Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
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- All Subjects: Dogs
- Creators: Glenberg, Arthur
- Creators: Patterson, Jordan Elizabeth
Description
Previous research pertaining to dog memory and cognition has been confined mainly to samples of colony dogs and therefore can be hard to generalize to a larger population of pet dogs and varying breeds. The present study focused entirely on pet dogs of many different breeds, rather than colony or laboratory animals for the purposes of accessibility, affordability, and novelty. Methods: We presented the dogs with a memory task in the form of a game in which the dogs chose to search for food at one of two locations at varying delay intervals, with a maximum time limit of one hour per dog. We expected our data to show a significant decrease in memory capacity and an increase in error rates among older dogs as compared to younger dogs; these results would allow us to conclude that it is likely many dogs, much like humans, experience various cognitive deficits as a function of increasing age. Results: Using one-factor ANOVA and linear and curvilinear regression analyses, we examined the relationship between the independent variable, age (individual dog ages as well as three generalized age categories), and three dependent variables. The dependent variables were: (a) percentage of correct choices at a 60 second delay interval, (b) maximum delay interval attempted (MDIA), and (c) the maximum delay interval that was completed above chance level (50%) (MDAC). We found significant results to support our hypotheses that aged dogs show spatial memory and cognitive deficits in comparison with young and middle-aged dogs, and that age can be considered a marginally significant predictor of spatial memory capacity.
ContributorsEvans, Laura Corinne (Author) / Wynne, Clive (Thesis director) / Van Bourg, Joshua (Committee member) / Glenberg, Arthur (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
Dogs in animal shelters are subjected to a number of stressors during their stay, including barking which can reach 120 dB. Music has been suggested as a way to reduce this stress, however, the properties of music that result in reduced stress behavior have not been examined. An affective response to music, like that found in humans, is unlikely due to human higher cognitive function. Masking, reducing the magnitude of volume change with the presence of another sound, is one property that may be responsible for this observed stress reduction. Using white and pink noise, we examined the effects of auditory masking on stress behaviors in shelter dogs. Overall, we observed no difference in the amount of sitting, lying, head resting, or barking between the control and treatment conditions. Limitations and future directions of studies are listed.
ContributorsRedmond, Domenic Xavier Wendell (Author) / Wynne, Clive (Thesis director) / Glenberg, Arthur (Committee member) / Steele, Kenneth (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
There are many anecdotal stories of dogs rescuing their owners from dangerous situations, but this rescue behavior has yet to be shown in an experimental setting. Studies have shown that dogs behave differently towards crying humans, but do not seek help for their owners when they are in distress. This study sought to determine if a dog could recognize when its owner was in distress and would attempt to rescue the owner. The experiment consisted of three conditions: a distress condition to determine how dogs respond to an owner calling for help, a reading condition to control for proximity-seeking and sound, and a food control to use as a basis for motivation and door-opening ability of the dog. Sixty dogs were tested in all three conditions in a pseudo-random order so that an equal number of dogs completed the conditions in each order. 38% of the dogs opened the apparatus for any condition, while 32% opened for the food and distress conditions and 27% opened for the reading condition, which shows that rescue in general is unlikely. There was no significant difference in the proportion of dogs who opened the apparatus for each condition, indicating that dogs are no more likely to rescue their distressed owners than they are to open the apparatus for other conditions and may not be able to sense that the owner is in distress. The similarities in the success rates also show that the owner can be just as motivating for a dog as food. Overall, the low success rates suggest that dogs are not generally likely to rescue a person who is trapped, even when they are calling for help.
ContributorsPatterson, Jordan Elizabeth (Author) / Wynne, Clive (Thesis director) / McBeath, Michael (Committee member) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05