Evidence for social referencing in young chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
A captive chimpanzee group was observed in order to determine the extent to which the social interactions of the infants and juveniles (18-50 months) were affected by their mothers' relationships with other adult group members. It was found that the young chimpanzees initiated more interactions with adults who interacted more with their mothers. A vast majority of those interactions occurred at significant distances from the mother. It is argued that these data imply a social-cognitive ability in young chimpanzees closely related to the human infant's ability to use its mother in 'social referencing'.
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000502:physiology*; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012919:Social Behavior