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Boch M, Huber L, Lamm C. Domestic dogs as a comparative model for social neuroscience: Advances and challenges. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105700. [PMID: 38710423 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Dogs and humans have lived together for thousands of years and share many analogous socio-cognitive skills. Dog neuroimaging now provides insight into the neural bases of these shared social abilities. Here, we summarize key findings from dog fMRI identifying neocortical brain areas implicated in visual social cognition, such as face, body, and emotion perception, as well as action observation in dogs. These findings provide converging evidence that the temporal cortex plays a significant role in visual social cognition in dogs. We further briefly review investigations into the neural base of the dog-human relationship, mainly involving limbic brain regions. We then discuss current challenges in the field, such as statistical power and lack of common template spaces, and how to overcome them. Finally, we argue that the foundation has now been built to investigate and compare the neural bases of more complex socio-cognitive phenomena shared by dogs and humans. This will strengthen and expand the role of the domestic dog as a powerful comparative model species and provide novel insights into the evolutionary roots of social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Boch
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1010, Austria; Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria.
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna 1210, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1010, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna 1010, Austria
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2
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Sexton CL, Diogo R, Subiaul F, Bradley BJ. Raising an Eye at Facial Muscle Morphology in Canids. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:290. [PMID: 38785773 PMCID: PMC11118188 DOI: 10.3390/biology13050290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The evolution of facial muscles in dogs has been linked to human preferential selection of dogs whose faces appear to communicate information and emotion. Dogs who convey, especially with their eyes, a sense of perceived helplessness can elicit a caregiving response from humans. However, the facial muscles used to generate such expressions may not be uniquely present in all dogs, but rather specifically cultivated among various taxa and individuals. In a preliminary, qualitative gross anatomical evaluation of 10 canid specimens of various species, we find that the presence of two facial muscles previously implicated in human-directed canine communication, the levator anguli occuli medialis (LAOM) and the retractor anguli occuli lateralis (RAOL), was not unique to domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris). Our results suggest that these aspects of facial musculature do not necessarily reflect selection via human domestication and breeding. In addition to quantitatively evaluating more and other members of the Canidae family, future directions should include analyses of the impact of superficial facial features on canine communication and interspecies communication between dogs and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L. Sexton
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Rui Diogo
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20059, USA
| | - Francys Subiaul
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Brenda J. Bradley
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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3
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Capitain S, Cimarelli G, Blenkuš U, Range F, Marshall-Pescini S. Street-wise dog testing: Feasibility and reliability of a behavioural test battery for free-ranging dogs in their natural habitat. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296509. [PMID: 38483862 PMCID: PMC10939227 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Behavioural scientists are increasingly recognizing the need to conduct experiments in the wild to achieve a comprehensive understanding of their species' behaviour. For domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), such progress has been slow. While the life in human households is often regarded as dogs' natural habitat, this classification disregards most of the global dog population. The value of experimentally testing free-ranging dogs' cognition and behaviour is increasingly being recognized, but no comprehensive test batteries have been conducted on those populations so far, leaving the feasibility and reliability of such endeavours unknown. This study is the starting point to fill this gap by pioneering and validating an elaborate behavioural test battery on street-living dogs. Therein, six common temperament tests (human-/conspecific-directed sociability, neophobia, tractability) and dog-human communication paradigms (pointing, inaccessible object) were adapted to the street conditions. We evaluated the feasibility of the test battery, the coding reliability of the measures, and investigated their temporal consistency in a retest of the same individuals six weeks later (test-retest reliability). The test battery proved feasible with most dogs participating in all subtests, and it showed satisfactory inter- and intra-rater reliability (0.84 and 0.93 respectively), providing evidence that complex behavioural tests can be conducted even in highly variable street conditions. Retesting revealed that some behaviours could be captured reliably across time, especially when the subtest was particularly engaging (e.g., human approach, point following). In contrast, the low retest reliability for subtests relying on sustained novelty and behaviours that were highly susceptible to disturbances (e.g., gazing) reflects the difficulties of street dog testing, including standardisation in disturbance-prone environments, ecology-dependent adaptation of methods, and intrinsic differences between pet and free-ranging dogs. With some adaptations, this test battery can be valuable in investigating cognition and behavioural profiles in such an understudied population as free-ranging dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Capitain
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Giulia Cimarelli
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Urša Blenkuš
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Friederike Range
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarah Marshall-Pescini
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Gnanadesikan GE, Tandon D, Bray EE, Kennedy BS, Tennenbaum SR, MacLean EL, vonHoldt BM. Transposons in the Williams-Beuren Syndrome Critical Region are Associated with Social Behavior in Assistance Dogs. Behav Genet 2024; 54:196-211. [PMID: 38091228 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10166-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
A strong signature of selection in the domestic dog genome is found in a five-megabase region of chromosome six in which four structural variants derived from transposons have previously been associated with human-oriented social behavior, such as attentional bias to social stimuli and social interest in strangers. To explore these genetic associations in more phenotypic detail-as well as their role in training success in a specialized assistance dog program-we genotyped 1001 assistance dogs from Canine Companions for Independence®, including both successful graduates and dogs released from the training program for behaviors incompatible with their working role. We collected phenotypes on each dog using puppy-raiser questionnaires, trainer questionnaires, and both cognitive and behavioral tests. Using Bayesian mixed models, we found strong associations (95% credibility intervals excluding zero) between genotypes and certain behavioral measures, including separation-related problems, aggression when challenged or corrected, and reactivity to other dogs. Furthermore, we found moderate differences in the genotypes of dogs who graduated versus those who did not; insertions in GTF2I showed the strongest association with training success (β = 0.23, CI95% = - 0.04, 0.49), translating to an odds-ratio of 1.25 for one insertion. Our results provide insight into the role of each of these four transposons in canine sociability and may inform breeding and training practices for working dog organizations. Furthermore, the observed importance of the gene GTF2I supports the emerging consensus that variation in GTF2I genotypes and expression have important consequences for social behavior broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gitanjali E Gnanadesikan
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
- Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
| | - Dhriti Tandon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Emily E Bray
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- Canine Companions for Independence, National Headquarters, Santa Rosa, CA, 95402, USA
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Oro Valley, AZ, 85737, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Brenda S Kennedy
- Canine Companions for Independence, National Headquarters, Santa Rosa, CA, 95402, USA
| | - Stavi R Tennenbaum
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Evan L MacLean
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Oro Valley, AZ, 85737, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Bridgett M vonHoldt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
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Martínez M, Schöndorfer S, Robinson LM, Brosnan SF, Range F. Some dogs can find the payoff-dominant outcome in the Assurance game. iScience 2024; 27:108698. [PMID: 38205239 PMCID: PMC10776926 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Studies on coordination often present animals with the choice of either cooperating or remaining inactive; however, in nature, animals may also choose to act alone. This can be modeled with the Assurance game, an economic game that has recently been used to explore decision-making in primates. We investigated whether dyads of pet dogs coordinate in the Assurance game. Pairs were presented with two alternatives: they could individually solve an apparatus baited with a low-value reward (Hare) or they could coordinate to solve a cooperative apparatus baited with a high-value reward for each dog (Stag). All individuals matched their partner's choices, but after controlling for side bias, only four out of eleven dyads consistently coordinated on the payoff-dominant strategy (Stag-Stag). Thus, some dogs are capable of finding coordinated outcomes, as do primates, at least when their partner's actions are visible and coordination results in the biggest payoff for both individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayte Martínez
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna 1160, Austria
- Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Selina Schöndorfer
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Lauren M. Robinson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
| | - Sarah F. Brosnan
- Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Departments of Psychology and Philosophy, Neuroscience Institute, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Friederike Range
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna 1160, Austria
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Nawroth C, Wiesmann K, Schlup P, Keil N, Langbein J. Domestication and breeding objective did not shape the interpretation of physical and social cues in goats (Capra hircus). Sci Rep 2023; 13:19098. [PMID: 37925577 PMCID: PMC10625633 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46373-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Artificial selection by humans, either through domestication or subsequent selection for specific breeding objectives, drives changes in animal cognition and behaviour. However, most previous cognitive research comparing domestic and wild animals has focused on companion animals such as canids, limiting any general claims about the effects of artificial selection by humans. Using a cognitive test battery, we investigated the ability of wild goats (non-domestic, seven subjects), dwarf goats (domestic, not selected for milk production, 15 subjects) and dairy goats (domestic, selected for high milk yield, 18 subjects) to utilise physical and social cues in an object choice task. To increase the heterogeneity of our test samples, data for domestic goats were collected by two experimenters at two research stations (Agroscope; Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology). We did not find performance differences between the three groups in the cognitive test battery for either physical or social cues. This indicates that for a domestic non-companion animal species, domestication and selection for certain breeding objectives did not measurably shape the physical and cognitive skills of goats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Nawroth
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany.
| | - Katrina Wiesmann
- Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Agroscope Tänikon, 8355, Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | | | - Nina Keil
- Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Agroscope Tänikon, 8355, Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | - Jan Langbein
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany
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Sexton CL, Buckley C, Lieberfarb J, Subiaul F, Hecht EE, Bradley BJ. What Is Written on a Dog's Face? Evaluating the Impact of Facial Phenotypes on Communication between Humans and Canines. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2385. [PMID: 37508162 PMCID: PMC10376741 DOI: 10.3390/ani13142385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Facial phenotypes are significant in communication with conspecifics among social primates. Less is understood about the impact of such markers in heterospecific encounters. Through behavioral and physical phenotype analyses of domesticated dogs living in human households, this study aims to evaluate the potential impact of superficial facial markings on dogs' production of human-directed facial expressions. That is, this study explores how facial markings, such as eyebrows, patches, and widow's peaks, are related to expressivity toward humans. We used the Dog Facial Action Coding System (DogFACS) as an objective measure of expressivity, and we developed an original schematic for a standardized coding of facial patterns and coloration on a sample of more than 100 male and female dogs (N = 103), aged from 6 months to 12 years, representing eight breed groups. The present study found a statistically significant, though weak, correlation between expression rate and facial complexity, with dogs with plainer faces tending to be more expressive (r = -0.326, p ≤ 0.001). Interestingly, for adult dogs, human companions characterized dogs' rates of facial expressivity with more accuracy for dogs with plainer faces. Especially relevant to interspecies communication and cooperation, within-subject analyses revealed that dogs' muscle movements were distributed more evenly across their facial regions in a highly social test condition compared to conditions in which they received ambiguous cues from their owners. On the whole, this study provides an original evaluation of how facial features may impact communication in human-dog interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L Sexton
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Colleen Buckley
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | | | - Francys Subiaul
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Erin E Hecht
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Brenda J Bradley
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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8
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Lazzaroni M, Schär J, Baxter E, Gratalon J, Range F, Marshall-Pescini S, Dale R. Village dogs match pet dogs in reading human facial expressions. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15601. [PMID: 37431468 PMCID: PMC10329818 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Most studies on dogs' cognitive skills in understanding human communication have been conducted on pet dogs, making them a role model for the species. However, pet dogs are just a minor and particular sample of the total dog world population, which would instead be better represented by free-ranging dogs. Since free-ranging dogs are still facing the selective forces of the domestication process, they indeed represent an important study subject to investigate the effect that such a process has had on dogs' behavior and cognition. Despite only a few studies on free-ranging dogs (specifically village dogs) having been conducted so far, the results are intriguing. In fact, village dogs seem to place a high value on social contact with humans and understand some aspects of humans' communication. In this study we aimed to investigate village dogs' ability in understanding a subtle human communicative cue: human facial expressions, and compared them with pet dogs, who have already provided evidence of this social skill. We tested whether subjects were able to distinguish between neutral, happy, and angry human facial expressions in a test mimicking a potential real-life situation, where the experimenter repeatedly performed one facial expression while eating some food, and ultimately dropped it on the ground. We found evidence that village dogs, as well as pet dogs, could distinguish between subtle human communicative cues, since they performed a higher frequency of aversive gazes (looking away) in the angry condition than in the happy condition. However, we did not find other behavioral effects of the different conditions, likely due to the low intensity of the emotional expression performed. We suggest that village dogs' ability in distinguishing between human facial expressions could provide them with an advantage in surviving in a human-dominated environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Lazzaroni
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Joana Schär
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elizabeth Baxter
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Juliette Gratalon
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Friederike Range
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarah Marshall-Pescini
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rachel Dale
- Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education, Krems, Austria
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Boch M, Wagner IC, Karl S, Huber L, Lamm C. Functionally analogous body- and animacy-responsive areas are present in the dog (Canis familiaris) and human occipito-temporal lobe. Commun Biol 2023; 6:645. [PMID: 37369804 PMCID: PMC10300132 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05014-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Comparing the neural correlates of socio-cognitive skills across species provides insights into the evolution of the social brain and has revealed face- and body-sensitive regions in the primate temporal lobe. Although from a different lineage, dogs share convergent visuo-cognitive skills with humans and a temporal lobe which evolved independently in carnivorans. We investigated the neural correlates of face and body perception in dogs (N = 15) and humans (N = 40) using functional MRI. Combining univariate and multivariate analysis approaches, we found functionally analogous occipito-temporal regions involved in the perception of animate entities and bodies in both species and face-sensitive regions in humans. Though unpredicted, we also observed neural representations of faces compared to inanimate objects, and dog compared to human bodies in dog olfactory regions. These findings shed light on the evolutionary foundations of human and dog social cognition and the predominant role of the temporal lobe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Boch
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Isabella C Wagner
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabrina Karl
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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10
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Dou M, Li M, Zheng Z, Chen Q, Wu Y, Wang J, Shan H, Wang F, Dai X, Li Y, Yang Z, Tan G, Luo F, Chen L, Shi YS, Wu JW, Luo XJ, Asadollahpour Nanaei H, Niyazbekova Z, Zhang G, Wang W, Zhao S, Zheng W, Wang X, Jiang Y. A missense mutation in RRM1 contributes to animal tameness. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf4068. [PMID: 37352351 PMCID: PMC10289655 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf4068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The increased tameness to reduce avoidance of human in wild animals has been long proposed as the key step of animal domestication. The tameness is a complex behavior trait and largely determined by genetic factors. However, the underlying genetic mutations remain vague and how they influence the animal behaviors is yet to be explored. Behavior tests of a wild-domestic hybrid goat population indicate the locus under strongest artificial selection during domestication may exert a huge effect on the flight distance. Within this locus, only one missense mutation RRM1I241V which was present in the early domestic goat ~6500 years ago. Genome editing of RRM1I241V in mice showed increased tameness and sociability and reduced anxiety. These behavioral changes induced by RRM1I241V were modulated by the alternation of activity of glutamatergic synapse and some other synapse-related pathways. This study established a link between RRM1I241V and tameness, demonstrating that the complex behavioral change can be achieved by mutations under strong selection during animal domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingle Dou
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany
| | - Zhuqing Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Education and College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Qiuming Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
- College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, 830011, China
| | - Yongji Wu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Jinxin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Huiquan Shan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Xuelei Dai
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Yunjia Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Zhirui Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Guanghui Tan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Funong Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Lei Chen
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710072, China
| | - Yun Stone Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210032, China
| | - Jiang Wei Wu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Xiong-Jian Luo
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650204, China
| | - Hojjat Asadollahpour Nanaei
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
- Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, 1983969412, Iran
| | - Zhannur Niyazbekova
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Guojie Zhang
- Centre for Evolutionary and Organismal Biology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, China
| | - Wen Wang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710072, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650223, China
| | - Shanting Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Wenxin Zheng
- Xinjiang Academy of Animal Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang, 830011, China
| | - Xihong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
| | - Yu Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shannxi, 712100, China
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Biology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
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11
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Salomons H, Smith KCM, Callahan-Beckel M, Callahan M, Levy K, Kennedy BS, Bray EE, Gnanadesikan GE, Horschler DJ, Gruen M, Tan J, White P, vonHoldt BM, MacLean EL, Hare B. Response to Hansen Wheat et al.: Additional analysis further supports the early emergence of cooperative communication in dogs compared to wolves raised with more human exposure. Learn Behav 2023; 51:131-134. [PMID: 36810744 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-023-00576-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Here, we address Hansen Wheat et al.'s commentary in this journal in response to Salomons et al. Current Biology, 31(14), 3137-3144.E11, (2021). We conduct additional analyses in response to Hansen Wheat et al.'s two main questions. First, we examine the claim that it was the move to a human home environment which enabled the dog puppies to outperform the wolf puppies in gesture comprehension tasks. We show that the youngest dog puppies who had not yet been individually placed in raisers' homes were still highly skilled, and outperformed similar-aged wolf puppies who had higher levels of human interaction. Second, we address the claim that willingness to approach a stranger can explain the difference between dog and wolf pups' ability to succeed in gesture comprehension tasks. We explain the various controls in the original study that render this explanation insufficient, and demonstrate via model comparison that the covariance of species and temperament also make this parsing impossible. Overall, our additional analyses and considerations support the domestication hypothesis as laid out by Salomons et al. Current Biology, 31(14), 3137-3144.E11, (2021).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Salomons
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
| | - Kyle C M Smith
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16801, USA
| | | | | | - Kerinne Levy
- Canine Companions for Independence, Santa Rosa, CA, 95407, USA
| | | | - Emily E Bray
- Canine Companions for Independence, Santa Rosa, CA, 95407, USA
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Gitanjali E Gnanadesikan
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Daniel J Horschler
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Margaret Gruen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Jingzhi Tan
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, 2311, EZ, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Philip White
- Department of Statistics, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Bridgett M vonHoldt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Evan L MacLean
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Brian Hare
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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12
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Byrne M, Horschler DJ, Schmitt M, Johnston AM. Pet dogs (Canis familiaris) re-engage humans after joint activity. Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01774-1. [PMID: 37052862 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01774-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Joint intentionality, the mutual understanding of shared goals or actions to partake in a common task, is considered an essential building block of theory of mind in humans. Domesticated dogs are unusually adept at comprehending human social cues and cooperating with humans, making it possible that they possess behavioral signatures of joint intentionality in interactions with humans. Horschler and colleagues (Anim Behav 183: 159-168, 2022) examined joint intentionality in a service dog population, finding that upon interruption of a joint experience, dogs preferentially re-engaged their former partner over a passive bystander, a behavior argued to be a signature of joint intentionality in human children. In the current study, we aimed to replicate and extend these results in pet dogs. One familiar person played with the dog and then abruptly stopped. We examined if dogs would preferentially re-engage the player instead of a familiar bystander who was also present. Consistent with the findings of Horschler and colleagues (Anim Behav 183: 159-168, 2022), pet dogs preferentially gazed toward and offered the toy to the player significantly more than the familiar bystander. However, no difference was observed in physical contact. These findings provide preliminary evidence for behavioral signatures of joint intentionality in pet dogs, but future work is needed to understand whether this phenomenon extends to other contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly Byrne
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
| | - Daniel J Horschler
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Mark Schmitt
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Angie M Johnston
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
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13
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Following the human point: Research with nonhuman animals since Povinelli, Nelson, and Boysen (1990). Learn Behav 2023; 51:34-47. [PMID: 36175744 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00546-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
For this special issue in honor of Dr. Sarah (Sally) Boysen's career, we review studies on point following in nonhuman animals. Of the 126 papers that we documented on this topic published since the publication of Povinelli, Nelson, and Boysen (1990, Journal of Comparative Psychology, 104, 203-210), 94 (75%) were published in the past 15 years, including 22 in the past 5 years, indicating that this topic is still an active area of interest in the field of animal behavior and cognition. We present results of a survey of publication trends, discussing the species tested and the sample sizes, and we note methodological considerations and current multilaboratory approaches. We then categorize and synthesize the research questions addressed in these studies, which have been at both the ultimate level (e.g., questions related to evolutionary adaptiveness and phylogenetic differences) and proximate level (e.g., questions related to experiential and temperamental processes). Throughout, we consider future directions for this area of research.
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14
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Abstract
An important question in the study of canine cognition is how dogs understand humans, given that they show impressive abilities for interacting and communicating with us. In this review, we describe and discuss studies that have investigated dogs' perspective-taking abilities. There is solid evidence that dogs are not only sensitive to the gaze of others, but also their attention. We specifically address the question whether dogs have the ability to take the perspective of others and thus come to understand what others can or cannot perceive. From the latter, they may then infer what others know and use this representation to anticipate what others do next. Still, dogs might simply rely on directly observable cues and on what they themselves can perceive when they assess what others can perceive. And instead of making inferences from representations of others' mental states, they may have just learned that certain behaviours of ours lead to certain outcomes. However, recent research seems to challenge this low-level explanation. Dogs have solved several perspective-taking tasks instantly and reliably across a large number of variations, including geometrical gaze-following, stealing in the dark, concealing information from others, and Guesser/Knower differentiation. In the latter studies, dogs' choices between two human informants were strongly influenced by cues related to the humans' visual access to the food, even when the two informants behaved identically. And finally, we review a recent study that found dogs reacting differently to misleading suggestions of human informants that have either a true or false belief about the location of food. We discuss this surprising result in terms of the comprehension of reality-incongruent mental states, which is considered as a hallmark of Theory of Mind acquisition in human development. Especially on the basis of the latter findings, we conclude that pet dogs might be sensitive to what others see, know, intend, and believe. Therefore, this ability seems to have evolved not just in the corvid and primate lineages, but also in dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Lucrezia Lonardo
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
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15
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Weichselbaum C, Hendrix N, Albright J, Dougherty JD, Botteron KN, Constantino JN, Marrus N. Social attention during object engagement: toward a cross-species measure of preferential social orienting. J Neurodev Disord 2022; 14:58. [PMID: 36517753 PMCID: PMC9749210 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-022-09467-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A central challenge in preclinical research investigating the biology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the translation of ASD-related social phenotypes across humans and animal models. Social orienting, an observable, evolutionarily conserved behavior, represents a promising cross-species ASD phenotype given that disrupted social orienting is an early-emerging ASD feature with evidence for predicting familial recurrence. Here, we adapt a competing-stimulus social orienting task from domesticated dogs to naturalistic play behavior in human toddlers and test whether this approach indexes decreased social orienting in ASD. METHODS Play behavior was coded from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) in two samples of toddlers, each with and without ASD. Sample 1 (n = 16) consisted of community-ascertained research participants, while Sample 2 involved a prospective study of infants at a high or low familial liability for ASD (n = 67). Coding quantified the child's looks towards the experimenter and caregiver, a social stimulus, while playing with high-interest toys, a non-social stimulus. A competing-stimulus measure of "Social Attention During Object Engagement" (SADOE) was calculated by dividing the number of social looks by total time spent playing with toys. SADOE was compared based on ASD diagnosis and differing familial liability for ASD. RESULTS In both samples, toddlers with ASD exhibited significantly lower SADOE compared to toddlers without ASD, with large effect sizes (Hedges' g ≥ 0.92) driven by a lower frequency of child-initiated spontaneous looks. Among toddlers at high familial likelihood of ASD, toddlers with ASD showed lower SADOE than toddlers without ASD, while SADOE did not differ based on presence or absence of familial ASD risk alone. SADOE correlated negatively with ADOS social affect calibrated severity scores and positively with the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales social subscale. In a binary logistic regression model, SADOE alone correctly classified 74.1% of cases, which rose to 85.2% when combined with cognitive development. CONCLUSIONS This work suggests that a brief behavioral measure pitting a high-interest nonsocial stimulus against the innate draw of social partners can serve as a feasible cross-species measure of social orienting, with implications for genetically informative behavioral phenotyping of social deficits in ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Weichselbaum
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Box 8504, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Box 8232, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Nicole Hendrix
- Department of Pediatrics, Marcus Autism Center, Emory University Pediatric Institute, 1920 Briarcliff Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Jordan Albright
- Virginia Tech Autism Clinic & Center for Autism Research, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 3110 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
| | - Joseph D Dougherty
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Box 8504, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Box 8232, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Kelly N Botteron
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Box 8504, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid, 35 Ave, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - John N Constantino
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Box 8504, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Natasha Marrus
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Box 8504, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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16
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Hopkins WD, Mulholland MM, Mareno MC, Webb SJN, Schapiro SJ. Neuroanatomical correlates of individual differences in the object choice task in chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes). Front Psychol 2022; 13:1057722. [PMID: 36507015 PMCID: PMC9732552 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1057722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Declarative and imperative joint attention or joint engagement are important milestones in human infant development. These have been shown to be a significant predictor of later language development and are impaired in some individuals with, or at risk for, a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Comparatively, while chimpanzees and other great apes have been reported to engage in imperative joint attention, evidence of declarative joint attention remains unclear based on existing studies. Some have suggested that differences in methods of assessing joint attention may have an influence on performance in nonhuman primates. Here, we report data on a measure of receptive joint attention (object choice task) in a sample of captive chimpanzees. Chimpanzees, as a group, performed significantly better than chance. By contrast, when considering individual performance, there was no significant difference in the number of those who passed and those who failed. Using quantitative genetic analyses, we found that performance on the object choice task was not significantly heritable nor were there any significant effects of sex, rearing history, or colony. Lastly, we found significant differences in gray matter covariation, between those who passed or failed the task. Those who passed contributed more to gray matter covariation in several brain regions within the social brain network, consistent with hypotheses regarding the importance of these regions in human and nonhuman primate social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D. Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States,*Correspondence: William D. Hopkins,
| | - Michele M. Mulholland
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States
| | - Mary Catherine Mareno
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States
| | - Sarah J. Neal Webb
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States
| | - Steven J. Schapiro
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States,Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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17
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Marcato M, Kenny J, O’Riordan R, O’Mahony C, O’Flynn B, Galvin P. Assistance dog selection and performance assessment methods using behavioural and physiological tools and devices. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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18
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Acebes F, Pellitero JL, Muñiz-Diez C, Loy I. Development of Desirable Behaviors in Dog-Assisted Interventions. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12040477. [PMID: 35203184 PMCID: PMC8868114 DOI: 10.3390/ani12040477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In a recent paper, Hall et al. encouraged professionals of canine training to share their observations and procedures with researchers in the field of dog learning and cognition, with the goal of coordinating knowledge and make better use of time and resources. In response to this invitation, here, we present an integrative method for the training of dogs that take part in animal-assisted interventions (AAI). This method has been developed taking into account the needs observed during nearly 30 years of interventions for the cognitive, relational, functional, and emotional improvement of the users. This method focuses on the dog, developing in the animals the necessary skills for their inclusion in dog-assisted interventions from a constructivist perspective, while guaranteeing their well-being during the training and the execution of their tasks. Abstract Dog-assisted interventions (DAI) are those that include specially trained dogs in human health services. Often, the training methods employed to train animals for DAI are transmitted between trainers, so the latest scientific research on dog learning and cognition is not always taken into account. The present work aims to evaluate the impact that the main theories on the evolution of the dog have had both in promoting different training methods and in the relevance of behavior in the evolution of the skills of actual dogs. Then, an integrative method for the training of dogs is presented. This method takes into account the research on dog learning mechanisms and cognition processes, and effectively promotes the development of desirable behaviors for DAI during the dog’s ontogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Félix Acebes
- Research Group on Development and Comparative Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; (F.A.); (C.M.-D.)
| | - Juan Luis Pellitero
- IMPRONTA Formación y Servicios Integrales de Apoyo Animal, S.L., 33510 Siero, Spain;
| | - Clara Muñiz-Diez
- Research Group on Development and Comparative Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; (F.A.); (C.M.-D.)
| | - Ignacio Loy
- Research Group on Development and Comparative Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; (F.A.); (C.M.-D.)
- Correspondence:
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19
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Is dogs' heritable performance in socio-cognitive tasks truly social? Learn Behav 2022; 50:6-7. [PMID: 35032018 PMCID: PMC8979860 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-021-00498-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recently, Bray et al. (2021) showed that behavioural performance in cognitive tasks involving humans is highly heritable in dog puppies. Although the paper shows substantial heritability of specific behavioural traits, the absence of control conditions does not allow for strong support of the authors’ claim that the cognitive performance they measured represents a special sensitivity to human cooperative-communicative acts.
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20
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Barnes-Holmes D, Harte C. Relational frame theory 20 years on: The Odysseus voyage and beyond. J Exp Anal Behav 2022; 117:240-266. [PMID: 35014700 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The seminal text on relational frame theory (RFT) was published 20 years ago and purported to offer a single overarching behavior-analytic account of human language and cognition. In the years thereafter, an increasing number of empirical and conceptual articles, book chapters in edited volumes, and whole volumes devoted to the account emerged. In recent years, RFT has experienced a period of intense empirical and conceptual development, facilitated in part by a research grant awarded by the Flanders Science Foundation, under its Odysseus program. This research program aimed to advance and extend the RFT account beyond the rendition presented in the seminal Hayes et al. (2001) volume. The current article aims to provide an overview of this research program, the empirical work and concepts it gave rise to, and their implications for an RFT account of human symbolic language and cognition. Overall, therefore, the article provides an account of relatively recent developments in RFT that extend beyond the 2001 volume and thus will, we hope, inform future research and critiques of the theory going forward.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Colin Harte
- Departmento de Psicologia, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Brazil.,Paradigma - Centro de Ciências e Technologia do Comportamento, Brazil
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21
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Abstract
Human expression is open-ended, versatile, and diverse, ranging from ordinary language use to painting, from exaggerated displays of affection to micro-movements that aid coordination. Here we present and defend the claim that this expressive diversity is united by an interrelated suite of cognitive capacities, the evolved functions of which are the expression and recognition of informative intentions. We describe how evolutionary dynamics normally leash communication to narrow domains of statistical mutual benefit, and how expression is unleashed in humans. The relevant cognitive capacities are cognitive adaptations to living in a partner choice social ecology; and they are, correspondingly, part of the ordinarily developing human cognitive phenotype, emerging early and reliably in ontogeny. In other words, we identify distinctive features of our species' social ecology to explain how and why humans, and only humans, evolved the cognitive capacities that, in turn, lead to massive diversity and open-endedness in means and modes of expression. Language use is but one of these modes of expression, albeit one of manifestly high importance. We make cross-species comparisons, describe how the relevant cognitive capacities can evolve in a gradual manner, and survey how unleashed expression facilitates not only language use, but also novel behaviour in many other domains too, focusing on the examples of joint action, teaching, punishment, and art, all of which are ubiquitous in human societies but relatively rare in other species. Much of this diversity derives from graded aspects of human expression, which can be used to satisfy informative intentions in creative and new ways. We aim to help reorient cognitive pragmatics, as a phenomenon that is not a supplement to linguistic communication and on the periphery of language science, but rather the foundation of the many of the most distinctive features of human behaviour, society, and culture.
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22
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Horschler DJ, Bray EE, Gnanadesikan GE, Byrne M, Levy KM, Kennedy BS, MacLean EL. Dogs re-engage human partners when joint social play is interrupted: a behavioural signature of shared intentionality? Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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23
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Abstract
Domestic dogs show socio-cognitive abilities that are not found in other species, including dogs' closest living relative, the wolf. From early on dogs are good at reading human gestures and pay attention to humans' eyes and voice. Two new studies suggest that a heritable component to dogs' social cognitive skills exists and that selection during domestication must have played a role in enhancing dogs' social cognitive skills.
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24
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Salomons H, Smith KCM, Callahan-Beckel M, Callahan M, Levy K, Kennedy BS, Bray EE, Gnanadesikan GE, Horschler DJ, Gruen M, Tan J, White P, vonHoldt BM, MacLean EL, Hare B. Cooperative Communication with Humans Evolved to Emerge Early in Domestic Dogs. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3137-3144.e11. [PMID: 34256018 PMCID: PMC8610089 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Although we know that dogs evolved from wolves, it remains unclear how domestication affected dog cognition. One hypothesis suggests dog domestication altered social maturation by a process of selecting for an attraction to humans.1-3 Under this account, dogs became more flexible in using inherited skills to cooperatively communicate with a new social partner that was previously feared and expressed these unusual social skills early in development.4-6 Here, we comparedog (n = 44) and wolf (n = 37) puppies, 5-18 weeks old, on a battery of temperament and cognition tasks. We find that dog puppies are more attracted to humans, read human gestures more skillfully, and make more eye contact with humans than wolf puppies. The two species are similarly attracted to familiar objects and perform similarly on non-social measures of memory and inhibitory control. These results are consistent with the idea that domestication enhanced the cooperative-communicative abilities of dogs as selection for attraction to humans altered social maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Salomons
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| | - Kyle C M Smith
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USA
| | | | | | - Kerinne Levy
- Canine Companions for Independence, Santa Rosa, CA 95407, USA
| | | | - Emily E Bray
- Canine Companions for Independence, Santa Rosa, CA 95407, USA; School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Gitanjali E Gnanadesikan
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Daniel J Horschler
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Margaret Gruen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Jingzhi Tan
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, 2311 EZ Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Philip White
- Department of Statistics, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Bridgett M vonHoldt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Evan L MacLean
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Brian Hare
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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