This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The socialization of nursery-reared macaques typically involves initial social exposure at approximately one month of age. However, in a biomedical environment, the onset of socialization may be delayed for a variety of reasons. This ongoing study examined the prediction that these delays are associated with broadened expression of abnormal behaviors among immature, socially-housed rhesus macaques. In order to control for the types of research procedures experienced and the reason for delayed socialization, all subjects were drawn from one research project that imposed restrictions on early socialization. Subjects included 33 female and 32 males first socialized between one and 54 months of age. Three five-minute surveys were conducted on each subject annually, recording the presence of 16 abnormal behaviors. Associations between age at socialization and frequency of abnormal behavior within each cohort were determined by simple regression procedures. Effects of age at onset of socialization are apparent within the second year of life; onset of socialization was positively related to breadth of the abnormal behavior repertoire. Initial results suggest that decisions regarding early socialization need to strike a careful balance between the rationale for delayed socialization and the promotion of normal development. Continued research will permit longitudinal examination of many existing subjects as they mature to determine the persistence of these effects.
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