Domestication Does Not Explain the Presence of Inequity Aversion in Dogs.

ABSTRACT: Sensitivity to inequity is thought to be an important mechanism for recognizing undesirable cooperative partners and thus crucial for the evolution of human cooperation [1]. This link may not be unique to humans, as cooperative non-human primates also react to unequal outcomes [2], whereas non-cooperative species do not [3]. Although this hypothesis has not been tested in non-primate species, studies revealed that pet dogs show a limited form of inequity aversion, responding to reward, but not quality inequity [4-6]. It has been proposed that this primitive form of inequity aversion was selected for during domestication and thus absent in their ancestors, wolves. Alternatively, wolves, which hunt, raise pups, and defend their territory cooperatively, are similarly inequity averse as non-hu

SUBMITTER: Essler JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6201826 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature