title: Coevolution of facial expression and social tolerance in macaques.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that social tolerance drives the evolution of facial expression in macaques. Macaque species exhibit a range of social styles that reflect a continuum of social tolerance. Social interactions in more tolerant taxa tend to be less constrained by rank and kinship than in less-tolerant macaques. I predicted that macaques that are more tolerant would exhibit a wider range of facial displays than less-tolerant species because interactions that are open to negotiation are characterized by greater uncertainty than interactions that are constrained by rank or kinship. To test this hypothesis, I conducted a phylogenetically informed regression analysis (N = 11) using previously published data on repertoire size and two quantitative measures of social tolerance (conciliatory tendency and counter-aggression). As predicted, macaques with more tolerant social styles tended to have larger repertoires than less-tolerant species. These results support the hypothesis that increased social tolerance favors the elaboration of communication to mitigate uncertainty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA. seth.dobson@dartmouth.edu
authors.forename: Seth D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Dobson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D008251:Macaca / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012919:Social Behavior