Publications (4)0 Total impact
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Suma. Mallavarapu
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ABSTRACT: Post-conflict behaviors, including reconciliation, redirected aggression, and consolation, have been observed in several primate and non-primate species. These behaviors are thought to help re-establish rates of affiliation and tolerance to baseline levels, by terminating the victims stress response, and reducing the social tension created by conflict. Post-conflict behavior was examined in two groups (N = 13) of captive western lowland gorillas, a species for which no previous conflict resolution data exist. The post-conflict/matched-control method was used to observe the groups at Zoo Atlanta. Analyses of 223 conflicts (using chi-square, Wilcoxon signed ranks, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests) showed significantly more affiliation between former opponents after a conflict when compared to control periods, indicating reconciliation. Results also showed significantly more affiliation between the victim and a third-party after a conflict, indicating consolation. Both solicited and unsolicited consolation were observed. Instances of redirected aggression were very few, and thus not included in the analyses. The majority of the affiliative interactions were social proximity, which suggests that unlike most nonhuman primates, proximity, rather than physical contact, may be the main mechanism for resolving conflicts in western lowland gorillas. Post-conflict behavior was not uniform throughout the groups, but rather varied according to dyad type (for instance, adult-adult, juvenile-juvenile, adult-juvenile, etc.). Effects of kinship and the intensity of aggression during a conflict on post-conflict behavioral patterns were analyzed. Stoinski, Tara, Committee Member ; Bloomsmith, Mollie, Committee Member ; Maple, Terry, Committee Chair ; Marr, Jack, Committee Member. Thesis (M. S.)--Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005. Includes bibliographical references.
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Suma Mallavarapu
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ABSTRACT: Post-conflict behaviors, including reconciliation, redirected aggression, and consolation, have been observed in several primate and non-primate species. These behaviors are thought to help re-establish rates of affiliation and tolerance to baseline levels, by terminating the victims stress response, and reducing the social tension created by conflict. Post-conflict behavior was examined in two groups (N = 13) of captive western lowland gorillas, a species for which no previous conflict resolution data exist. The post-conflict/matched-control method was used to observe the groups at Zoo Atlanta. Analyses of 223 conflicts (using chi-square, Wilcoxon signed ranks, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests) showed significantly more affiliation between former opponents after a conflict when compared to control periods, indicating reconciliation. Results also showed significantly more affiliation between the victim and a third-party after a conflict, indicating consolation. Both solicited and unsolicited consolation were observed. Instances of redirected aggression were very few, and thus not included in the analyses. The majority of the affiliative interactions were social proximity, which suggests that unlike most nonhuman primates, proximity, rather than physical contact, may be the main mechanism for resolving conflicts in western lowland gorillas. Post-conflict behavior was not uniform throughout the groups, but rather varied according to dyad type (for instance, adult-adult, juvenile-juvenile, adult-juvenile, etc.). Effects of kinship and the intensity of aggression during a conflict on post-conflict behavioral patterns were analyzed. M.S. Committee Chair: Maple, Terry; Committee Member: Bloomsmith, Mollie; Committee Member: Marr, Jack; Committee Member: Stoinski, Tara
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Suma Mallavarapu
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ABSTRACT: This study examined object permanence in Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii), Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and black-and-white-ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) at Zoo Atlanta. A literature review reveals two main issues with object permanence research in non-human primates. One of the issues is that it is difficult to make valid comparisons between different species because very few studies have been conducted using appropriate controls. Thus, one of the goals of this study was to conduct control trials for all tasks in the traditional object permanence test battery, in order to reliably assess and compare performance in the species under study. The second issue is concerned with the finding that all of the non-human primate species tested so far have failed one of the more difficult tasks in the test battery, namely the non-adjacent double invisible displacement task. It has been hypothesized that this performance limitation is a result of the manner in which the task is presented. Thus, the second goal of this study was to modify the existing methodology and present the task to gorillas and orangutans in locomotive space to see if performance improves. This is the first study to present this task to non-human primate species in locomotive space. This study found that orangutans were the only species to reliably pass most tasks in the traditional object permanence test battery. Black-and-white ruffed lemurs failed most visible and invisible displacement tasks. Owing to the small sample size of gorillas in this study, further research is required before any firm conclusions can be made about the ability of this species to solve visible and invisible displacement tasks in the traditional object permanence test battery. Presenting the boxes in locomotive space to gorillas and orangutans did not improve performance on the non-adjacent double invisible displacement task. Further research is required to resolve the question of whether this performance limitation is a result of the manner in which the task was presented. Ph.D. Committee Chair: Maple, Terry; Committee Member: Blanchard-Fields, Fredda; Committee Member: Hampton, Robert; Committee Member: Marr, Marcus; Committee Member: Stoinski, Tara
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Suma Mallavarapu
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ABSTRACT: An ethological investigation was made on a group of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago. Focal animal sampling and all-occurrences sampling were used to collect data during the months of June and July 2000. Qualitative observations were made of the general behavioral patterns of the group, which included feeding and drinking behavior, resting, sleeping, nest construction, grooming behavior, group behavior, dominance hierarchies, zoo-keeper and public oriented behavior, and behavior in novel stimuli situations. Except for female dominance hierarchies, all behavioral patterns were found to be similar to those reported for feral gorillas. The primary focus of this study was on play behavior in infant western lowland gorillas. Play was categorized into three types: solitary play, social play, and mother-infant play. In my study group, age, gender, and type of rearing had no influence on the percentage of time spent by each individual in these three play categories. All of the infants spent most of their time engaged in solitary play and social play. Mother-infant play was found to be almost non-existent by the time a gorilla infant reached two years of age. Social play peaked during the early afternoon and consisted mainly of contact play. Infants spent a greater amount of time engaged in object play, as compared to locomotor and self-directed play.
Honors Theses.
