VISUAL SLIDES ON SELF INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR IN RHESUS MONKEYS (MACACA MULATTA)

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It has been suggested that self-injurious behavior (SIB) is related to aggression. We have found that monkeys with SIB threaten, aggress, and vocalize more and show fewer submitting postures than controls. Furthermore, these threats are significantly associated with episodes in which the monkeys bite themselves. These findings do not answer the question as to whether behavioral activity from other monkeys (e.g., threats) serve as a trigger for SIB. The purpose of this study was to expose monkeys to slide images depicting a variety of monkey behaviors including threats, and determine how these exposures influence SIB. Subjects were 21 individually housed adult male rhesus monkeys (13 with a veterinary record of SIB and 8 controls). During the two sessions of slide presentation, monkeys were exposed to 12 slides. Each slide was on screen for a 15-sec. period followed by a 1-minute interslide interval. The reaction of the subjects was recorded, and observers were blind to the slide sequence. All monkeys attended to the slides and showed a higher duration of looking during the slide period than during the interslide interval. Slide type had no effect on the levels of self-biting or pacing. Therefore, either monkeys are able to distinguish two-dimensional images from real life actions or they are seemingly unaffected