ABSTRACT
The basic social mechanisms produce not a single type of social organization varying only from primitive to more complexes, but instead, a variety of social formats, even within the single species Homo sapiens. There are several basic principles of organization which may vary, and primate societies must be regarded as alternative forms of social organization rather than as merely more or less primitive or complex. The study of social status requires a longitudinal study, inasmuch as a status hierarchy implies long-term relationships between the animals rather than a transitory one decided at the time of each interaction. Captive groups allow for detailed analysis of many hypotheses generated as a result of field studies and experiments. Certain types of field experiments may also be performed in the natural habitat, and some problems involving long-term kinship can be studied either in the natural habitat or using specially maintained captive groups.
