Indução comportamental em cães domésticos (Canis lupus familiaris)

Abstract

Experimental evidences indicate a relevant role of relations between antecedent stimulus (S) and facilitative (S*) ones upon behavioral induction/facilitation. Studies with domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) as research subjects demonstrated that pairing between proprioceptive S and alimentary S* was adequate to induce motor responses. The purpose of the present study was to replicate these findings with a more robust methodology. Four dogs of different races, sex and ages participated. Each dog had two alimentary S* matched to the movement by an external agent (proprioceptive S) of its forepaws (e.g., left paw-chicken; right paw-meat). Three experimental conditions were planned and the dogs were exposed to them in different but counterbalanced orders. In the first condition, it was performed the pairing between passive movement of the paws (proprioceptive S) and S* ingestion (one paw at a time). Then, it was tested whether the consumption of the paired S* would induce active movement in the correspondent paw. The second condition consisted in the training of active responses of putting the paws over the researcher’s hands, one at a time. In the third condition it was runned the pairing between active movement of the paws and S* ingestion (again one paw at a time). Next, the same test from the first condition took place. Results did not indicate behavioral induction by associations between S-S*. These data are discussed based on a series of procedural aspects. Adjustments are suggested for future research.