Craig J V
J Anim Sci. 1986 Apr;62(4):1120-9. doi: 10.2527/jas1986.6241120x.
Social dominance develops more slowly when young animals are kept in intact peer groups where they need not compete for resources. Learned generalizations may cause smaller and weaker animals to accept subordinate status readily when confronted with strangers that would be formidable opponents. Sexual hormones and sensitivity to them can influence the onset of aggression and status attained. After dominance orders are established, they tend to be stable in female groups but are less so in male groups. Psychological influences can affect dominance relationships when strangers meet and social alliances within groups may affect relative status of individuals. Whether status associated with agonistic behavior is correlated with control of space and scarce resources needs to be determined for each species and each kind of resource. When such correlations exists, competitive tests and agonistic behavior associated with gaining access to scarce resources can be useful to the observer in learning about dominance relationships rapidly. Examples are given to illustrate how estimates of social dominance can be readily attained and some strengths and weaknesses of the various methods.
当幼小动物生活在完整的同龄群体中，无需为资源竞争时，社会等级的发展会更为缓慢。习得的普遍认知可能会使体型较小、较弱的动物在面对可能成为强大对手的陌生动物时，轻易接受从属地位。性激素及其敏感性会影响攻击行为的发生以及所获得的等级地位。在等级秩序确立后，它们在雌性群体中往往较为稳定，而在雄性群体中则不然。当陌生动物相遇时，心理影响会作用于等级关系，群体内部的社会联盟可能会影响个体的相对地位。与争斗行为相关的等级地位是否与空间控制和稀缺资源相关，这需要针对每个物种和每种资源加以确定。当存在这种关联时，与获取稀缺资源相关的竞争性测试和争斗行为，对于观察者快速了解等级关系可能会有所帮助。文中给出了一些例子，用以说明如何能够轻易地获得社会等级的评估，以及各种方法的一些优缺点。
