Publications by authors named "Z Clay"

Early maternal loss can have lasting detrimental effects on primate social development. While many rehabilitation settings provide enriching environments to buffer against such effects in orphans, previous research indicates that young bonobo () orphans exhibit striking deficiencies in socio-emotional competence compared to their mother-reared peers. However, such studies are generally cross-sectional, without accounting for changes across the lifespan.

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Behavioural contagion-the onset of a species-typical behaviour soon after witnessing it in a conspecific-forms the foundation of behavioural synchrony and cohesive group living in social animals. Although past research has mostly focused on negative emotions or neutral contexts, the sharing of positive emotions in particular may be key for social affiliation. We investigated the contagion of two socially affiliative interactive behaviours, grooming and play, in chimpanzees.

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Humans flexibly adapt expressions of emotional messages when interacting with others. However, detailed information on how specific parts of the face and hands move in socio-emotional contexts is missing. We identified individual gesture and facial movements (through automated face tracking) of  = 80 participants in the UK, produced while watching amusing, fearful, or neutral movie scenes either alone or with a social partner.

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Article Synopsis
  • In certain species, like humans and possibly bonobos, feeling threatened by outgroups can lead to stronger bonds within their own group.
  • A study tested this idea in bonobos by observing their behavior in response to unfamiliar vocal sounds from outgroups, finding that they engaged in more social grooming when faced with these outgroup cues.
  • The results hint at a shared ancestral behavior of forming ingroup cohesion in response to outgroup threats, even before humans and bonobos evolved separately.
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