Flattery

The National Institute of Health recently returned information on a study reported in the August 14th journal Science. The researchers, Annika Paukner and Stephen J. Suomi of the NICHD, Elisabetta Visalberghi of the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the National Research Council in Rome, and Pier F. Ferrari of the University of Parma, found that cappuchin monkeys preferred the company of researchers who imitated them to those who did not. The monkeys not only spent more time with their imitators, but also preferred to engage in a simple task with them even when offered the option of performing the same task with a non-imitator. Now, anybody who has hung out with teenagers for any amount of time could have predicted these findings, but that is not the point. This is the first time that any scientific data has been collected on cappuchin monkeys, suggesting that monkeys differentiate by initiating interaction between those where a bond has been established. The study suggested that "how imitation promotes bonding in primates may lead to insights in disorders in which imitation and bonding is impaired, such as certain forms of autism." What do they mean? I think where research will go with this is in the biological, specifically chemical range. They can do a lot of things with monkeys that regulations prohibit with humans. While that is sad, and I do feel bad for the monkeys (one kissed me on the lips in my youth, but that is another story), this is the way science drills down to find out causes of conditions. As far autism is concerned, there is a ton of research going on right on, because the rate of increase is astronomical. While there are many moms who avoid immunization because of their fear that an element in the vaccine causes autism, and I certainly understand their fear, the research doesn't point the finger in that direction. Meanwhile, people are messing with monkeys and this can lead to things.