Do dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others’ actions?
Abstract The ability to make sense of and predict others’ actions is foundational for many socio-cognitive abilities. Dogs (Canis familiaris) constitute interesting comparative models for the study of action perception due to their marked sensitivity to human actions. We tested companion dogs (N = 2...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Animal Cognition |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01870-w |
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| author | Lucrezia Lonardo Christoph J. Völter Robert Hepach Claus Lamm Ludwig Huber |
| author_facet | Lucrezia Lonardo Christoph J. Völter Robert Hepach Claus Lamm Ludwig Huber |
| author_sort | Lucrezia Lonardo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The ability to make sense of and predict others’ actions is foundational for many socio-cognitive abilities. Dogs (Canis familiaris) constitute interesting comparative models for the study of action perception due to their marked sensitivity to human actions. We tested companion dogs (N = 21) in two screen-based eye-tracking experiments, adopting a task previously used with human infants and apes, to assess which aspects of an agent’s action dogs consider relevant to the agent’s underlying intentions. An agent was shown repeatedly acting upon the same one of two objects, positioned in the same location. We then presented the objects in swapped locations and the agent approached the objects centrally (Experiment 1) or the old object in the new location or the new object in the old location (Experiment 2). Dogs’ anticipatory fixations and looking times did not reflect an expectation that agents should have continued approaching the same object nor the same location as witnessed during the brief familiarization phase; this contrasts with some findings with infants and apes, but aligns with findings in younger infants before they have sufficient motor experience with the observed action. However, dogs’ pupil dilation and latency to make an anticipatory fixation suggested that, if anything, dogs expected the agents to keep approaching the same location rather than the same object, and their looking times showed sensitivity to the animacy of the agents. We conclude that dogs, lacking motor experience with the observed actions of grasping or kicking performed by a human or inanimate agent, might interpret such actions as directed toward a specific location rather than a specific object. Future research will need to further probe the suitability of anticipatory looking as measure of dogs’ socio-cognitive abilities given differences between the visual systems of dogs and primates. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2770e4c9fb444fe6a9ca3ae501f22052 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1435-9456 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal Cognition |
| spelling | doaj-art-2770e4c9fb444fe6a9ca3ae501f220522025-01-26T12:44:39ZengSpringerAnimal Cognition1435-94562024-03-0127111610.1007/s10071-024-01870-wDo dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others’ actions?Lucrezia Lonardo0Christoph J. Völter1Robert Hepach2Claus Lamm3Ludwig Huber4Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of ViennaComparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of ViennaDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordSocial, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaComparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of ViennaAbstract The ability to make sense of and predict others’ actions is foundational for many socio-cognitive abilities. Dogs (Canis familiaris) constitute interesting comparative models for the study of action perception due to their marked sensitivity to human actions. We tested companion dogs (N = 21) in two screen-based eye-tracking experiments, adopting a task previously used with human infants and apes, to assess which aspects of an agent’s action dogs consider relevant to the agent’s underlying intentions. An agent was shown repeatedly acting upon the same one of two objects, positioned in the same location. We then presented the objects in swapped locations and the agent approached the objects centrally (Experiment 1) or the old object in the new location or the new object in the old location (Experiment 2). Dogs’ anticipatory fixations and looking times did not reflect an expectation that agents should have continued approaching the same object nor the same location as witnessed during the brief familiarization phase; this contrasts with some findings with infants and apes, but aligns with findings in younger infants before they have sufficient motor experience with the observed action. However, dogs’ pupil dilation and latency to make an anticipatory fixation suggested that, if anything, dogs expected the agents to keep approaching the same location rather than the same object, and their looking times showed sensitivity to the animacy of the agents. We conclude that dogs, lacking motor experience with the observed actions of grasping or kicking performed by a human or inanimate agent, might interpret such actions as directed toward a specific location rather than a specific object. Future research will need to further probe the suitability of anticipatory looking as measure of dogs’ socio-cognitive abilities given differences between the visual systems of dogs and primates.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01870-wSocial cognitionDog cognitionAction perceptionGoal-directed actionsEye-tracking |
| spellingShingle | Lucrezia Lonardo Christoph J. Völter Robert Hepach Claus Lamm Ludwig Huber Do dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others’ actions? Animal Cognition Social cognition Dog cognition Action perception Goal-directed actions Eye-tracking |
| title | Do dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others’ actions? |
| title_full | Do dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others’ actions? |
| title_fullStr | Do dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others’ actions? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others’ actions? |
| title_short | Do dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others’ actions? |
| title_sort | do dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others actions |
| topic | Social cognition Dog cognition Action perception Goal-directed actions Eye-tracking |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01870-w |
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