ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to anticipate and avoid some common interpretive problems. It presents a survey of five different "kinds" of social recognition, defined in terms of recognition cues and the functional roles of recognition. The chapter explores different problems in the ontogeny of social recognition. It discusses the issue of developmental timing to compare "congenital" and "postnatal" recognition. The chapter focuses on predetermined aspects of recognition, a delicate topic because it is reminiscent of the onerous terms, instinctive and innate. It examines the vital and subtle roles of both experiential and maturational aspects of behavioral development. The chapter explores a growing awareness of the close relations between issues of development and evolution. It also discusses some evolutionary implications of the developmental features of social recognition. The chapter argues that the recognition of rat odors as an affiliative signal is acquired through an experience-sensitive process. It deals with social recognition as an adaptive skill.
