Anthro 128P Final Exam Study Guide with
Questions and Correct Detailed Answers
Dominance - ✔✔the ability to consistently intimidate or displace another animal at coveted
resources in the absence of other group members;
can be specific to particular contexts, but usually it applies across a wide range of contexts
Formal dominance
(De Waal's definition) - ✔✔symbolic representation of dominance in the animal's minds;
continually reinforced by greetings; fairly stable
Real dominance
(De Waal's definition) - ✔✔determined by actual outcomes of disputes; shifts according to
context and has more to do with power and motivation
(usually real and formal dominance coincide, but sometimes they don't)
Egalitarian
(style of dominance) - ✔✔no discernible formal dominance relations, i.e. no hierarchy
Despotic
,(style of dominance) - ✔✔rigid, linear hierarchy; clear and frequent reminders of rank
relations; good correspondence between real+formal dominance
Non-linear hierarchy
(style of dominance) - ✔✔style of dominance
Matrilineal inheritance of rank
(female rhesus macaques) - ✔✔youngest sister ascendency;
female offspring occupy rank below their mothers and above their older sisters
Genetic component to rank - ✔✔Do females want to mate with dominant males so their
offspring will be dominant?
Possible genetic factors:
- Size
- Fighting ability
- Social intelligence
Social factors affecting dominance - ✔✔social factors are generally far more important than
genetic factors;
Demographics: are there many kin to support the individual in its ascent up the hierarchy?
,How long has the animal been in the group? How many allies has it made?
Gender and Dominance - ✔✔males dominant to females in most species of primates;
each sex has a different way of attaining dominance;
within-sex coalitions against members of the subordinate sex can alter the power balance
between the sexes
What is dominance good for? - ✔✔increased access to food;
better access to mates;
better spatial positions (predator avoidance, first access to foods found);
more coalition and grooming partners;
less stress? (callitrichids and reproductive suppression)
Reconciliation - ✔✔post-conflict affiliation assumed to repair relationship damage during a
conflict;
some sort of signal must be displayed to demonstrate that they are done fighting and restore
pre-conflict state
Does reconciliation reduce stress? - ✔✔Various forms of self-directed behavior (scratching,
circle wiping, self-grooming, chewing tail) correlate with stress levels;
, The rates of these self-directed behaviors return to baseline sooner after a fight if the fight is
reconciled than if it is not reconciled
Does post-conflict affiliation have any long-term effects on relationship quality? - ✔✔It is
clear that reconciliation reduces stress in the short term. But does it have long term effects?
Hard to test...
Comparison of aggression and affiliation rates in 10 days preceding and following fights do
not differ depending on whether reconciliation occurred.
Third party reconciliation - ✔✔Two animals fight, and a third animal encourages them to
reconcile;
(De Waal chimpanzee example: male-male fights are bad for females because they are often
the redirect victims)
Consolation - ✔✔a 3rd party affiliates with the victim of a fight
Redirected aggression - ✔✔The loser of a fight attacks a bystander; this helps reduce the
loser's stress levels
Socioecology - ✔✔study of how ecological forces shape the size and structure of social
groups
Questions and Correct Detailed Answers
Dominance - ✔✔the ability to consistently intimidate or displace another animal at coveted
resources in the absence of other group members;
can be specific to particular contexts, but usually it applies across a wide range of contexts
Formal dominance
(De Waal's definition) - ✔✔symbolic representation of dominance in the animal's minds;
continually reinforced by greetings; fairly stable
Real dominance
(De Waal's definition) - ✔✔determined by actual outcomes of disputes; shifts according to
context and has more to do with power and motivation
(usually real and formal dominance coincide, but sometimes they don't)
Egalitarian
(style of dominance) - ✔✔no discernible formal dominance relations, i.e. no hierarchy
Despotic
,(style of dominance) - ✔✔rigid, linear hierarchy; clear and frequent reminders of rank
relations; good correspondence between real+formal dominance
Non-linear hierarchy
(style of dominance) - ✔✔style of dominance
Matrilineal inheritance of rank
(female rhesus macaques) - ✔✔youngest sister ascendency;
female offspring occupy rank below their mothers and above their older sisters
Genetic component to rank - ✔✔Do females want to mate with dominant males so their
offspring will be dominant?
Possible genetic factors:
- Size
- Fighting ability
- Social intelligence
Social factors affecting dominance - ✔✔social factors are generally far more important than
genetic factors;
Demographics: are there many kin to support the individual in its ascent up the hierarchy?
,How long has the animal been in the group? How many allies has it made?
Gender and Dominance - ✔✔males dominant to females in most species of primates;
each sex has a different way of attaining dominance;
within-sex coalitions against members of the subordinate sex can alter the power balance
between the sexes
What is dominance good for? - ✔✔increased access to food;
better access to mates;
better spatial positions (predator avoidance, first access to foods found);
more coalition and grooming partners;
less stress? (callitrichids and reproductive suppression)
Reconciliation - ✔✔post-conflict affiliation assumed to repair relationship damage during a
conflict;
some sort of signal must be displayed to demonstrate that they are done fighting and restore
pre-conflict state
Does reconciliation reduce stress? - ✔✔Various forms of self-directed behavior (scratching,
circle wiping, self-grooming, chewing tail) correlate with stress levels;
, The rates of these self-directed behaviors return to baseline sooner after a fight if the fight is
reconciled than if it is not reconciled
Does post-conflict affiliation have any long-term effects on relationship quality? - ✔✔It is
clear that reconciliation reduces stress in the short term. But does it have long term effects?
Hard to test...
Comparison of aggression and affiliation rates in 10 days preceding and following fights do
not differ depending on whether reconciliation occurred.
Third party reconciliation - ✔✔Two animals fight, and a third animal encourages them to
reconcile;
(De Waal chimpanzee example: male-male fights are bad for females because they are often
the redirect victims)
Consolation - ✔✔a 3rd party affiliates with the victim of a fight
Redirected aggression - ✔✔The loser of a fight attacks a bystander; this helps reduce the
loser's stress levels
Socioecology - ✔✔study of how ecological forces shape the size and structure of social
groups
