Research
Canine Cognition & Behavior
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Gesture Studies...Imitation Studies...Wolf Park Research...Publications...Presentations
Gesture Studies
This research has focused on the ability of dogs to follow human given cues and non-human cues with similar characteristics or topography. Cues include pointing, head turning, gaze, reaching, token placement, and bowing among others. We are currently investigating the stimulus properties necessary for dogs to use such cues to solve an object choice paradigm. An object choice paradigm is a test in which food is hidden in one of two or more locations and a cue is given to direct the dog to the correct location. The dog is then allowed to approach one of the locations in attempt to find the food.
Current data suggests that the human element is a key factor in determining if a cue will be used successfully. The size of the cue and human attention may also be significant, and follow up studies are currently being conducted to explore these and other properties of the stimuli further.
Research will continue with dogs from various rearing environments and niches, including shelter dogs, working dogs, and non-domesticated species. Although the current view in the field attributes the ability domestic pet dogs have to follow cues to a special genetically based cognition, we have demonstrated that with the correct rearing environment and active socialization non-domesticated canids, wolves, can also perform well above chance on an object choice paradigm using a human point. At the same time, pet dogs tested outdoors and dogs living in an animal shelter performed poorly on the task suggesting that experience and enviornmental factors need to be given more attention in research on the domestic dog's sensitivity to human cues.
Dogs have become increasingly popular subjects for studies in animal cognition in the pastdecade. According to Miklosi, Topali & Csanvi (2004), studies using dogs have more than doubled between 1991 and 2001. Bloom (2004, pg. 1605) suggested, “For psychologists, dogs may be the new chimpanzee” -- which may not be as big a leap as it sounds. Studies on primate cognition have been compared to dog cognition for at least 10 years. The current study will be conducted to see if observer dogs can imitate object movement after watching a conspecific demonstrator open a door.
Wolf Park, located in Battle Ground Indiana, is a non-profit facility dedicated to research, education, and conservation. Established in 1972 by Dr. Erich Klinghammer, the park is open to the public and home to grey wolves, coyotes, foxes, and bison. Currently we are conducting behavioral research with the wolves and coyotes to investigate the effects of early socialization and daily interactions on the social behavior of these canids, especially with respect to their interaction with humans.
One important finding has been that these wolves can use a human point to identify the target container in an object choice task. In fact, at an individual level they outperformed pet domestic dogs. This suggests that domestication is not the deciding factor in which animals can develop a sensitivity to human cues; with the right experiences non-domesticated canids can be just as proficient as dogs on certain human guided tasks. This research was featured as the In Focus article in Animal Behaviour <see citation>.
Udell, M. A. R., Dorey, N. R., & Wynne, C. D. L. (in press). What did domestication do to dogs? A new account of dogs’ sensitivity to human actions. Biological Reviews..
Wynne, C. D. L., Dorey, N. R., & Udell, M. A. R. (in press). The other side of the bond: Domestic dogs’ human-like behaviors. In P. McCardle, S. McCune, F. Ahmadu, J. Griffin & K. Hurley (Eds.) Directions in Human-Animal Interaction Research: Child Development, Health and Therapeutic Interventions.Washington, DC, American Psychological Association.
Dorey, N. R., Udell, M. A. R., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2009).
Breed differences in dogs sensitivity to human points: A Meta-analysis.
Behavioural Processes, 81, 400-415. <PDF>
Wynne, C. D. L. (2009). Editorial: Special Issue on canine behavior
and cognition. Behavioural Processes. <PDF>
Udell, M. A. R., Dorey, N. R. & Wynne, C. D. L. (2008). Wolves outperform dogs in following human social cues. Animal Behaviour, 76, 1767-1773. < PDF>__ <Raw Data Exp. 1>__<Raw Data Exp.2>______ _Dogs at the local shelter: <video 1> <video 2>
Wynne, C. D. L., Udell, M. A. R., Lord, K. A. (2008). Ontogeny's Impacts on human-dog communication. Animal Behaviour, 76, e1-e4. <PDF>
Udell, M. A. R, & Wynne, C. D. L. (2008). A review of domestic dogs’ (Canis familiaris) human-like behaviors: Or why behavior analysts should stop worrying and love their dogs. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 89, 247-261. <HTML> __<PDF>
Udell, M. A. R, Giglio, R. F. & Wynne, C. D. L. (2008). Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) use human gestures but not nonhuman tokens to find hidden food. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 122, 84-93. <HTML> __<Raw Data> _
Udell, M. A. R., Dorey, N. R.,Wynne, C. D. L. (March 2009) Canid sensitivity to human points: A test of the domestication hypothesis. Paper talk at the International Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, FL.
Udell, M. A. R. (July 2008), When wolves look to humans: Domestication and social cognition in domestic dogs. Invited talk at the European Conference on Behavioural Biology, Dijon, France.
Wynne, C. D. L., Udell, M. A. R., Dorey, N. R. (July 2008) The Ontogeny of Theory of Mind abilities in dogs (Canis familiaris). Invited talk at the European Conference on Behavioural Biology, Dijon, France.
Dorey, N. R., Wynne, C .D. L. (May 2008) Who’s your master? Imitation and Social Learning in Dogs (Canis familiaris)? Paper presentation at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Chicago, Illinois.
Udell, M. A. R and Wynne, C. D. L. (May 2008), The Use of Human Given Cues by Canids: Factors that Predict Success or Failure on an Object Choice Paradigm. Paper presentation at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Chicago, Illinois.
Udell, M. A. R., Saulsgiver, K. A. , McClure, E. , Beecher, E. , Wynne, C. D. L. (May 2007) Stimuli used by domestic dogs in responding to human social interaction. Poster presentation at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis, San Diego, CA. <Image>
Udell, M. A. R. , Wynne, C. L. D. ( March 2007) Modes of interaction and communication between humans and domestic dogs. Poster presentation at the Conference on Comparative Cognition, Melbourne, FL. <Image>