This study investigated the relationships between early maternal style and
subsequent juvenile and adult behavior: of offspring in Japanese macaques (
Macaca fuscata). Early maternal style had no effect on baseline behavior of
offspring when adult In contrast early maternal style was correlated with
the response of adult offspring to stressful social interactions, and parti
cularly with their response to actual or potential aggression. infants whos
e mothers encouraged more independence showing high rates of rejection were
less fearful and did cope better with stressful situations when adult Alth
ough based on correlational data, these results suggest that in macaques ma
ternal rejection cart promote offspring independence and the development of
a less anxious personality. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.