Dogs can be pessimists

Australian scientists have proved that, like people, dogs can be divided into pessimists and optimists. The study, published in the respected scientific journal PLOS One, is interesting because the emotional behavior of dogs was studied by using objective, behavioral methods.

For one, the dogs were trained to associate one sound with a reward in the form of bowls of milk, and a different sound was associated with getting a bowl of plain water. When the Association was already fairly stable, the dogs included a sound medium in tone between the first and second. Some animals react to the sound of the behavior, clearly demonstrating the expectation of a delicious reward, while others regarded such a mixed message as a sign that they will offer ordinary water and showed no interest.

The researchers tried to include his tailed subjects sounds more close to the first signal and to the second. Some dogs, which scientists call the most optimistic, hoped to milk, even when the sound was a little closer to the signal associated with water.

Have to say that as a result dogs-optimists were a few more, but was found among the subjects and overt pessimists.

Scientists believe that the results of their study will help to more effectively organize, for example, dog training. After all dogs are optimists willing to take risks in order to receive reward, while the dog-pessimists will quickly refuse from training a skill, if it deems the reward is unattainable.

source: vitaportal.ru

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