Riemer Stefanie, Mills Daniel S, Wright Hannah
Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria.
Anim Cogn. 2014 May;17(3):815-9. doi: 10.1007/s10071-013-0701-4. Epub 2013 Oct 18.
Individual differences in impulsivity occur at a cognitive and/or behavioural level and are associated with differing life outcomes. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the long-term stability of these characteristics in non-human animals. This study reports on the stability of convergent measures of impulsivity in domestic dogs assessed more than 6 years apart. Measures were (1) owner assessment by means of a questionnaire, the validated 'Dog Impulsivity Assessment Scale' (DIAS) and (2) dogs' performance in a delayed reward choice test. Dogs had 15-min free access to two food dispensers, one dispensing a piece of food immediately, the other dispensing three pieces after a delay, which increased by 1 s every other time the dogs sampled it. Maximum delay reached in this task reflects decision-making, or cognitive impulsivity, whereas the rate of extra presses on the delayed reward device during the delay can be considered as a measure of motor or behavioural impulsivity. DIAS scores were strongly and significantly correlated across years. The maximum delay reached in the behaviour test was also highly stable, whereas paw-pressing rate was uncorrelated between the years. These results demonstrate that cognitive but not motor impulsivity is highly consistent over time in dogs.
冲动性的个体差异出现在认知和/或行为层面，并与不同的生活结果相关。然而，缺乏实证证据来支持这些特征在非人类动物中的长期稳定性。本研究报告了相隔6年以上评估的家犬冲动性收敛测量的稳定性。测量方法包括：(1) 通过问卷进行主人评估，即经过验证的 “犬类冲动性评估量表” (DIAS)；(2) 犬在延迟奖励选择测试中的表现。犬可以自由接触两个食物分配器15分钟，一个立即分配一块食物，另一个在延迟后分配三块食物，犬每次尝试时延迟时间增加1秒。此任务中达到的最大延迟反映了决策，即认知冲动性，而在延迟期间对延迟奖励装置的额外按压率可被视为运动或行为冲动性的一种测量。DIAS分数在多年间呈强显著相关。行为测试中达到的最大延迟也高度稳定，而多年间爪子按压率不相关。这些结果表明，犬的认知冲动性而非运动冲动性随时间高度一致。
