Social responses to abnormal infant monkeys

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Abstract
Experimental modification of an individual's behavior can be used to evaluate the range of group social reactions to him. This principle is used in evaluating the degree to which macaque groups compensate for an infant's clumsiness, consequent on reduced visual acuity from an experimental cataract. Evidence is presented to support the following propositions: Defective infants are not killed by the group even in crowded conditions; compensatory care is given during the first year, primarily by the mother and to a certain extent by other animals in the group; isolation of the infant begins in the second year; social responses to the defective infant reflect normal social responses. Compensatory care of chronically defective individuals is a consequence of evolution of social behaviors adapted to nurture young individuals over a long period of dependence and to protect other group members during temporary periods of weakness.

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