Psychology Department, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5C2, Canada.
Learn Behav. 2021 Sep;49(3):321-329. doi: 10.3758/s13420-021-00463-8. Epub 2021 Feb 23.
A previous study failed to find evidence that dogs could use olfactory cues to discriminate between 1 and 5 hot dog slices presented on a single trial (Horowitz et al., Learning and Motivation, 44, 207-217, 2013). In the experiments reported here, multiple trials were used to test dogs' ability to use olfaction to choose one of two opaque containers under which a larger number of food items was placed. In Experiment 1, dogs chose between 1 and 5 hot dog slices. In Experiments 2 and 3, we examined dogs' ability to discriminate between numbers of hot dog slices that varied in the numerical distance and the ratio between the smaller and larger quantities. Experiment 4 explored olfactory discrimination between quantities of a different food, dog kibble. Experiments 1-3 all showed that dogs used olfactory stimuli to choose the larger number of hot dog slices, but Experiments 2 and 3 revealed no effects of distance or ratio between numerical quantities. In Experiment 4, dogs failed to discriminate between 1 and 5 pieces of dog kibble. Factors that allow dogs to use olfactory cues to discriminate between quantities are discussed.
先前的一项研究未能发现狗能够使用嗅觉线索来区分在单次试验中呈现的 1 到 5 个热狗切片（Horowitz 等人，学习与动机，44，207-217，2013）。在本报告的实验中，使用了多次试验来测试狗使用嗅觉选择两个不透明容器之一的能力，其中一个容器下放置了更多的食物。在实验 1 中，狗在 1 到 5 个热狗切片之间进行选择。在实验 2 和 3 中，我们研究了狗在数量上的差异较大和较小数量之间的数值距离和比率之间区分热狗切片数量的能力。实验 4 探讨了不同食物（狗干粮）数量的嗅觉辨别能力。实验 1-3 均表明狗使用嗅觉刺激来选择较大数量的热狗切片，但实验 2 和 3 并未显示数值数量之间的距离或比率的影响。在实验 4 中，狗未能区分 1 到 5 块狗干粮。讨论了允许狗使用嗅觉线索来区分数量的因素。
