Ever wonder what Rover is thinking? The field of animal psychology continues to expand with new studies every day, and in recognition for her work unlocking the secrets of the canine mind, this month, the American Psychological Association will present an award to German scientist Dr. Friederike Range, one the field’s leading researchers.
The doctor will see you now
Dr. Range has focused her scientific career on animal behavior and cognition. In addition to her work at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Range also helped co-found both the Clever Dog Lab and the Wolf Science Center in Austria. Because of her groundbreaking research, the APA will award Range with their 2012 Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology, which recognizes young scientists who have made a significant contribution to their field of study.
Dogs have feelings, too
One of Range’s studies shows that dogs can detect unfair situations and even experience an emotion similar to human envy or jealousy. Researchers found that dogs became sulky and refused to shake paws if other dogs received treats for performing tricks, but they didn’t. More than that, the dogs actually became stressed if they were left out of rewards that other dogs were receiving.
The experiment was performed across a number of breeds. Seating two dogs beside one another, researchers had the dogs shake paws and then rewarded each one differently. The dogs didn’t seem to care if they were given bread while their partner got sausage, but if they were cut out of the treat-giving altogether, they began to show signs of distress and stopped obeying. When tested alone, however, the dogs continued to comply even if they weren’t rewarded, showing the obstinacy wasn’t just about getting a treat.
Dogs are copycats
Range has also looked at how dogs learn by copying not only one another, but their owners too, and her research has found some remarkable similarities to how humans interact.
In one study from 2007, Range had a lead dog demonstrate how to open a box using a rod. Although dogs normally prefer to use their mouths for such a task, the lead dog had been trained to use only her paw. When she performed the task while carrying a ball in her mouth, the other dogs would still use their mouths. But if the lead dog’s mouth was free – and she still used her paw to open the box – the other dogs would copy her exactly, as though they were able to figure she had a reason for not using her mouth, and so did the same thing. This “selective imitation” is something humans are capable of, but not even chimpanzees share with us.
Another of Range’s studies, however, showed that dogs learn best by “automatic imitation” – in this case, by copying their owners. The dogs were first trained to open a door both by mouth and by paw. The scientists then had the owners demonstrate by opening the door using one of these methods. Half the dogs were rewarded for copying their owners, while the other half were rewarded only when they did the opposite. The dogs that were meant to do the same as their owners performed much better, which indicates that, like humans, dogs learn best through this automatic imitation.
Have you ever wondered what your pet is thinking? With researchers like Range on the job, we’re now that much closer to unlocking the mysteries of the animal mind – and dogs are much more like us than we thought!
Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net