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The Evolution of Dominance Hierarchies in Nonhuman Primate Society

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Power, Dominance, and Nonverbal Behavior

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Social Psychology ((SSSOC))

Abstract

The focus of this chapter is on the evolution of nonhuman primate male dominance hierarchies. The theory of the evolution of these dominance hierarchies developed primarily from observations, made during the early years of primatology, of males of multimale societies such as macaques and baboons (see Figures 4-1 and 4-2). Since that time the size of the nonhuman primate literature has increased dramatically. Today a great deal more is known about macaques and baboons, and many other primate species, than when the theory was developed. This chapter is a critical analysis of the components of this theory, not an attempt to evaluate the generalizability of the theory. To this end, it seems best to concentrate on the current information available on males of multimale societies. The dominance hierarchy of females of these societies is a functionally different social mediating system. Female status is dependent on matrilineages, whereas males of these groups tend not to be related. Thus, female status is attained through different social pathways than male status. For these reasons, analysis of the evolution of female dominance hierarchies is best confined to a separate discussion.

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  1. Carol Shively
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of California at Davis, Davis, California, 95616, USA

    Steve L. Ellyson

  2. Department of Psychology, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, 13346, USA

    John F. Dovidio

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Shively, C. (1985). The Evolution of Dominance Hierarchies in Nonhuman Primate Society. In: Ellyson, S.L., Dovidio, J.F. (eds) Power, Dominance, and Nonverbal Behavior. Springer Series in Social Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5106-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5106-4_4

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