Discrimination of quantities by dogs in structured situation: controlling of area, ratio and numerical distance

• Grant number: 11/19438-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Camila Domeniconi
• Grantee: Cassiano Gaiani de Santis
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The investigation of mathematical and pre mathematical skills by animals have been obtained attention in recent scientific literature. During last years, it was done a great quantity of investigations about counting and discrimination of quantities, especially with primates no human. Also, there are studies with other species of vertebrates and no humans mammals, like dogs. Previous studies suggested mathematical skills in dogs, as counting and quantities discrimination, having evidences of importance of these skills in natural situations. However, the studies involving numerical discrimination didn't controlled some properties of stimuli that varied simultaneously with number, like area. The present study aims evaluate the numerical discrimination between two quantities by dogs, with control of area. 20 dogs will be subject in this study. During the procedure, the dogs should choose one out two bowls containing different quantities of food. The experimental sessions will control the ratio, numerical distance, absolute and relative area of food. The results will be analyzed in function of number of choices did during different sessions.