Can dogs defy gravity? A comparison with the human infant and a non‐human primate

Abstract

We conducted four experiments with 56 adult dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) involving tasks where food was dropped through an opaque tube connected either vertically or diagonally to one of two or three goal boxes. In the first experiment, modelled after studies with children and primates, the dogs first searched significantly more often in the location directly beneath the drop-off point (a gravity bias), although this box was not connected with the tube. These results are comparable to those of human infants and cotton-top tamarins. Experiments 2-4 tested which problem solving strategy the dogs applied to find the food. Results show that they do not understand the physical mechanism of the tube itself, and they apply one of three search strategies: search the gravity box (the one below the drop-off box); search the box in the middle; learn the correct location of the goal box. When the goal box was in the same location the dogs learned to search there over trials, that is, they learned to 'defy gravity', but when the location of the goal box changed over trials they showed no learning. These findings are compared with those from human infants and cotton-top tamarins: like these species, the dogs can learn to overcome a gravity bias, but only when the reward is to be found in a consistent location.

The World from a Dog’s Point of View

“…Osthaus, Slater, and Lea (2003) observed the search behavior of dogs for dropped objects and dogs' understanding of the physical mechanisms of opaque connecting tubes. Osthaus, Slater, and Lea (2003) observed the search behavior of dogs for dropped objects and dogs' understanding of the physical mechanisms of opaque connecting tubes.…”

Domesticated dogs’ (Canis familiaris) use of the solidity principle

“…For example, several past studies successfully excluding the role of olfactory cues have demonstrated that dogs can succeed at invisible displacement problems (e.g., Triana and Pasnak 1981;Doré 1992, 1993;Watson et al 2001; but see CollierBaker et al 2004;. Additionally, dogs do show an initial gravity bias, and yet they (unlike human infants and monkeys) are able to learn to overcome their gravity bias (Osthaus et al 2003).…”

Az összehasonlító evolúciós perspektíva szerepe a piegetiánus tárgyállandóság értelmezésében

“…Eszerint az alany képtelen az elvárásai alapján kialakult prepotens válasz gátlására (azaz hogy a tárgyat pontosan az elengedési pont függőleges meghosszabbításában keresse) s ez egy veleszületetten "előhúrozott" sajátossága a főemlős -és feltehetőleg más gerincesidegrendszernek is (lásd pl. Osthaus, 2003).…”