scholarly journals Ovariectomy Impairs Socio-Cognitive Functions in Dogs

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Scandurra ◽  
Alessandra Alterisio ◽  
Anna Di Cosmo ◽  
Antonio D’Ambrosio ◽  
Biagio D’Aniello
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Navigation Strategy ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
Object Choice Task ◽  
Choice Frequency

Recent studies have underlined the effect of ovariectomy on the spatial cognition of female dogs, with ovariectomized dogs showing a clear preference for an egocentric rather than an allocentric navigation strategy whereas intact females did not show preferences. Intact females had better performances than gonadectomized females in solving a learning task in a maze. Ovariectomy also affects socio-cognitive abilities, reducing the dog’s level of attention on the owner. We tested dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in the object choice task paradigm to assess whether an ovariectomy could impair females’ ability to follow human signals. Forty pet dogs (18 intact females (IF) and 22 gonadectomized females (GF)) were tested in the object choice task paradigm using the human proximal pointing gesture. For the analysis, the frequency of correct, wrong and no-choices was collected; moreover, the latency of the correct choices was also considered. The IF group followed the pointing gestures more often than the GF group and with a lower latency, whereas a significantly higher no-choice frequency was recorded for the GF group. These results show a detrimental effect of ovariectomy on dogs’ socio-cognitive skills related to the responsiveness to human pointing gestures.

scholarly journals Horses with sustained attention follow the pointing of a human who knows where food is hidden

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monamie Ringhofer ◽  
Miléna Trösch ◽  
Léa Lansade ◽  
Shinya Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Attentional State ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
Object Choice Task ◽  
Communicative Gestures ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractWhen interacting with humans, domesticated species may respond to communicative gestures, such as pointing. However, it is currently unknown, except for in dogs, if species comprehend the communicative nature of such cues. Here, we investigated whether horses could follow the pointing of a human informant by evaluating the credibility of the information about the food-hiding place provided by the pointing of two informants. Using an object-choice task, we manipulated the attentional state of the two informants during food-hiding events and differentiated their knowledge about the location of the hidden food. Furthermore, we investigated the horses’ visual attention levels towards human behaviour to evaluate the relationship between their motivation and their performance of the task. The result showed that horses that sustained high attention levels could evaluate the credibility of the information and followed the pointing of an informant who knew where food was hidden (Z =  − 2.281, P = 0.002, n = 36). This suggests that horses are highly sensitive to the attentional state and pointing gestures of humans, and that they perceive pointing as a communicative cue. This study also indicates that the motivation for the task should be investigated to determine the socio-cognitive abilities of animals.

scholarly journals Goats Follow Human Pointing Gestures in an Object Choice Task

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Nawroth ◽  
Zoe M. Martin ◽  
Alan G. McElligott
Keyword(s):  
Choice Task ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
Object Choice Task ◽  
Human Pointing

scholarly journals Goats follow human pointing gestures in an object choice task

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Nawroth ◽  
Zoe Martin ◽  
Alan G. McElligott
Keyword(s):  
Index Finger ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Capra Hircus ◽  
Middle Position ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Object Choice Task ◽  
Pointing Gesture ◽  
Human Pointing

Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are extremely adept in interpreting human-given cues, such as the pointing gesture. However, the underlying mechanisms on how domestic non-companion species use these cues are not well understood. We investigated the use of human-given pointing gestures by goats (Capra hircus) in an object-choice task, where an experimenter surreptitiously hid food in one of two buckets. Subjects first had to pass a pre-test where the experimenter indicated the location of the food to the subject by a proximal pointing gesture. Subjects that succeeded in the use of this gesture were transferred to the actual test. In these subsequent test trials, the experimenter indicated the location of the food to the subject by using three different pointing gestures: proximal pointing from a middle position (distance between target and index finger: 30 cm), crossed pointing from the middle position (distance between target and index finger: 40 cm), asymmetric pointing from the position of the non-baited bucket (distance between target and index finger: 90 cm). Goats succeeded in the pointing gestures that presented an element of proximity (proximal and crossed) compared to when the experimenter was further away from the rewarded location (asymmetric). This indicates that goats can generalise their use of the human pointing gesture but might rely on stimulus/local enhancement rather than referential information. In addition, goats did not improve their responses over time, indicating that no learning took place. The results provide a greater understanding of human-animal interactions and social-cognitive abilities of livestock, which allows for the provision of enhanced management practices and welfare conditions.

scholarly journals Young children’s developing ability to integrate gestural and emotional cues.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregor Kachel ◽  
David Johannes Kaspar Hardecker ◽  
Manuel Bohn
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Emotional Cues ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Positive Expression ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
Object Choice Task ◽  
Gaze Cues

In three studies, children between 22 and 46 months of age (N=180) had to integrate pointing gestures or gaze cues with positive and negative facial expressions to succeed in an object-choice-task. In a between-subjects-design, finding the toy required children to either choose (positive expression) or avoid (negative expression) the indicated target. Study 1 showed that 22-month-olds are better at integrating positive compared to negative facial expressions with pointing gestures. Study 2 tracked the integration of negative expressions and pointing across development, finding an unexpected, u-shaped trajectory with group-level success only at 46 months. Study 3 showed that already 34-month-olds succeeded when pointing was replaced with communicative gaze. Findings show that communicative cues need to be studied in conjunction to draw an ecologically valid picture of communicative development, and that pointing – beyond indexing - has an affirmative meaning for young children.

scholarly journals The performance of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) on two versions of the object choice task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Clark ◽  
David A. Leavens
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽  
Testing Environment ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Object Distance ◽  
Comparable Performance ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Object Choice Task ◽  
Set Up

AbstractObject choice task (OCT) studies are widely used to assess the phylogenetic and ontogenetic distribution of the understanding of communicative cues, with this understanding serving as a proxy for the discernment of communicative intentions. Recent reviews have found systematic procedural and methodological differences in studies which compare performances across species on the OCT. One such difference concerns the spatial configuration of the test set-up, specifically the distances between the two containers (inter-object distance) and the subject–experimenter distance. Here, we tested dogs on two versions of the task: a central version in which the containers were in the subjects’ direct line of vision, and a peripheral version in which the position of the containers was distal to the subject. Half of the subjects were tested with a barrier in the testing environment (as nonhuman primates are tested) and the other half without. We found that dogs tested with a barrier performed significantly better in the central version and were more likely to fail to make a choice in the peripheral version. Dogs tested without a barrier showed comparable performance on the two versions. We thus failed to find support for the distraction hypothesis in dogs. We discuss potential explanations for this, highlighting how methodological differences in the presentation of the OCT can influence outcomes in studies using this paradigm.

scholarly journals Oxytocin blocks pet dog (Canis familiaris) object choice task performance being predicted by owner-perceived intelligence and owner attachment.

2016 ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lee Oliva ◽  
Jean-Loup Rault ◽  
Belinda Appleton ◽  
Alan Lill
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Pet Attachment ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Dog Cognition ◽  
Saline Administration ◽  
Object Choice Task

<p>A positive association has been found between owner-rated dog cognition and owner-perceived closeness to their dog, using the Perceptions of Dog Intelligence and Cognitive Skills (PoDIaCS) survey and the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS). Oxytocin has been positively associated with bonding in mammals and with non-verbal intelligence in humans and could therefore explain this relationship between owner-rated questionnaires. The aims of this study were to ascertain: i) whether a pet dog’s performance on an object choice task (OCT), which objectively measures dogs’ ability to use human non-verbal, social gestures to find a food reward, could be predicted by their owners’ scores on three different surveys: (a) the MDORS, (b) the Pet Attachment Questionnaire (PAQ), which measures levels of anxious and avoidant attachment styles, and (c) a modified version of the PoDIaCS, and ii) if intranasal administration of oxytocin to dogs, known to enhance dogs’ performance on such tasks, would disable the ability of an owner to predict their dogs’ performance. It was hypothesized that higher ratings of owner-reported closeness to their dog, and higher ratings of owner-perceived intelligence of their dog, would positively predict dog OCT performance after saline, but not after oxytocin. Seventy-five pet dogs and their owners were recruited to participate in two OCTs, 5-15 days apart, once after the dog received intranasal oxytocin and once after receiving saline. Owners completed the PoDIaCS and another survey relating to pet ownership before OCT 1, and the MDORS and PAQ before OCT 2. After saline administration, scores on the anxious subscale of the PAQ were a negative predictor of dog OCT performance using pointing cues, while subscale 6 of the PoDIaCS, ‘contagion of human emotions’, positively predicted performance using gazing cues. None of the questionnaire subscales were predictive of performance on the OCT after oxytocin administration. Results suggest that a dog’s ‘natural’ ability to follow human pointing cues and anxious attachment in owners are inversely related, whilst a dog’s ‘natural’ ability to follow human gazing cues is positively related to owner-rated empathic ability of the dog.</p>

scholarly journals Working Smarter Not Harder: Oxytocin Increases Domestic Dogs’ (Canis familiaris) Accuracy, but Not Attempts, on an Object Choice Task

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lee Oliva ◽  
Manuel Mengoli ◽  
Tiago Mendonça ◽  
Alessandro Cozzi ◽  
Patrick Pageat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Object Choice Task

Conspecific discrimination in an object-choice task in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus)

2009 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Giret ◽  
Marie Monbureau ◽  
Michel Kreutzer ◽  
Dalila Bovet
Keyword(s):  
Choice Task ◽  
Psittacus Erithacus ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Object Choice Task

Capuchin monkeys’ use of human and conspecific cues to solve a hidden object-choice task

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 985-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Essler ◽  
Lindsay P. Schwartz ◽  
Mattea S. Rossettie ◽  
Peter G. Judge
Keyword(s):  
Choice Task ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Object Choice Task ◽  
Conspecific Cues

scholarly journals Juvenile domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) use human-given cues in an object choice task

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 701-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Nawroth ◽  
Mirjam Ebersbach ◽  
Eberhard von Borell
Keyword(s):  
Sus Scrofa ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Domestic Pigs ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Object Choice Task ◽  
Sus Scrofa Domestica
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