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Measuring Social Behavior: Social Dominance¹

Kansas State University², Manhattan 66506

Abstract

Social dominance develops more slowly when young animals are kept in intact peer groups where they need not compete for resources. Learned generalizations may cause smaller and weaker animals to accept subordinate status readily when confronted with strangers that would be formidable opponents. Sexual hormones and sensitivity to them can influence the onset of aggression and status attained. After dominance orders are established, they tend to be stable in female groups but are less so in male groups. Psychological influences can affect dominance relationships when strangers meet and social alliances within groups may affect relative status of individuals. Whether status associated with agonistic behavior is correlated with control of space and scarce resources needs to be determined for each species and each kind of resource. When such correlations exist, competitive tests and agonistic behavior associated with gaining access to scarce resources can be useful to the observer in learning about dominance relationships rapidly. Examples are given to illustrate how estimates of social dominance can be readily attained and some strengths and weaknesses of the various methods.

¹ Presented at the Symposium on "Design and Analysis of Animal Behavior Studies" at the 76th Annu. Meet. of the Amer. Soc. of Anim. Sci., Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, August 8, 1984.

² Contribution No. 85-109-J, Dept. of Anim. Sci. and Ind., Kansas Agr. Exp. Sta., Manhattan.

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