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Ontogeny vs. phylogeny in Primate/Canid comparisons: a meta-analysis of the object choice task

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posted on 2023-06-09, 17:58 authored by Hannah Clark, Mahmoud M Elsherif, David LeavensDavid Leavens
The Object Choice Task (OCT) is a widely used paradigm with which researchers measure the ability of a subject to comprehend deictic (directional) cues, such as pointing gestures and eye gaze. There is a widespread belief that nonhuman primates evince only a weak capacity to use deictic cues; in contrast, domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) tend to demonstrate high success rates. This pattern of canid superiority has been taken to support the Domestication Hypothesis, which posits enhancing effects of artificial selection on the sociocognitive abilities of dogs and humans. Here we review nearly two decades of published findings, using variants of the OCT. We find systematic confounds with species classification in task-relevant preparation of the subjects, in the imposition of a barrier between reward and subject, and in the specific deictic cues used to indicate the location of hidden objects. Thus, the widespread belief that dogs outperform primates on OCTs is undermined by the systematic procedural differences in the assessments of these skills, differences that are confounded with taxonomic classification.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews

ISSN

0149-7634

Publisher

Elsevier

Volume

105

Page range

178-189

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-06-04

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2020-06-03

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-06-03

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