Early temperamental traits in an octopus (Octopus bimaculoides)

During their 3rd week of life, 73 Octopus bimaculoides were observed to test whether discrete behaviors could be grouped reliably to reflect dimensions of temperament. Frequencies of behaviors during Week 3 were subjected to principal-components analysis (PCA), resulting in 4 components (active enga...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of comparative psychology (1983) Vol. 115; no. 4; p. 351
Main Authors Sinn, D L, Perrin, N A, Mather, J A, Anderson, R C
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.12.2001
Subjects
Age Factors
Aggression - psychology
Animals
Arousal
Attention
Avoidance Learning
Female
Individuality
Male
Models, Psychological
Octopodiformes - growth & development
Temperament
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Summary:During their 3rd week of life, 73 Octopus bimaculoides were observed to test whether discrete behaviors could be grouped reliably to reflect dimensions of temperament. Frequencies of behaviors during Week 3 were subjected to principal-components analysis (PCA), resulting in 4 components (active engagement, arousal/readiness, aggression, and avoidance/disinterest) that explain 53% of the variance. Levels of temperamental traits were then evaluated for 37 octopuses using composite scores at 3 time points across the first 9 weeks of life. Profile analysis revealed significant change for the testing group as a whole in trait expression levels from Week 3 to Week 6. Results also suggest a significant effect of relatedness on developing temperamental profiles of octopuses. Discussion focuses on how results apply to the life history of O. bimaculoides and what temperament can reveal about adaptive individuality in a protostome.
ISSN:0735-7036
DOI:10.1037/0735-7036.115.4.351