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Ontogeny vs. phylogeny in Primate/Canid comparisons: a meta-analysis of the object choice task
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 17:58 authored by Hannah Clark, Mahmoud M Elsherif, David LeavensDavid LeavensThe 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.
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Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral ReviewsISSN
0149-7634Publisher
ElsevierExternal DOI
Volume
105Page range
178-189Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2019-06-04First Open Access (FOA) Date
2020-06-03First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2019-06-03Usage metrics
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