Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2026

Peering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats
Published on: January 18, 2013
A comparison of aggressive play and aggression in free-living baboons, Papio anubis
Abstract:
A quantitative comparison is given of aggressive play and aggression in terms of the duration and type of movement patterns employed, and the relationships between individuals. The mean length of contact in play was greater than in aggression, whereas chases tended to be longer in adult male aggression than in play, Linear hierarchies describing the overall direction of interactions between individuals were divisible into two sorts, according to the frequency with which roles were reversed. The regions of the body bitten and the proportions in which six types of movement pattern were used were related to the type of hierarchy involved. The results are discussed with reference to the possible functions of social play in the development of movement patterns and individual relationships.
Related Concept Videos
Naturalistic Observations
Nonconscious Mimicry
Robbers Cave
Aggression
Agonism and Antagonism: Quantification
To quantify these effects, researchers use a dose-response curve, which provides valuable information about the potency and efficacy of a drug. Potency refers to...
Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation

