Overimitation in Dogs: Is There a Link to the Quality of the Relationship with the Caregiver?

ABSTRACT: Overimitation, the copying of causally irrelevant or non-functional actions, is well-known from humans but completely absent in other primates. Recent studies from our lab have provided evidence for overimitation in canines. Previously, we found that half of tested pet dogs copied their human caregiver's irrelevant action, while only few did so when the action was demonstrated by an unfamiliar experimenter. Therefore, we hypothesized that dogs show overimitation as a result of socio-motivational grounds. To test this more specifically, here we investigated how the relationship with the caregiver influenced the eagerness to overimitate. Given the high variability in the tendency to overimitate their caregiver, we hypothesized that not only familiarity but also relationship quality influence

SUBMITTER: Huber L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8833807 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature