Capitanio's research focuses on the causes, consequences, and correlates of individual variation in temperament/personality in nonhuman primates. (The current instrument used for assessing personality in rhesus monkeys is available here.) Research involving numerous students and collaborators has explored causes and correlates as diverse as Monoamine Oxidase-A genotype, prenatal experiences, exposure to pharmacological substances, and energy content and cortisol concentrations in mothers' milk. Studies examining consequences of individual variation include health outcomes (asthma, simian immunodeficiency virus infection, and colitis), as well as mechanisms relevant to these diseases, including glucocorticoid regulation of immune function, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal regulation, immune cell gene expression, inflammation, and aspects of lymph node biology. A strong emphasis throughout his research is on behavioral and social processes, and how they shape, buffer, and constrain physiological processes. He also has an abiding interest in the welfare of captive nonhuman primates.
- Offices & Labs
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Department of Psychology
- 1 Shields Avenue
- Davis, CA 95616