VARIATION AMONG JUVENILE CAPUCHINS IN SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON EXPLORATION

The exploratory or feeding activities of others might influence the ti ming, the place, or both, of exploratory activities among young group- living individuals, and this influence might affect the information ga ined by individuals during exploration. This study examined the tempor al and spatial aspects of adults' influence on the exploratory behavio r of juvenile capuchins, and on the juveniles' acquisition of a novel behavior. Two experimental apparatus, which were initially novel to th e juvenile subjects but familiar to the adults, and which provided foo d when a tool was used properly, were presented to group-housed capuch in monkeys. The apparatus were presented (a) in a central area, in whi ch all animals could interact with the apparatus and in which several older group members regularly solved the tasks (group site), and (b) i n a protected site within the home cage (creche) that only juveniles c ould enter, but from which the rest of the cage, including the group s ite, could be viewed. Juveniles contacted the apparatus at the creche more often when there was no apparatus at the group site, but only hal f the individuals made greater use of the apparatus at the group site than at the creche when an apparatus was present at both sites. Seven of nine used an apparatus more often when adults also had an apparatus , than when adults did not have an apparatus. These results indicate t hat juveniles' exploratory activity is only weakly related to adults' activity. The linkage appears closer for younger juveniles (20 months or less) than for older juveniles. Moreover, as only older juveniles l earned to solve the tasks, coordination of exploration with adults was evidently not related to learning a new skill. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, I nc.