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Invisible displacement understanding in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): the role of visual cues in search behavior

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Abstract

Recently, (Collier-Baker E, Davis JM, Suddendorf T (2004) J Comp Psychol 118:421–433) suggested that domestic dogs do not understand invisible displacements. In the present study, we further investigated the hypothesis that the search behavior of domestic dogs in invisible displacements is guided by various visual cues inherent to the task rather than by mental representation of an object’s past trajectory. Specifically, we examined the role of the experimenter as a function of the final position of the displacement device in the search behavior of domestic dogs. Visible and invisible displacement problems were administered to dogs (N = 11) under two conditions. In the Visible-experimenter condition, the experimenter was visible whereas in the Concealed-experimenter condition, the experimenter was visibly occluded behind a large rigid barrier. Our data supported the conclusion that dogs do not understand invisible displacements but primarily search as a function of the final position of the displacement device and, to a lesser extent, the position of the experimenter.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by an operating research grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and by a research grant from the Faculté des Études Supérieures et de la Recherche (FESR) of Université de Moncton. Valérie LeBlanc was supported by an Undergraduate Student Research Award from NSERC. The experiments received approval from the Comité de protection des animaux from the Faculté des études supérieures et de la recherche de l’Université de Moncton, which is responsible for the application and enforcement of rules of the Canadian Council on Animal Care. We thank the owners of the dogs who participated in these experiments.

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  1. Secteur Sciences Humaines, Université de Moncton, Campus d’Edmundston, Edmundston, New-Brunswick, E3V 2S8, Canada

    Sylvain Fiset

  2. École de psychologie, Pavillon Félix-Antoine-Savard, Université Laval, Laval, Québec, G1K 7P4, Canada

    Valérie LeBlanc

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  1. Sylvain Fiset
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  2. Valérie LeBlanc
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Correspondence to Sylvain Fiset.

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Fiset, S., LeBlanc, V. Invisible displacement understanding in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): the role of visual cues in search behavior. Anim Cogn 10, 211–224 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-006-0060-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-006-0060-5

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