Socioendocrinology of Behavior

激素和行为之间的关系不再被视为激素对行为的简单单向影响。相反，从观察动物在复杂的生理和社会情境下的研究中得出的观点是，在行为互动的产生过程中，社会情境和激素状态之间存在着复杂的相互作用。目前的研究将进一步阐明这些关系在多毛灵长类动物（狨猴和绢毛猴）。弗兰奇博士此前曾表明，在调节激素对行为的影响方面，配偶之间的社会关系极其重要。目前的研究将评估其他社会因素在调节激素对行为的影响中的作用。具体来说，弗兰奇博士将评估绢毛猴对不熟悉的入侵者的反应是否会因入侵者或常驻雌性的生殖状态而有所不同，将评估受生殖抑制的从属雌性在离开产生抑制的社会环境后是否能够表达生殖行为模式，并将评估视觉访问不熟悉的对在整个卵巢周期的生殖行为模式的影响。这些研究在很多方面都很重要。首先，这项工作与濒危物种的繁殖有关。所有狨猴和绢毛猴都被认为是受威胁或濒临灭绝的物种，对于某些物种（例如，狮子绢毛猴），人工饲养的个体比野生的要多。这些研究的直接结果很可能是提高这些物种在人工饲养中繁殖的关键信息。因此，本研究可能对热带动物生物多样性的维护产生深远的影响。其次，这些研究将表明复杂的社会环境如何影响（减少或放大）内部生理功能对行为的影响。总的来说，这些发现将有助于对激素和行为有一个更复杂、更现实的看法。最后，这些研究将评估具有人类社会许多共同特征的社会系统（例如，高度合作行为，共同抚养后代，在家庭或社会群体中居住较年长的后代）的灵长类物种的激素-行为关系。

The relationship between hormones and behavior is no longer viewed as a simple unidirectional effect of hormones on behavior. Rather, the view emerging from studies on animals observed in complex physical and social situations is that there is a sophisticated interplay between social contexts and hormonal status in the production of behavioral interactions. The present studies will further illuminate these relationships in callitrichid primates (marmosets and tamarins). Dr. French has previously shown that social relationships within mated pairs are extremely important in regulating the influence of hormones on behavior. The current studies will evaluate the effects of other social factors in modulating hormones effects on behavior. Specifically, Dr. French will assess whether or not responses of tamarins to unfamiliar intruders differ as a function of the intruding or resident female's reproductive status, will assess whether or not reproductively suppressed subordinate females are capable of expressing patterns of reproductive behavior when removed from the social context that produces suppression, and will evaluate the influence of visual access to unfamiliar pairs on patterns of reproductive behavior across the ovarian cycle. These studies are important in a number of ways. First, the work is relevant to propagation of endangered species. All marmosets and tamarins are considered threatened or endangered, and for some species (e.g., lion tamarins) there are more individuals in captivity than in the wild. It is highly likely that information critical for the enhancement of the propagation of these species in captivity will be the direct result of these studies. Hence, this research may have a profound impact on the maintenance of the biodiversity of tropical animals. Second,these studies will show how complex social settings can influence (reduce or magnify) the effects of internal physiological functions on behavior. These findings as a whole will contribute to a more complex and realistic view of hormones and behavior. Finally, these studies will evaluate hormone-behavior relationships in species of primates that have a social system with many common features of human societies (e.g., high degree of cooperative behavior, joint rearing of offspring, residence of older offspring in family or social groups).