Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Understanding how individual personality traits impact social interactions and cohesion in complex animal societies remains a critical challenge, particularly in wild populations of nonhuman primates. This study investigated personality in a free-ranging population of golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana), a high-altitude temperate forest species organized in a multilevel social system. Personality structure was quantified using the Hominoid Personality Questionnaire, and its relationship to group cohesion was assessed through 12 behavioral variables and female transfer status. A behavioral experiment was designed to evaluate the tendency of individuals to temporarily depart from collective movement. Factor analysis of 41 questionnaire items revealed four distinct personality dimensions—Assertiveness, Openness, Neuroticism, and Sociability—that accounted for substantial inter-individual variation. Personality scores varied significantly by sex and dominance rank: males exhibited higher Assertiveness, females exhibited higher Sociability, and Neuroticism was negatively associated with dominance rank. Personality traits were linked to cohesion-related behavior, with Assertiveness positively associated with both affiliative and aggressive interactions, and Sociability predicting higher grooming rates. Moreover, Sociability and Openness showed opposing but insignificant influences on female transfer, with Openness additionally associated with temporary separations, suggesting that personality shapes both intra-unit cohesion and inter-unit fluidity in multilevel societies. These findings demonstrate that personality is a determinant of social organization and dynamics in primates, providing new insights into the evolutionary processes that influence and maintain complex social systems.
Source: 动物学研究
Authors: Li Nian-Long, 西北大学生命科学学院陕西省秦岭珍稀濒危动物保育重点实验室, 陕西 西安 710069, 中国, Zhao Hai-Tao, Wang Cheng-Liang, Hou Rong, Huang Kang, Wang Xiao-Wei, Li Bao-Guo, 陕西省动物研究所, 陕西 西安 710032, 中国, 延安大学生命科学学院, 陕西 延安 716000, 中国, 北京林业大学工学院, 北京 100091, 中国
Language: English
Topic: Primate Behavior and Ecology
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Awards: G3991320404, G673633350
OpenAlex ID: W7110867683
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