Submission Type

Event

Expected Graduation Date

2015

Location

Room E103, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University

Start Date

4-18-2015 11:00 AM

End Date

4-18-2015 12:00 PM

Disciplines

Psychiatry and Psychology

Abstract

Domestic dogs possess unique sensitivity to human social cues, perhaps due to our shared evolutionary history. We explored whether dogs share social cognitive abilities - understanding intentions and goals - humans demonstrate from infancy. In Study 1, dogs watched a researcher either unable (i.e. she dropped a treat) or unwilling (i.e. she offered and then withdrew a treat) to provide food. Dogs demonstrated sensitivity to intentions by spending more time close to the researcher during unable than unwilling trials. In Study 2, dogs watched a researcher reach for a ball and ignore a duck. Next, the ball and the duck switched locations. Dogs looked longer when the researcher reached for the duck, violating the goal, suggesting they encoded the goal, not simply motor patterns. Combined these results suggest that sophisticated social cognitive abilities may have evolved in dogs due to our shared evolutionary history.

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Apr 18th, 11:00 AM Apr 18th, 12:00 PM

The Domestic Dogs’ (Canis Familiaris) Understanding of Intentional and Goal Oriented Action

Room E103, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University

Domestic dogs possess unique sensitivity to human social cues, perhaps due to our shared evolutionary history. We explored whether dogs share social cognitive abilities - understanding intentions and goals - humans demonstrate from infancy. In Study 1, dogs watched a researcher either unable (i.e. she dropped a treat) or unwilling (i.e. she offered and then withdrew a treat) to provide food. Dogs demonstrated sensitivity to intentions by spending more time close to the researcher during unable than unwilling trials. In Study 2, dogs watched a researcher reach for a ball and ignore a duck. Next, the ball and the duck switched locations. Dogs looked longer when the researcher reached for the duck, violating the goal, suggesting they encoded the goal, not simply motor patterns. Combined these results suggest that sophisticated social cognitive abilities may have evolved in dogs due to our shared evolutionary history.

 

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