The effects of protein deprivation on dominance measured by shock avoidance competition and food competition

Abstract

Dominance behavior of rhesus macaques on either low or high protein diets was measured using three competition techniques. The appetitive measures consisted of food competition in the WGTA and food competition in a parallel box apparatus. The nonappetitive measure consisted of shock avoidance competition. The results indicated that rhesus monkeys raised on low protein diets were rated more dominant than rhesus monkeys raised on high protein diets on food competition and that high protein rhesus monkeys were more dominant on avoidance competition. All three measurement techniques were found to be stable, and the two appetitive measures were correlated highly. © 1973 Academic Press, Inc. All rights reserved.