SOCIALIZATION PROCESSES IN PRIMATES - USE OF MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES .1. APPLICATION TO SOCIAL-DEVELOPMENT OF CAPTIVE MANGABEYS

We hypothesized that, within a primate group, socialization processes are influenced by each group member behaving according to his own soci al network. Therefore socialization processes would differ in various social environments. In this study, we considered two main socializati on processes, the acquisition of a social behavioral repertoire and th e development of a network of social relationships, and consequently d efined six comprehensive developmental parameters. We analyzed the var iability of these parameters using a new multifactorial method, the Pr incipal Components Analysis with Instrumental Variable, PCAIV, derived from the Principal Components Analysis and Multivariate Analyses of V ariance. This technique allowed us to jointly represent the influence of the independent variables and the complex relationships between the six dependent variables. The study of the social ontogeny of eight in fant mangabeys (Cercocebus albigena), reared in three different social environments, served as an illustration of the use of the new multiva riate analysis. A 3-variable-model (age, social environment and sex) s ignificantly explained the variability of the developmental parameters . The results confirmed the importance of social interactions in non-h uman primate infants' development. The application of multivariate met hods to the study of individual social development looks promising for future research.