The graduate program in Primate Behavior at Central Washington University provides the only opportunity for students to earn an MS degree in Primatology in the United States.
The program focuses on interdisciplinary, problem-oriented, broad-spectrum knowledge relating to primates, with a particular focus on conservation issues. Students entering the program will be exposed to coursework and practical experience in the areas of anthropology, biology and psychology and will have opportunities to conduct sanctuary, zoo, and/or field research under the guidance of faculty mentors. The program serves students who will enter the work force for employment in sanctuaries, zoos, field research, conservation agencies, or teaching, or who will continue on to Ph.D. programs.
This collection features theses from Master of Science students in the Department of Primate Behavior Graduate Program at Central Washington University.
Theses from 2024
Height Location and Behavior in Eastern Black-and-White Colobus (Colobus guereza) Associated with Zoo Visitor Characteristics, Alister Brown
Comparison of Gesture Articulation Across Wild Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) Communities, E. Chadwick de Bree
Comparing the Prevalence of Stereotypic Behaviors and Enrichment Use in Rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and Japanese Macaques (M. fuscata), Jesscia Oscavich
Theses from 2023
Using Primates as a Flagship Species in Marketing Campaigns: Effects on Proenvironmental Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions, Taylor Barber
Identifying Paternal Behavior in Captive Sumatran (Pongo abelli) and Hybrid Orangutans (Pongo abelii X Pongo pygmaeus), Lilith Frakes
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Skin Temperature During Resting Behavior at Different Ambient Temperatures, Benjamin Lake
Comparability of Personality Assessments in a Captive Population of Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata), Payton Livingston
The Influence of Behaviorally Matched Play Gestures on the Duration of Social Play Bouts in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), Naylea Lopez
Evaluating Mirror-Guided Behaviors in Hylobatids, Desiree Peck
Intestinal Parasite Infection in Tibetan Macaques (Macac Thebetana) in Eastern China, Miarisoa Ramilison
Forest Patrol Guards and Caregivers' Perceptions of Wild Chimpanzee Populations Near Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Sierra Leone, Virginia Sanchez
STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF COGNITIVE ENRICHMENT FOR NON-HUMAN PRIMATES IN ZOO SETTINGS, Ember Nevada Toth
Theses from 2022
The Blackness: Analyzing and Confronting the Underrepresentation of Black Americans in Primatology, Trevon Covington
Attachment Style and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity in Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) Infants, Elizabeth DeBruyn
Examining Enrichment Use by Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), Julia L. Greeson
Examining the Function of Stone Wrapping Behavioral Pattern in Balinese Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis), Patricia Mitchell
Factors Influencing Intestinal Parasite in Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata), Eliette Noromalala
The Use of Gesture Forms Within Sequence in Free-Living Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) In Gombe National Park, Tanzania, Caroline Ratliff
A Comparison of Chimpanzee Wound Rates Before and During COVID-19 Zoo Closures, Robin Elana Salak
Distribution of Capped Langurs (Trachypithecus pileatus) in Bhutan, Kelsie Strong
The Use of Macromorphoscopic Analysis to Examine Nonmetric Skull Variation Within a Gorilla Subspecies: Gorilla gorilla gorilla, Chelsea J. Thompson
Theses from 2021
The Human—Long-Tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) Interface at Don Chao Poo Forest, Phana, Thailand, Ashton M. Asbury
Ecological and Anthropogenic Influences on a Sentinel Species' Gut Microbiome, Carson E. Black
Patterning and Quality of Male-Male Interactions in Hamadryas Baboons (Papio hamadryas), John Calcitrai
Playing with Relatives: Genetic Kinship and Play Behavior in Juvenile Tibetan Macaques, Riley Derby
Evaluating compassion satisfaction and the risk of compassion fatigue among those working at non-human primate sanctuaries and wildlife centers, Madalyn Rantala
Theses from 2020
The Development of Social Behavior in the Tibetan Macaque (Macaca thibetana), Rose Amrhein
The Seasonality and Parasite Richness and Prevalence of the Weddelli’s Saddleback Tamarin (Leontocebus Weddelli), Krista Banda
Examining Environmental Use by Captive Lemur catta and Varecia rubra, Rhiannon Belcher
Effects of Different Housing Configurations on Captive Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Behavior in Holding Area During Construction, Kailyn Campbell
Group Differences in Mother-Infant Macaca fascicularis Behavior, Parasite Load, and Body Condition within an Anthropogenically Altered Forest, Elizabeth M.C. Coggeshall
Hand Preference for Holding, Tapping, Probing and Digit-Feeding in Captive Adult Aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis), Robert Shaun Mayo
Chimpanzee Early Life Experiences and Responses to Caregiver Use of Species-Specific Behavior, Emily Patton
Acoustic Analysis of Nomascus Gibbon Songs as a Potential Measure of Current Health Status, Caroline Rowley
Mommy Issues: Do Differential Rearing Histories Affect the Social Behavior of Captive Chacma Baboons (Papio ursinus), Madeleine Spencer
Theses from 2019
Ethnoprimatology of Urban Cebus Yuracus: An evaluation of Human-non-human interactions and local perceptions in Misahualli, Ecuador, Sofia Castro-Loza
The Effect of Sound on Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), Grace Coffman
Effects of a Voluntourism Experience on Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Environmental Sustainability and Science, Mireille Gonzalez
How Researchers Address Ethical Concerns Regarding Habituating Nonhuman Primates: Results of a Survey and Suggestions for Future Practice, Victoria M. Green
The Activity Budgets of Captive Javan Gibbons (Hylobates moloch) and their Response to Visitor Presence or Absence, Kalli Kohnen
A Novel SNP Genotyping Technique to Determine Orangutan Relatedness and Genetic Diversity at Camp Leakey in Tanjung Puting, Central Kalimantan, Ruth Ella Linsky
A Cognitive Task as Enrichment for Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in Sanctuary, Federico Rubio
Evaluations of Health in Sympatric Free-Ranging Saguinus imperator and Leontocebus weddelli Using Neopterin, Urinalysis, and Blood Chemistry Analyses, Alexandra J. Sacco
Effect of Group Size on the Activity Budget of Two Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), Kaeley Sullins
Theses from 2018
Use of a Two-Action Paradigm Apparatus with Captive Lemurs: Insights into Social Learning, Carly Batist
Sign modulation by chimpanzees to produce interrogatives, Kailie Dombrausky
Sex differences in glycosylated hemoglobin in Mauritian origin long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), Ricardo A. Fernandes
Re-Evaluating Captive Chimpanzee “Dominance”: Dominance Hierarchy and Chimpanzee-Caregiver Relationships at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, Jake Funkhouser
Single and Pair Housed Chacma Baboons’ (Papio ursinus) Response to Caregivers’ Use of Species-Specific Behavior, Josefine Holm
Comparisons of Captive Gibbons’ (Hylobatidae) Intrapair Behaviors Indicative of the Pair Bond, Samantha Jones
Enrichment Assessment for Geriatric African Old World Monkeys under Human Care, Amanda E. Osborne
The Impact of Web-Based Visitor Education on Human-Tibetan Macaque (Macaca thibetana) Interactions at Mt. Huangshan, China, KiriLi Stauch
Response of Three Species of Monkeys to Caregiver Use of Species-Typical Behavior, Lillian Anna Stolar
Gorilla Life-Stage Comparison of Head Orientation, Lisa Wilding
Theses from 2017
A comparison of seedling diversity and abundance in the range of howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in Bocas del Toro, Panama, Erin Connelly
The Social Behavior of Rehabilitated Spider Monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), Anthony Denice
Mother-Infant Interactions in a Free-Ranging Population of Pigtail Macaques (Macaca nemestrina), Emily Dura
Comparison of Semi-Captive and Wild Gray-Shanked Douc Langurs’ (Pygathrix Cinerea) Activity Budgets, Hilary Hemmes-Kavanaugh
Mother-Offspring Relationships in Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, China, Courtney Martinez
Captive Chimpanzees' (Pan troglodytes) Night-Time Enrichment Selection and Use, Katherine M. McDonald
Collective Decision Making in Tibetan Macaques: How Followers Affect the Rules and Efficiency of Group Movement, Amanda Rowe
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Space use in a Sanctuary Setting, Holly Soubiea
Theses from 2016
Reaction to Stimulus Figures in Chimpanzee Drawings, Alexandra Bobrinskoy Casti
Comparison of Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) Behavior on Tour and Non-Tour Days at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, Allison A. Farley
Analysis of FY Promoter and Hepatocystis Load in South African Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus Aethiops), Benjamin J. Gombash
Play in Immature Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana): Location, Use of Play Signals, and Play Bout Termination at Mt. Huangshan, China, Kaitlin R. Wright
Theses from 2015
Javan Gibbon (Hylobates moloch) Non-Vocal Social Communication and Gesture Use With Conspecifics, Melanie Bell
A Comparison of Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) Responses to Caregiver Use of Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) and Species-Specific Behaviors (SSB), Whitney D. Emge
Female Social Connectivity through the Leadership and Movement Progression of Tibetan Macaques at Mt. Huangshan, China, Gregory P. Fratellone
Sexual Behavior of Immature Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana), Anne Salow, R. Steven Wagner, Mary Radeke, and Joseph Lorenz
Provisioning and Its Effects on the Social Interactions of Tibetan Macaques (Macaca Thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, China, Brianna I. Schnepel
Theses from 2012
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Responses to Visitors using Chimpanzee-Friendly Behaviors, Daniella Bismanovsky