Presentation Details
| Treat Loyalty: Stability in Food Items Over Time in Owned Dogs Yhakira T.Gray, Erica N.Feuerbacher. Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA |
Abstract
Identifying valuable reinforcers is an essential aspect of producing and maintaining behavior change in animals. Relatively more valuable reinforcers can increase the amount of behavior maintained, shorten the latency to respond, and compete with other environmental reinforcers. Preference assessments are frequently used to identify relative reinforcer value. Prior studies have shown that the results of preference assessments typically align with relative reinforcer efficacy, indicating that preference assessments are a useful tool to identify effective reinforcers. However, there is little research on the stability of dogs’ preferences for certain reinforcers across time. This study assessed the stability of dogs’ preferences for food items over time. We enrolled eight owned dogs, and for each dog we conducted repeated paired stimulus preference assessment with eight food items over a 6-month period. Results suggest that there is stability in the most and least preferred food items throughout the assessments for most participants. The medium preferred food items were consistently preferred at this medium level, but their rank did vary slightly across time.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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