Simple Mechanisms Can Explain Social Learning in Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris)

Abstract

Recent studies have suggested that domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) engage in highly complex forms of social learning. Here, we critically assess the potential mechanisms underlying social learning in dogs using two problem‐solving tasks. In a classical detour task, the test dogs benefited from observing a demonstrator walking around a fence to obtain a reward. However, even inexperienced dogs did not show a preference for passing the fence at the same end as the demonstrator. Furthermore, dogs did not need to observe a complete demonstration by a human demonstrator to pass the task. Instead, they were just as successful in solving the problem after seeing a partial demonstration by an object passing by at the end of the fence. In contrast to earlier findings, our results suggest that stimulus enhancement (or affordance learning) might be a powerful social learning mechanism used by dogs to solve such detour problems. In the second task, we examined whether naïve dogs copy actions to solve an instrumental problem. After controlling for stimulus enhancement and other forms of social influence (e.g. social facilitation and observational conditioning), we found that dogs’ problem solving was not influenced by witnessing a skilful demonstrator (either an unknown human, a conspecific or the dog’s owner). Together, these results add to evidence suggesting that social learning may often be explained by relatively simple (but powerful) mechanisms.

Parameters for the Analysis of Social Bonds in Horses

“…Our findings support previous studies on grooming in primates [12] and social licking in cows [46,47,48], which did not find any evidence that social rank affects the frequency of staying in close proximity to group members [31,33,59] or the frequency of friendly approaches and mutual grooming.…”

“…Similar to social licking in cows [46,47,48], mutual grooming between horses has been claimed to promote social bonding [5,8,9,11], to be an appeasement behaviour [22,49,50], and to reduce aggression between group members [27,51,52,53]. Grooming has been claimed to be reciprocated in breeding partners and may also serve partner control and partner choice [14].…”

“…For a deeper understanding of the value of the parameters mutual grooming, friendly approaches, and spatial proximity in the analysis of social bonds in horses, a knock out study [56,57] is needed in which directed data of the parameters are compared with physiological stress measurements, as has been done, for example, for social licking in cows [46,47,48]. Moreover, evaluations of the effect of foals on the social bonding between group members are needed because foals are considered to have a special status within the group [34] and may be protected by several mares [5].…”

The World from a Dog’s Point of View

“…Hare & Tomasello, 1999;Miklósi et al, 1998;Udell, Giglio, et al, 2008). Mersmann et al, 2011) to prevent additional cuing. To help control for inadvertent tactile cues from being conveyed to the dog subject, some experimenters have made sure the handler was naïve to manipulation outcomes by either blindfolding them, having them look away, or having them close their eyes (Burman et al, 2011;Collier-Baker et al, 2004;Miller et al, 2009Miller et al, , 2009b.…”

“…First, the dog's interspecies communication abilities have been particularly fascinating to researchers, and investigations into the development of canine interspecies communication have led to theoretical models of how social cognition may have developed in early humans (e.g. Mersmann, Tomasello, Call, Kaminski, & Taborsky, 2011). Second, dogs have also been used as a model for understanding the development of human cognitive deficiencies.…”