Other data on the effects of social isolation during rearing upon adult reproductive behaviour in the rhesus monkey (Macaca-mulatta)

Data are reported on the reproductive behaviours of 14 rhesus monkeys which had been reared from infancy in relative social isolation. The 10 females were able to conceive; the 5 permitted to bear their young vaginally at term reacted to the offpsring normally. The 4 males mated satisfactorily with species-typical positioning and, in 3 cases, sired offspring. The differences between these behaviours and those reported elsewhere are striking. The characteristics of the rearing conditions suggest the importance of visual and auditory contact in infancy and adolescence for the development of normal sexual behaviour.