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Kis A, Tóth K, Langner L, Topál J. Dogs' social susceptibility is differentially affected by various dog-Human interactions. A study on family dogs, former shelter dogs and therapy dogs. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300889. [PMID: 38512916 PMCID: PMC10956857 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
When pre-treated with social stimuli prior to testing, dogs are more susceptible to human influence in a food preference task. This means, after a positive social interaction they are more willing to choose the smaller amount of food indicated by the human, as opposed to their baseline preference for the bigger amount. In the current study we investigate if and how various forms of social interaction modulate choices in the same social susceptibility task, testing dogs with varying early life history (pet dogs, therapy dogs, former shelter dogs). In line with previous studies, dogs in general were found to be susceptible to human influence as reflected in the reduced number of "bigger" choices in the human influence, compared to baseline, trials. This was true not only for pet dogs with a normal life history, but also for dogs adopted from a shelter. Therapy dogs, however, did not uniformly change their preference for the bigger quantity of food in the human influence trials; they only did so if prior to testing they had been pre-treated with social stimuli by their owner (but not by a stranger). Pet dogs were also more influenced after pre-treatment with social stimuli by their owner compared to ignoring and separation; however after pre-treatment by a stranger their behaviour did not differ from ignoring and separation. Former shelter dogs on the other hand were equally influenced regardless of pre-treatment by owner versus stranger. In summary these results show that dogs' social susceptibility is modulated by both interactions immediately preceding the test as well as by long term social experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kis
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Budapest, Hungary
- ELTE-HunRen NAP Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katinka Tóth
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Lívia Langner
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - József Topál
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Budapest, Hungary
- ELTE-HunRen NAP Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
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Influence of reward and location on dogs' behaviour toward an interactive artificial agent. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1093. [PMID: 36658170 PMCID: PMC9852237 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27930-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal-robot interaction studies provide outstanding opportunities to understand the principles of social interactions. Here we investigated whether dogs' behaviour toward a cooperative artificial agent (Unidentified Moving Object (UMO)) is influenced by receiving a reward directly from the agent, and by variability in the UMO's location. In a problem-solving task, the UMO either helped dogs to obtain food (Direct Reward Group, DRG) or to fetch an object followed by an indirect reward from the owner/experimenter (Indirect Reward Group, IRG). During the Familiarization, the UMO either started from the same location or changed its starting location in all trials. In the Test phase, dogs faced the same task, but additionally a second, unfamiliar UMO was present. We found that both reward groups gazed at the UMO with decreasing latency during the Familiarization, with the IRG showing more gaze alternations between UMO and hiding location. Dogs showed no preference for either UMO in the Test phase but looked at the familiar UMO sooner if it had changed its location during the Familiarization. Thus, direct reward is not necessary to elicit elements of socially competent behavior in dogs, but variability in its motion may be important to improve the UMO's animacy and promote flexible learning.
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Abdai J, Miklósi Á. After 150 years of watching: is there a need for synthetic ethology? Anim Cogn 2023; 26:261-274. [PMID: 36445574 PMCID: PMC9877063 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01719-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The Darwinian idea of mental continuity is about 150 years old. Although nobody has strongly denied this evolutionary link, both conceptually and practically, relative slow advance has been made by ethology and comparative psychology to quantify mental evolution. Debates on the mechanistic interpretation of cognition often struggle with the same old issues (e.g., associationism vs cognitivism), and in general, experimental methods have made also relative slow progress since the introduction of the puzzle box. In this paper, we illustrate the prevailing issues using examples on 'mental state attribution' and 'perspective taking" and argue that the situation could be improved by the introduction of novel methodological inventions and insights. We suggest that focusing on problem-solving skills and constructing artificial agents that aim to correspond and interact with biological ones, may help to understand the functioning of the mind. We urge the establishment of a novel approach, synthetic ethology, in which researchers take on a practical stance and construct artificial embodied minds relying of specific computational architectures the performance of which can be compared directly to biological agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Abdai
- ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary ,Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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Abdai J, Uccheddu S, Gácsi M, Miklósi Á. Exploring the advantages of using artificial agents to investigate animacy perception in cats and dogs. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2022; 17:065009. [PMID: 36130608 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ac93d9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Self-propelled motion cues elicit the perception of inanimate objects as animate. Studies usually rely on the looking behaviour of subjects towards stimuli displayed on a screen, but utilizing artificial unidentified moving objects (UMOs) provides a more natural, interactive context. Here, we investigated whether cats and dogs discriminate between UMOs showing animate vs inanimate motion, and how they react to the UMOs' interactive behaviour. Subjects first observed, in turn, the motion of an animate and an inanimate UMO, and then they could move freely for 2 min while both UMOs were present (two-way choice phase). In the following specific motion phase, the animate UMO showed one of three interactive behaviours: pushing a ball, a luring motion, or moving towards the subject (between-subject design). Then, subjects could move freely for 2 min again while the UMO was motionless. At the end, subjects were free to move in the room while the UMO was moving semi-randomly in the room. We found that dogs approached and touched the UMO(s) sooner and more frequently than cats, regardless of the context. In the two-way choice phase, dogs looked at the animate UMO more often, and both species touched the animate UMO more frequently. However, whether the UMO showed playing, luring or assertive behaviour did not influence subjects' behaviour. In summary, both species displayed distinctive behaviour towards the animate UMO, but in dogs, in addition to the physical contact this was also reflected by the looking behaviour. Overall, dogs were more keen to explore and interact with the UMO than cats, which might be due to the general increased stress of cats in novel environments. The findings indicate the importance of measuring multiple behaviours when assessing responses to animacy. The live demonstration using artificial agents provides a unique opportunity to study social perception in nonhuman species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Abdai
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Márta Gácsi
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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Individual recognition and long-term memory of inanimate interactive agents and humans in dogs. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1427-1442. [PMID: 35513745 PMCID: PMC9652224 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01624-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Investigation of individual recognition (IR) is difficult due to the lack of proper control of cues and previous experiences of subjects. Utilization of artificial agents (Unidentified Moving Objects: UMOs) may offer a better approach than using conspecifics or humans as partners. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether dogs are able to develop IR of UMOs (that is stable for at least 24 h) or that they only retain a more generalised memory about them. The UMO helped dogs to obtain an unreachable ball and played with them. One day, one week or one month later, we tested whether dogs display specific behaviour toward the familiar UMO over unfamiliar ones (four-way choice test). Dogs were also re-tested in the same helping context and playing interaction. Subjects did not approach the familiar UMO sooner than the others; however, they gazed at the familiar UMO earlier during re-testing of the problem solving task, irrespectively of the delay. In Experiment 2, we repeated the same procedure with human partners, applying a two-way choice test after a week delay, to study whether lack of IR was specific to the UMO. Dogs did not approach the familiar human sooner than the unfamiliar, but they gazed at the familiar partner earlier during re-testing. Thus, dogs do not seem to recognise an individual UMO or human after a short experience, but they remember the interaction with the novel partner in general, even after a long delay. We suggest that dogs need more experience with a specific social partner for the development of long-term memory.
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Shaw N, Riley LM. Domestic dogs respond correctly to verbal cues issued by an artificial agent. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2020.104940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Effects of breed group and development on dogs' willingness to follow a human misleading advice. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:757-768. [PMID: 31161363 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01272-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of dog breed groups, i.e., primitive, hunting/herding and Mastiff like (Study 1) and development, i.e., 4-month-old puppies vs adults (Study 2) on a quantity discrimination task. The task consisted of three conditions: C1-dogs were asked to choose between a large and a small amount of food; C2-the same choice was presented and dogs could choose after having witnessed the experimenter favouring the small quantity. C3-similar to C2 but the plates had two equally small food quantities. Study 1 revealed that dogs in the hunting/herding group were significantly more likely than Mastiff-like group to choose the small quantity indicated by the person over the large one, although all dog groups chose the large quantity over the small when they had a free choice. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that hunting/herding breeds have been selected for working in cooperation with humans and thus may be more sensitive to human social communicative cues than other breeds. In Study 2, results showed that 4-month-old puppies performed at chance level in C1, whereas in C2 both adults and puppies conformed to the experimenter's choice. In C3, adults followed the experimenter significantly more than puppies, although puppies still followed the experimenter above chance. Overall, domestic dogs seem to rely heavily on social communicative cues from humans, even when the information contradicts their own perception. This tendency to respond to human social cues is present, although at a lesser extent already at 4 months.
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Abdai J, Baño Terencio C, Pérez Fraga P, Miklósi Á. Investigating jealous behaviour in dogs. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8911. [PMID: 29891847 PMCID: PMC5996015 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27251-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The function of jealous behaviour is to facilitate the maintenance of an important social relationship that is threatened by a third-party, a rival individual. Although jealous behaviour has an important function in gregarious species, it has been investigated almost exclusively in humans. Based on functional similarity between dog-owner and mother-infant attachments, we hypothesised that jealous behaviour can be evoked in dogs, similarly to children. In our study owners focused their attention solely on the test partner, while they ignored their dog. We deployed familiar and unfamiliar dogs as social test partners, and familiar and unfamiliar objects as non-social test partners; all subjects encountered all test partners. Dogs showed more jealous behaviour, i.e. owner-oriented behaviour and attempts to separate the owner and test partner in case of social compared to non-social test partners. Results suggest that jealous behaviour emerges in dogs, and it is functionally similar to that in children observed in similar situations. Alternative explanations like territoriality, dominance rank can be excluded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Abdai
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary.
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary.
| | | | - Paula Pérez Fraga
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
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Bunford N, Andics A, Kis A, Miklósi Á, Gácsi M. Canis familiaris As a Model for Non-Invasive Comparative Neuroscience. Trends Neurosci 2017; 40:438-452. [PMID: 28571614 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2017.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
There is an ongoing need to improve animal models for investigating human behavior and its biological underpinnings. The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is a promising model in cognitive neuroscience. However, before it can contribute to advances in this field in a comparative, reliable, and valid manner, several methodological issues warrant attention. We review recent non-invasive canine neuroscience studies, primarily focusing on (i) variability among dogs and between dogs and humans in cranial characteristics, and (ii) generalizability across dog and dog-human studies. We argue not for methodological uniformity but for functional comparability between methods, experimental designs, and neural responses. We conclude that the dog may become an innovative and unique model in comparative neuroscience, complementing more traditional models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nóra Bunford
- Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Institute of Biology, Department of Ethology, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Attila Andics
- Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Institute of Biology, Department of Ethology, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary; Hungarian Academy of Sciences, MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna Kis
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Institute of Biology, Department of Ethology, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary; Hungarian Academy of Sciences, MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Márta Gácsi
- Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Institute of Biology, Department of Ethology, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary; Hungarian Academy of Sciences, MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
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Abdai J, Baño Terencio C, Miklósi Á. Novel approach to study the perception of animacy in dogs. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177010. [PMID: 28472117 PMCID: PMC5417633 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans tend to perceive inanimate objects as animate based on simple motion cues. So far this perceptual bias has been studied mostly in humans by utilizing two-dimensional video and interactive displays. Considering its importance for survival, the perception of animacy is probably also widespread among animals, however two-dimensional displays are not necessarily the best approach to study the phenomenon in non-human species. Here we applied a novel method to study whether dogs recognize a dependent (chasing-like) movement pattern performed by inanimate agents in live demonstration. We found that dogs showed more interest toward the agents that demonstrated the chasing-like motion, compared to those that were involved in the independent movement. We suggest that dogs spontaneously recognized the chasing-like pattern and thus they may have considered the interacting partners as animate agents. This methodological approach may be useful to test perceptual animacy in other non-human species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Abdai
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- * E-mail:
| | - Cristina Baño Terencio
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
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Pongrácz P, Ujvári V, Faragó T, Miklósi Á, Péter A. Do you see what I see? The difference between dog and human visual perception may affect the outcome of experiments. Behav Processes 2017; 140:53-60. [PMID: 28396145 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Revised: 03/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The visual sense of dogs is in many aspects different than that of humans. Unfortunately, authors do not explicitly take into consideration dog-human differences in visual perception when designing their experiments. With an image manipulation program we altered stationary images, according to the present knowledge about dog-vision. Besides the effect of dogs' dichromatic vision, the software shows the effect of the lower visual acuity and brightness discrimination, too. Fifty adult humans were tested with pictures showing a female experimenter pointing, gazing or glancing to the left or right side. Half of the pictures were shown after they were altered to a setting that approximated dog vision. Participants had difficulty to find out the direction of glancing when the pictures were in dog-vision mode. Glances in dog-vision setting were followed less correctly and with a slower response time than other cues. Our results are the first that show the visual performance of humans under circumstances that model how dogs' weaker vision would affect their responses in an ethological experiment. We urge researchers to take into consideration the differences between perceptual abilities of dogs and humans, by developing visual stimuli that fit more appropriately to dogs' visual capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Pongrácz
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Vera Ujvári
- Szent István University, Research Institute for Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Hungary.
| | - Tamás Faragó
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - András Péter
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
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Miklósi Á, Kubinyi E. Current Trends in Canine Problem-Solving and Cognition. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/0963721416666061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Dogs have occupied a central place in modern comparative cognition, partly because of their specific past and present relationship with humans. Over the years, we have gained insights about the functioning of the dog’s mind, which has helped us to understand how dogs’ problem-solving abilities differ from those present in related species such as the wolf. Novel methodologies are also emerging that allow for the study of neural and genetic mechanisms that control mental functions. By providing an overview from an ethological perspective, we call for greater integration of the field and a better understanding of natural dog behavior as a way to generate scientific hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ádám Miklósi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest
| | - Enikő Kubinyi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest
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Dogs (Canis familiaris) adjust their social behaviour to the differential role of inanimate interactive agents. Anim Cogn 2015; 19:367-74. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-015-0939-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Revised: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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14
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Abdai J, Gergely A, Petró E, Topál J, Miklósi Á. Correction: An Investigation on Social Representations: Inanimate Agent Can Mislead Dogs (Canis familiaris) in a Food Choice Task. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139531. [PMID: 26406976 PMCID: PMC4583390 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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