“Giving” and “responding” differences in gestural communication between nonhuman great ape mothers and infants

We examined (i) how frequently mothers and infants gestured to each other and to other group members; and (ii) to what extent infants and mothers responded to the gestural attempts of others. Our findings confirmed the hypothesis that bonobo mothers were more proactive in their gesturing to their infants than the other species. Yet mothers (from all four species) often did not respond to the gestures of their infants and other group members. In contrast, infants “pervasively” responded to gestures they received from their mothers and other group members. We propose that infants’ pervasive responsiveness rather than the quality of mother investment and her responsiveness may be crucial to communication development in nonhuman great apes.

Source: Developmental Psychobiology - March 20, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Christel Schneider, Katja Liebal, Josep Call Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research