Le développement affectif et la socialisation chez les macaques rhésus

A small number of well documented case-studies of un-socialized wild childs lacking any ability to communicate with their human relatives have leaded to theories and speculations on the normal process of socialization in human and nonhuman primates. As experiments were inconceivable with the first ones, non-human primates have suffered deprivation and isolation experiments, essentially by Harlow and his co-workers, from which it was concluded that there are five main affectional systems : the well integrated systems of mother-infant and of infant-mother affection, leading to self confidence and desire to explore; the derived system of age-mate or peer affection, where group cohesion and individual and sexual roles are learned and recognized; the heterosexual affection system in adults leading to cooperation and eventually the parental affectional system necessary to reproductive and educational success. Paralleling Bowlby's findings in the human child, the first rather soft experiments by Harlow deeply contributed to the understanding of the importance of mother-child interactions in the building up of the attachment process. More radicalized experiments with severe and long lasting isolation devices leaded to more contestable results; we indeed have to evaluate the output and reward for researchers against the pain endured by the captive animals. Harlow got world-wide approval and recognition from his colleagues for his pioneer work, which would no longer be admitted today, regarding to animals' rights and present ethical standards.