Presentation Details
| The Effects of Posterior Manipulation on Fear in Canis Familiaris. Kerry S.Kleyman. Metropolitan State University, Saint Paul, MN, USA |
Abstract
The current study investigates embodied cognition on fear-response through posterior manipulation. Embodied cognition was first described as the connection between biological bodies and real-world environment (Clark, 1998), but more specifically, cognition is situated in the environment and involves perception and action (Wilson, 2002). Many studies have demonstrated that animal posture has an impact on behavior, social cues, and task choices (Kaminki, et al., 2004; Liebal, et al., 2004; Proops, et al., 2010), but none have focused on posterior manipulation to alter the valence towards an object. It was hypothesized that confident posterior manipulation will show less fear. The current study had 20 shy/timid dogs. Dogs went through two trials of approaching a novel object after being in the control or the experimental condition (lifting the tucked tail). Data collected represented distance, behaviors, timing and treat taking from coders. We found that when dogs were placed in a more confident postural position, they showed less fear-based behaviors. Overall, this suggests that manipulating the body to confident positions in new situations may be a useful tool for helping dogs.
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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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