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Pinelli C, Scandurra A, Giacoma C, Di Lucrezia A, D'Aniello B. In "Tone" with dogs: exploring canine musicality. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:38. [PMID: 38750339 PMCID: PMC11096221 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01875-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the musical perception skills of dogs through playback experiments. Dogs were trained to distinguish between two different target locations based on a sequence of four ascending or descending notes. A total of 16 dogs of different breeds, age, and sex, but all of them with at least basic training, were recruited for the study. Dogs received training from their respective owners in a suitable environment within their familiar home settings. The training sequence consisted of notes [Do-Mi-Sol#-Do (C7-E7-G7#-C8; Hz frequency: 2093, 2639, 3322, 4186)] digitally generated as pure sinusoidal tones. The training protocol comprised 3 sequential training levels, with each level consisting of 4 sessions with a minimum of 10 trials per session. In the test phase, the sequence was transposed to evaluate whether dogs used relative pitch when identifying the sequences. A correct response by the dog was recorded as 1, while an incorrect response, occurring when the dog chose the opposite zone of the bowl, was marked as 0. Statistical analyses were performed using a binomial test. Among 16 dogs, only two consistently performed above the chance level, demonstrating the ability to recognize relative pitch, even with transposed sequences. This study suggests that dogs may have the ability to attend to relative pitch, a critical aspect of human musicality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Pinelli
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, 81100, Italy
| | - Anna Scandurra
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Cristina Giacoma
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Torino, Torino, 10123, Italy
| | - Alfredo Di Lucrezia
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Biagio D'Aniello
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, 80126, Italy.
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Scandurra A, D'Aniello B, Pero ME, Pinelli C, Di Lucrezia A, Tudisco R, Iommelli P, Mastellone V, Lombardi P. Human social buffer in goats and dogs. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:1. [PMID: 38353784 PMCID: PMC10866781 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01861-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The primary goal of this study was to explore the social buffering effect that humans offer to goats and dogs with limited exposure to human socialization, particularly in situations involving interactions with unfamiliar humans. A total of 13 dogs and 14 goats were selected for the study, all of which had limited prior socialization with humans. Each animal was placed in a testing room with unfamiliar humans for 15 min. Three experimenters aimed to establish a comfortable environment, encouraging social interaction by offering food to the animals and assessing the animals' willingness to accept food and their response to being approached and petted. If both conditions were satisfied, the animals were classified as "social". If one or none of the conditions were met, the animals were classified as "not social". Cortisol levels were measured by collecting blood samples before and after the test. Non-parametric tests together with a GzLM showed that the effect of human social buffering in goats was different in comparison to dogs: goats exhibited higher cortisol levels after the test, while dogs did not show a significant change. Further analysis demonstrated that "social" goats had a lower likelihood of experiencing significant changes in cortisol levels than dogs. Thus, once human interactions are accepted, both species could benefit from social buffering. In summary, this study enhances our understanding of how dogs and goats respond to social interactions with humans in the social buffering effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Scandurra
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Biagio D'Aniello
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Naples, Italy.
| | - Maria Elena Pero
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via Delpino 1, 80137, Naples, Italy
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, 10032, USA
| | - Claudia Pinelli
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi, 43, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Alfredo Di Lucrezia
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Raffaella Tudisco
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via Delpino 1, 80137, Naples, Italy
| | - Piera Iommelli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via Delpino 1, 80137, Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Mastellone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via Delpino 1, 80137, Naples, Italy
| | - Pietro Lombardi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via Delpino 1, 80137, Naples, Italy
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Di Lucrezia A, Scandurra A, Pinelli C, Musco N, D’Aniello B, Mastellone V, Zicarelli F, Pero ME, Lombardi P. A Comparative Study of Dogs and Goats with Limited Human Socialization in the Impossible Task Paradigm. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3027. [PMID: 37835633 PMCID: PMC10571704 DOI: 10.3390/ani13193027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The study aimed to explore how limited human socialization affects the socio-cognitive abilities and interactions with unfamiliar individuals of a selected group of domesticated dogs and goats. These animals were raised and kept under conditions characterized by limited human socialization, and their behavior was assessed using the "impossible task" paradigm. The study found that dogs, with a history of cooperative interactions and human companionship, exhibited more frequent social engagement with human experimenters in the experimental setting than goats, traditionally domesticated for utilitarian purposes. However, differences in interaction duration and latency were not significant, highlighting the complexity of these interactions. The results suggest that domestication history and behavioral ecology play significant roles in shaping animals' willingness to engage with humans. However, this study acknowledges limitations, such as the specific population studied, and calls for further research with larger and more diverse samples to generalize these findings. Understanding the interplay between domestication history, behavioral ecology, and human socialization could provide insights into the complex factors influencing animal-human interactions and cognitive behaviors, with implications for animal welfare and human-animal relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Di Lucrezia
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (A.S.); (B.D.)
| | - Anna Scandurra
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (A.S.); (B.D.)
| | - Claudia Pinelli
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Nadia Musco
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy; (N.M.); (V.M.); (M.E.P.); (P.L.)
| | - Biagio D’Aniello
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (A.S.); (B.D.)
| | - Vincenzo Mastellone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy; (N.M.); (V.M.); (M.E.P.); (P.L.)
| | - Fabio Zicarelli
- Department of Health Sciences, University Magna Graecia, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Maria Elena Pero
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy; (N.M.); (V.M.); (M.E.P.); (P.L.)
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Pietro Lombardi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy; (N.M.); (V.M.); (M.E.P.); (P.L.)
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Scandurra A, Di Lucrezia A, D’Aniello B, Pinelli C. Home Sweet Home: The Impact of Lifestyle on a Cat's Approach to Impossible Tasks in the Home Environment. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2679. [PMID: 37627470 PMCID: PMC10451177 DOI: 10.3390/ani13162679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cat welfare is a topic of growing interest in the scientific literature. Although previous studies have focused on the effects of living style (i.e., indoor/outdoor) on cat welfare, there has been a noticeable dearth of analysis regarding the impact of lifestyle on cats' inclination and mode of communication with humans. Our research aimed to analyze the possible effect of lifestyle (e.g., living indoors only or indoor/outdoor) on cat-human communication. The cats were tested using the impossible task paradigm test, which consists of some solvable trials in which the subject learns to obtain a reward from an apparatus, followed by an impossible trial through blocking the apparatus. This procedure triggers a violation of expectations and is considered a useful tool for assessing both the decision-making process and the tendency to engage in social behaviors towards humans. A specific ethogram was followed to record the behavioral responses of the cats during the unsolvable trial. Our results show the effects of lifestyle and age on domestic cats, providing valuable insights into the factors that influence their social behaviors. Cats that can roam freely outdoors spent less time interacting with the apparatus compared to indoor-only cats. Additionally, roaming cats showed stress behaviors sooner following the expectancy of violation compared to indoor cats. The lifestyle of cats can influence their problem-solving approach while not affecting their willingness to interact with humans or their overall welfare. Future studies on this topic can be useful for improving the welfare of domestic cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Scandurra
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (B.D.)
| | - Alfredo Di Lucrezia
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (B.D.)
| | - Biagio D’Aniello
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (A.D.L.); (B.D.)
| | - Claudia Pinelli
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy;
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D'Aniello B, Pinelli C, Scandurra A, Di Lucrezia A, Aria M, Semin GR. When are puppies receptive to emotion-induced human chemosignals? The cases of fear and happiness. Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01771-4. [PMID: 37010698 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01771-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
We report an observational, double-blind, experimental study that examines the effects of human emotional odors on puppies between 3 and 6 months and adult dogs (one year and upwards). Both groups were exposed to control, human fear, and happiness odors in a between subjects' design. The duration of all behaviors directed to the apparatus, the door, the owner, a stranger, and stress behaviors was recorded. A discriminant analysis showed that the fear odor activates consistent behavior patterns for both puppies and adult dogs. However, no behavioral differences between the control and happiness odor conditions were found in the case of puppies. In contrast, adult dogs reveal distinctive patterns for all three odor conditions. We argue that responses to human fear chemosignals systematically influence the behaviors displayed by puppies and adult dogs, which could be genetically prefigured. In contrast, the effects of happiness odors constitute cues that require learning during early socialization processes, which yield consistent patterns only in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biagio D'Aniello
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Claudia Pinelli
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Anna Scandurra
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Alfredo Di Lucrezia
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Massimo Aria
- Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Gün R Semin
- William James Center for Research, ISPA-Instituto Universitario, 1149-041, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
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