Nieuwburg
- University of Amsterdam, Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies (IIS), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Annemie Ploeger
- University of Amsterdam, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Programme Group Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mariska E Kret
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Spikins P, French JC, John-Wood S, Dytham C. Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Ecological Changes, Social Behaviour and Human Intergroup Tolerance 300,000 to 30,000 BP. JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL METHOD AND THEORY 2021; 28:53-75. [PMID: 33679119 PMCID: PMC7891228 DOI: 10.1007/s10816-020-09503-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Archaeological evidence suggests that important shifts were taking place in the character of human social behaviours 300,000 to 30,000 years ago. New artefact types appear and are disseminated with greater frequency. Transfers of both raw materials and finished artefacts take place over increasing distances, implying larger scales of regional mobility and more frequent and friendlier interactions between different communities. Whilst these changes occur during a period of increasing environmental variability, the relationship between ecological changes and transformations in social behaviours is elusive. Here, we explore a possible theoretical approach and methodology for understanding how ecological contexts can influence selection pressures acting on intergroup social behaviours. We focus on the relative advantages and disadvantages of intergroup tolerance in different ecological contexts using agent-based modelling (ABM). We assess the relative costs and benefits of different 'tolerance' levels in between-group interactions on survival and resource exploitation in different environments. The results enable us to infer a potential relationship between ecological changes and proposed changes in between-group behavioural dynamics. We conclude that increasingly harsh environments may have driven changes in hormonal and emotional responses in humans leading to increasing intergroup tolerance, i.e. transformations in social behaviour associated with 'self-domestication'. We argue that changes in intergroup tolerance is a more parsimonious explanation for the emergence of what has been seen as 'modern human behaviour' than changes in hard aspects of cognition or other factors such as cognitive adaptability or population size. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10816-020-09503-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penny Spikins
- Department of Archaeology, Archaeology PalaeoHub, University of York, York, YO10 5DD UK
| | - Jennifer C. French
- Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7WZ UK
| | - Seren John-Wood
- York Cross-disciplinary Centre for Systems Analysis (YCCSA) Internship Programme, University of York, York, UK
- University College London, London, UK
| | - Calvin Dytham
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD UK
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van Berlo E, Díaz-Loyo AP, Juárez-Mora OE, Kret ME, Massen JJM. Experimental evidence for yawn contagion in orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus). Sci Rep 2020; 10:22251. [PMID: 33335177 PMCID: PMC7747555 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79160-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Yawning is highly contagious, yet both its proximate mechanism(s) and its ultimate causation remain poorly understood. Scholars have suggested a link between contagious yawning (CY) and sociality due to its appearance in mostly social species. Nevertheless, as findings are inconsistent, CY’s function and evolution remains heavily debated. One way to understand the evolution of CY is by studying it in hominids. Although CY has been found in chimpanzees and bonobos, but is absent in gorillas, data on orangutans are missing despite them being the least social hominid. Orangutans are thus interesting for understanding CY’s phylogeny. Here, we experimentally tested whether orangutans yawn contagiously in response to videos of conspecifics yawning. Furthermore, we investigated whether CY was affected by familiarity with the yawning individual (i.e. a familiar or unfamiliar conspecific and a 3D orangutan avatar). In 700 trials across 8 individuals, we found that orangutans are more likely to yawn in response to yawn videos compared to control videos of conspecifics, but not to yawn videos of the avatar. Interestingly, CY occurred regardless of whether a conspecific was familiar or unfamiliar. We conclude that CY was likely already present in the last common ancestor of humans and great apes, though more converging evidence is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evy van Berlo
- Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. .,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Alejandra P Díaz-Loyo
- Laboratorio de Ecología de La Conducta, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Oscar E Juárez-Mora
- Laboratorio de Ecología de La Conducta, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Mariska E Kret
- Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Department of Biology, Animal Ecology Group, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Heesen R, Bangerter A, Zuberbühler K, Rossano F, Iglesias K, Guéry JP, Genty E. Bonobos engage in joint commitment. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabd1306. [PMID: 33355132 PMCID: PMC11206216 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd1306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Joint action is central to human nature, enabling collectives to achieve goals otherwise unreachable by individuals. It is enabled by humans' capacity to understand and engage in joint commitments. Joint commitments are evidenced when partners in interrupted joint actions reengage one another. To date, there is no clear evidence whether nonhuman animals understand joint commitment, suggesting that only humans experience it. Here, we revisit this claim by interrupting bonobos engaged in social activities. Bonobos reliably resumed the activity, and the likelihood of resumption was higher for social compared to solitary activities. Furthermore, communicative efforts deployed to suspend and resume social activities varied depending on partners' social relationships and interactive roles. Our results suggest that bonobos, like humans, engage in joint commitment and have some awareness of the social consequences of breaking it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaela Heesen
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
| | - Adrian Bangerter
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UK
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Federico Rossano
- Cognitive Science Department, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Katia Iglesias
- School of Health Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | | | - Emilie Genty
- Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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41
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honamchi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
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42
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Neumann CS, Kaufman SB, ten Brinke L, Yaden DB, Hyde E, Tsykayama E. Light and dark trait subtypes of human personality – A multi-study person-centered approach. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Azure-winged magpies' decisions to share food are contingent on the presence or absence of food for the recipient. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16147. [PMID: 32999416 PMCID: PMC7528063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73256-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Helping others is a key feature of human behavior. However, recent studies render this feature not uniquely human, and describe discoveries of prosocial behavior in non-human primates, other social mammals, and most recently in some bird species. Nevertheless, the cognitive underpinnings of this prosociality; i.e., whether animals take others’ need for help into account, often remain obscured. In this study, we take a first step in investigating prosociality in azure-winged magpies by presenting them with the opportunity to share highly desired food with their conspecifics i) in a situation in which these conspecifics had no such food, ii) in a situation in which they too had access to that highly desired food, and iii) in an open, base-line, situation where all had equal access to the same food and could move around freely. We find that azure-winged magpies regularly share high-value food items, preferably with, but not restricted to, members of the opposite sex. Most notably, we find that these birds, and specifically the females, seem to differentiate between whether others have food or do not have food, and subsequently cater to that lack. Begging calls by those without food seem to function as cues that elicit the food-sharing, but the response to that begging is condition-dependent. Moreover, analyses on a restricted dataset that excluded those events in which there was begging showed exactly the same patterns, raising the possibility that the azure-winged magpies might truly notice when others have access to fewer resources (even in the absence of vocal cues). This sharing behavior could indicate a high level of social awareness and prosociality that should be further investigated. Further studies are needed to establish the order of intentionality at play in this system, and whether azure-winged magpies might be able to attribute desire states to their conspecifics.
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Siviter H, Muth F. Do novel insecticides pose a threat to beneficial insects? Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201265. [PMID: 32993471 PMCID: PMC7542824 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic insecticides, such as neonicotinoids, are a major contributor towards beneficial insect declines. This has led to bans and restrictions on neonicotinoid use globally, most noticeably in the European Union, where four commonly used neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin and thiacloprid) are banned from outside agricultural use. While this might seem like a victory for conservation, restrictions on neonicotinoid use will only benefit insect populations if newly emerging insecticides do not have similar negative impacts on beneficial insects. Flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor are two novel insecticides that have been registered for use globally, including within the European Union. These novel insecticides differ in their chemical class, but share the same mode of action as neonicotinoids, raising the question as to whether they have similar sub-lethal impacts on beneficial insects. Here, we conducted a systematic literature search of the potential sub-lethal impacts of these novel insecticides on beneficial insects, quantifying these effects with a meta-analysis. We demonstrate that both flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor have significant sub-lethal impacts on beneficial insects at field-realistic levels of exposure. These results confirm that bans on neonicotinoid use will only protect beneficial insects if paired with significant changes to the agrochemical regulatory process. A failure to modify the regulatory process will result in a continued decline of beneficial insects and the ecosystem services on which global food production relies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Siviter
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 2415 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Chirchir H. Trabecular bone in domestic dogs and wolves: Implications for understanding human self‐domestication. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 304:31-41. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Habiba Chirchir
- Department of Biological Sciences Marshall University Huntington West Virginia USA
- Human Origins Program, Department of Anthropology National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington District of Columbia USA
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Proximate mechanisms and relational history: the interdependence of food transfers in socially housed orang-utans (Pongo abelii). Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Consistent differences in a virtual world model of ape societies. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14075. [PMID: 32826938 PMCID: PMC7442632 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70955-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Practical and ethical constraints limit our ability to experimentally test socioecological theory in wild primates. We took an alternate approach to model this, allowing groups of humans to interact in a virtual world in which they had to find food and interact with both ingroup and outgroup avatars to earn rewards. We altered ratios and distributions of high- and low-value foods to test the hypothesis that hominoids vary with regards to social cohesion and intergroup tolerance due to their feeding ecology. We found larger nesting clusters and decreased attacks on outgroup competitors in the Bonobo condition versus the Chimpanzee condition, suggesting a significant effect of feeding competition alone on social structure. We also demonstrate that virtual worlds are a robust mechanism for testing hypotheses that are impossible to study in the wild.
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Norscia I, Zanoli A, Gamba M, Palagi E. Auditory Contagious Yawning Is Highest Between Friends and Family Members: Support to the Emotional Bias Hypothesis. Front Psychol 2020; 11:442. [PMID: 32317997 PMCID: PMC7147458 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Contagious yawning differs from spontaneous yawning because it occurs when an individual yawns in response to someone else’s yawn. In Homo sapiens and some non-human primates contagious yawning is higher between strongly than weakly bonded individuals. Up to date, it is still unclear whether this social asymmetry underlies emotional contagion (a basic form of empathy preferentially involving familiar individuals) as predicted by the Emotional Bias Hypothesis (EBH) or is linked to a top-down, selective visual attention bias (with selective attention being preferentially directed toward familiar faces) as predicted by the Attentional Bias Hypothesis (ABH). To verify whether the visual attentional bias explained the yawn contagion bias or not, in this study, we considered only yawns that could be heard but not seen by potential responders (auditory yawns). Around 294 of auditory yawning occurrences were extrapolated from over 2000 yawning bouts collected in free ranging humans for over nine years. Via GLMM, we tested the effect of intrinsic features (i.e., gender and age) and social bond (from strangers to family members) on yawn. The individual identity of the subjects (trigger and potential responder) was included as random factor. The social bond significantly predicted the occurrence of auditory yawn contagion, which was highest between friends and family members. A gender bias was also observed, with women responding most frequently to others’ yawns and men being responded to most frequently by others. These results confirm that social bond is per se one of the main drivers of the differences in yawn contagion rates between individuals in support of the EBH of yawn contagion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, School of Nature Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Anna Zanoli
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, School of Nature Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, School of Nature Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Palagi
- Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Abstract
While non-human primate studies have long been conducted in laboratories, and more recently at zoological parks, sanctuaries are increasingly considered a viable setting for research. Accredited sanctuaries in non-range countries house thousands of primates formerly used as subjects of medical research, trained performers or personal pets. In range countries, however, sanctuaries typically house orphaned primates confiscated from illegal poaching and the bushmeat and pet trafficking trades. Although the primary mission of these sanctuaries is to rescue and rehabilitate residents, many of these organizations are increasingly willing to participate in non-invasive research. Notably, from a scientific standpoint, most sanctuaries provide potential advantages over traditional settings, such as large, naturalistic physical and social environments which may result in more relevant models of primates' free-ranging wild counterparts than other captive settings. As a result, an impressive scope of research in the fields of primate behaviour, cognition, veterinary science, genetics and physiology have been studied in sanctuaries. In this review, we examine the range and form of research that has been conducted at accredited sanctuaries around the world. We also describe the potential challenges of sanctuary-based work and the considerations that external researchers may face when deciding to collaborate with primate sanctuaries on their research projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Ross
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614, USA
| | - Jesse G Leinwand
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614, USA
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50
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Palagi E, Celeghin A, Tamietto M, Winkielman P, Norscia I. The neuroethology of spontaneous mimicry and emotional contagion in human and non-human animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 111:149-165. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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