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The famous and controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted by social psychologist Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues at Stanford University, demonstrated the power of social roles, social norms, and scripts.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats
09:07

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Published on: February 23, 2015

Sexual cyclicity in captive lowland gorillas.

R D Nadler

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |September 5, 1975
    PubMed
    Summary

    Gorilla mating behavior shows both advanced cognitive traits like partner preference and simpler cyclic patterns linked to female swelling. This challenges evolutionary predictions for primates.

    Area of Science:

    • Primate behavior
    • Ethology
    • Primate reproductive strategies

    Background:

    • Gorillas, as highly evolved primates, display complex social behaviors.
    • Understanding their reproductive strategies offers insights into primate evolution.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the cognitive and reproductive behaviors in oppositely sexed gorilla pairs.
    • To determine if gorilla mating patterns align with predictions based on their phylogenetic position.

    Main Methods:

    • Observational studies of gorilla pairs in naturalistic settings.
    • Analysis of mating frequency, partner preference, and female genital swelling.
    • Correlation of mating behavior with phylogenetic predictions.

    Main Results:

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    • Gorillas exhibit individual partner preferences and varied copulatory positions, suggesting higher cognitive function.
    • Mating occurs in a cyclic manner, strongly correlated with the degree of female genital swelling.
    • This cyclic mating pattern contradicts expectations for a species high in primate phylogeny.

    Conclusions:

    • Gorilla mating behavior presents a dichotomy between complex cognitive indicators and seemingly simpler, hormonally driven cycles.
    • The findings challenge current evolutionary models for primate reproductive strategies.
    • Further research is needed to reconcile these seemingly contradictory aspects of gorilla sexual behavior.