Research into primate personality and social relationships

Research Projects

Personality differences in capuchin monkeys (since 2010)
Which kind of individual behavioural characteristics can be found in Capuchin monkeys and how can they be categorised empirically? What similarities and differences to other primate species can be found? A study in cooperation with Dr Elisabetta Visalberghi, ISTC- CNR Laboratory of Cognitive Primatology, Rome, Italy.

Personality differences in rhesus macaques (since 2010)
In which ways differ semi-free ranging individuals of Rhesus macaques from one another? A study in cooperation with Prof Dr Anja Widdig, Leipzig University and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.

Inter-individual and species differences in monkeys (since 2009)
Nonhuman primates often exhibit considerable individual differences, such as in aggressiveness or sociability. Beyond that, there are often pronounced species differences in exactly these behaviours that are analysed in this study in some simian species. A study in cooperation with Rishi Kumar, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore, India and the Zoo Berlin.

Personality differences in Java macaques (since 2007)
In what behavioural ways do individual Java macaques differ from one another and how can they be categorised empirically? A study in cooperation with Karlijn Gosselt-Gielen, Department for Behavioural Biology of the University Utrecht.

Personality and social relationships in gorillas (since 2006)
Which individual behavioural characteristics do the gorillas in Stichting Apenheul show? How do they organise their social relationships? And how does the individuals' personality influence their social relationships? In other words, why do some individuals get along with each others while others do not? A study in cooperation with Apenheul Primate Park, The Netherlands.