ABSTRACT

This chapter is concerned with describing parenting behavior in primates. It addresses conceptual and practical issues associated with parenting in nonhuman primates and with maternal competence in chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are used as the basis for comparison with other primate species. They are our closest evolutionary relatives, sharing over 90% similarity in genetic material, and provide important information relevant to human behavior. The chapter describes species-typical parental behaviors and longer-term consequences of infant experiences of parenting. The chapter focuses on parenting during infancy for a number of reasons. Primarily, parenting responsibilities are greatest during infancy when offspring are least capable of coping on their own. The second reason is that there are already good reviews on juveniles and adolescents, although little is known about those parenting behaviors specifically directed to juveniles and adolescents. Parental status within the group may be crucial to the long-term outcome for adolescent, observable parent-offspring interactions are minimal.