Copycat monkeys.Imitation can be annoying--like when your little brother or sister repeats everything you say. It can also be fun--like during a game of follow-the-leader. Imitation is also an important way for babies to learn about interacting with adults. Scientists have observed such copycat behavior in human and chimpanzee chimpanzee, an ape, genus Pan, of the equatorial forests of central and W Africa. The common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, lives N of the Congo River. Full-grown animals of this species are up to 5 ft (1. infants. A new study adds monkeys to the list. The study included 21 baby macaques. All were tested five times during the first 30 days of their lives. During each session, a person held a monkey so that it could see his face. Each time, the experimenter started with a plain face followed by a series of displays that included sticking out Adj. 1. sticking out - extending out above or beyond a surface or boundary; "the jutting limb of a tree"; "massive projected buttresses"; "his protruding ribs"; "a pile of boards sticking over the end of his truck" the tongue, opening the mouth, smacking smack·ing adj. Brisk; vigorous; spanking: a smacking breeze. Noun 1. smacking - the act of smacking something; a blow delivered with an open hand slap, smack the lips, opening a hand, and spinning a face-sized colored disk. Between each behavior, the experimenter again made a plain face. In response to these behaviors, many of the day-old macaques smacked their lips after seeing a mouth opening and closing, but they didn't copy what they had seen. At 3 days old, 13 of 16 macaques smacked their lips and stuck their tongues out after the experimenter did. They didn't imitate im·i·tate tr.v. im·i·tat·ed, im·i·tat·ing, im·i·tates 1. To use or follow as a model. 2. a. any other behaviors. At 7 days, only four of the monkeys continued to copy the lip-smacking behavior. By day 14, none of the monkeys was imitating the experimenters. Baby monkeys appear to imitate the same facial expressions facial expression, n the use of the facial muscles to communicate or to convey mood. in their mothers during the first week of life, the scientists say. Adult macaques smack their lips and stick their tongues out when they are being friendly and cooperative. Macaques communicate mostly by looking at each other, face to face. This might explain why imitation is an important skill among these animals. Next, the scientists want to figure out if baby monkeys who imitate adults grow up to be smarter or better adjusted than those who do their own thing. In contrast to macaques, human and chimp babies start imitating others at 2 to 3 weeks of age. The behavior usually continues for several months. Macaque macaque (məkäk`), name for Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca, related to mangabeys, mandrills, and baboons. All but one of the 19 species are found in Asia from Afghanistan to Japan, the Philippines, and Borneo. imitation starts sooner and occurs over a shorter time because these monkeys grow up faster and become part of a social group much more quickly that people or apes do. The saying "monkey see, monkey do "Monkey see, monkey do" is a traditional cliché that popped up in American culture in the early 1920s. The American version of this saying often refers to a child's learning process. The child observes another's behavior and then imitates it. " appears to be true, after all.--E. Sohn http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060913/Note2.asp |
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