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P H Klopfer

Publications and source records attributed to P H Klopfer.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1976

Patterns of maternal care in lemurs. III. Lemur variegatus.

Lemur fulvus, L. catta, and L. variegatus differ markedly in the details of mother-infant relations. Do these differences account for those seen in adult life? We hope to determine this through interspecific cross-fostering. Here we describe the normal pattern of rearing of 5 infants among two groups of 2 and 5 adult L. variegatus, reared in the laboratory. The descriptions cover the first 7 months of life, and include the effects of maternal separation at 150 days of age, when estrus normally disrupts maternal care. The principal finding is that in the mother's absence young turn more to other adults than to their siblings, who are, apparently, not adequate social substitutes for adults.

Animals↗
PubMed1974

Migration and species diversity in the tropics.

If the young of a dominant species are subjected to disproportionately heavy predation, this, together with a limitation on food, can promote a high species diversity. This is seen among tropical birds, which are simultaneously exposed to both conditions to a far greater degree than are Temperate Zone species. Migration to the Temperate Zones during the spring provides a release from these restraints, while also precluding breeding in the Tropics.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1967

Stimulus preferences and imprinting.

Pekin ducklings were tested with respect to their preference for approaching one of two simultaneously presented, rotating, silent duck decoys, painted in a variety of colors or patterns. Some of the ducklings had not been given any previous visual experience other than that gained in a 20-minute introduction to the empty apparatus; others had previously been given the opportunity to follow one particular decoy for 20 minutes. The decoys could be grouped into three categories: those in the first category were treated as equivalent, that is, so long as the duckling had followed one of these models it would approach either. The decoys of the second category were ones to which "imprinting" occurred, that is, the ducklings showed a decided preference for the model they had originally followed, whichever it was. The third category included models, one of which was always preferred, though the controls showed no such preference. The effects of the imprinting procedure vary with the stimuli presented.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social Darwinism lives! (Should it?).

Sociobiology has made a resurgence in recent years, but has become enmeshed in political controversy. Indeed, much of the work in sociobiology has been used to justify repressive or racist measures. It is argued that the unfortunate alliance of some sociobiologists and politicians is a poor basis for discrediting the field itself; that a science of sociobiology is possible and, if we seek to know the nature of our social heritage (if any!), needs be vigorously pursued.

Animals↗