AbstractInfant squirrel monkeys were reared with surrogates and tested at 4, 8, and 12 weeks of age on their preferences for odors and colors of the surrogates. Surrogates in the rearing color that contained an infant's own odor were preferred to clean ones of the same color. Surrogates in the rearing color that did not contain an animal's scent were generally not preferred to different colored surrogates that were also clean. The results suggest that olfaction plays an important role in the development of social attachment in the young squirrel monkey and is more effective than at least one source of visual information.