School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK.
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
Anim Cogn. 2024 Nov 1;27(1):73. doi: 10.1007/s10071-024-01907-0.
Detection dogs are required to search for and alert to specific odours of interest, such as drugs, cadavers, disease markers and explosives. However, the odour released from different samples of the same target substance will vary for a number of reasons, including the production method, evaporation, degradation, or by being mixed with extraneous odours. Generalisation, the tendency to respond in the same manner to stimuli which are different - but similar to - a conditioned stimulus, is therefore a crucial requirement for working detection dogs. Odour is a complex modality which poses unique challenges in terms of reliably predicting generalisation, when compared with auditory or visual stimuli. The primary aim of this review is to explore recent advances in our understanding of generalisation and the factors that influence it, and to consider these in light of detection dog training methods currently used in the field. We identify potential risks associated with certain training practices, and highlight areas where research is lacking and which warrant further investigation.
检测犬需要搜索并对特定的感兴趣气味做出反应，例如毒品、尸体、疾病标志物和爆炸物。然而，由于多种原因，同一目标物质的不同样本释放的气味会有所不同，包括生产方法、蒸发、降解或与外来气味混合。因此，泛化——对与条件刺激不同但相似的刺激以相同方式做出反应的趋势，是工作检测犬的一个关键要求。与听觉或视觉刺激相比，气味是一种复杂的模态，在可靠预测泛化方面带来了独特的挑战。本综述的主要目的是探讨我们对泛化及其影响因素的理解的最新进展，并根据目前在该领域使用的检测犬训练方法来考虑这些因素。我们确定了某些训练实践相关的潜在风险，并强调了研究不足的领域，这些领域值得进一步调查。
