Research

Our group studies the behavior and cognition of the domestic dog, Canis familiaris. Past and present research topics include:

Empirical investigation of anthropomorphisms, including:
- Analysis of the dog's understanding of "fairness" (ongoing)
- An analysis of the "guilty look" of dogs
- Cognitive dissonance in the dog (after Egan, Bloom, & Santos 2009) (ongoing)
Use of attention and play signals in social play
Dog-human play strategies
Intra-canid vocalizations: barks, whines, whimpers

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Publications

September 2009: Inside of a dog: What dogs see, smell, and know.

2011. Theory of mind in dogs? Examining method and concept. Learning & Behavior.

In line with other research, Udell, Dorey, and Wynne's (in press) finding that dogs and wolves pass on some trials of a putative theory-of-mind test and fail on others is as informative about the methods and concepts of the research as about the subjects. This commentary expands on these points. The intertrial differences in the target article demonstrate how critical the choice of cues is in experimental design; the intersubject-group differences demonstrate how life histories can interact with experimental design. Even the best-designed theory-of-mind tests have intractable logical problems. Finally, these and previous research results call for the introduction of an intermediate stage of ability, a rudimentary theory of mind, to describe performance.

2009. Disambiguating the "guilty look": Salient prompts to a familiar dog behavior. Behavioural Processes.

Anthropomorphisms are regularly used by owners in describing their dogs. Of interest is whether attributions of understanding and emotions to dogs are sound, or are unwarranted applications of human psychological terms to non-humans. One attribution commonly made to dogs is that the "guilty look" shows that dogs feel guilt at doing a disallowed action. In the current study, this anthropomorphism is empirically tested. The behaviors of fourteen domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) were videotaped over a series of trials and analyzed for elements that correspond to an owner-identified "guilty look." Trials varied the opportunity for dogs to disobey an owner's command not to eat a desirable treat while the owner was out of the room, and varied the owners' knowledge of what their dogs did in their absence. The results revealed no difference in behaviors associated with the guilty look. By contrast, more such behaviors were seen in trials when owners scolded their dogs. The effect of scolding was more pronounced when the dogs were obedient, not disobedient. These results indicate that a better description of the so-called guilty look is that it is a response to owner cues, rather than that it shows an appreciation of a misdeed.

2009. Attention to attention in domestic dogs' (Canis familiaris) dyadic play. Animal Cognition.

The social cognitive capacities of dogs, including their communication skills and use of visual attention cues, have recently been investigated in numerous experimental studies. This paper reports on research of domestic dog behavior in a natural setting, which shows sensitivity to the visual attention of their partners when engaged in dyadic rough-and-tumble play. The sequential behaviors and head-direction of both dogs were noted throughout the bouts. The behaviors were differentially used according to the partner's posture. Play signals were sent nearly exclusively to forward-facing conspecifics; attention-getting behaviors were used most often when a playmate was facing away, and before signaling an interest to play. In addition, the mode of attention-getter matched the degree of inattentiveness of the playmate: stronger attention-getters were used when a playmate was looking away or distracted, less forceful ones when the partner was facing forward or laterally. In other words, these dogs showed attention to, and acted to manipulate, a feature of other dogs that mediates their ability to respond: which feature in human interaction is called "attention".

2007. Naturalizing anthropomorphism: Behavioral prompts to our humanizing of animals. Anthrozoös.

Anthropomorphism is the use of human characteristics to describe or explain nonhuman animals. In the present paper, we propose a model for a unified study of such anthropomorphizing. We bring together previously disparate accounts of why and how we anthropomorphize and suggest a means to analyze anthropomorphizing behavior itself. We introduce an analysis of bouts of dyadic play between humans and a heavily anthropomorphized animal, the domestic dog. Four distinct patterns of social interaction recur in successful dog-human play: directed responses by one player to the other, indications of intent, mutual behaviors, and contingent activity. These findings serve as a preliminary answer to the question, "What behaviors prompt anthropomorphisms?" An analysis of anthropomorphizing is potentially useful in establishing a scientific basis for this behavior, in explaining its endurance, in the design of "lifelike" robots, and in the analysis of human interaction. Finally, the relevance of this developing scientific area to contemporary debates about anthropomorphizing behavior is discussed.

Lab members

Professor Alexandra Horowitz, PI, Barnard

Lab manager:

Julie Hecht
Julie received her Masters with distinction in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare at the University of Edinburgh. She is the founder of dogspies.com, lectures on dog science and provides private ethological consultations. She would really like to meet your dog.

Current undergraduates (summer 2011):

Adam Chapman, Columbia '11
Adam is a senior psychology major at Columbia University. In addition to working in the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab, Adam fosters dogs through Stray From The Heart. Outside his academic and canine interests, Adam has been employed as a writer for Al Gore's Current TV, several nonprofits and think tanks, and for a variety of reasons for private clients. He enjoys road biking, bluegrass concerts, and thanking other people for baking him treats.

Emily Cherenack, Barnard '12
Emily is a senior psychology major at Barnard College. She currently volunteers as a research assistant in both the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College and the Intergroup Relations and Diversity Laboratory at Columbia University. This summer she can be found working as an intern at the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies at NYU as well as volunteering at the Animal Haven dog shelter. Her academic interests include the prevention of harmful behaviors, such as bullying, among adolescents and young adults. Additionally, she hopes to investigate how the relationship between humans and dogs can be mutually beneficial to the mental health of both species. She is inspired by the constant optimism and love of her 14-year-old Havanese dog, Macho.

Orellana del Fierro, Barnard '11
Orellana recently graduated from Barnard College with a major in Psychology and minor in Religion. She joined the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab as a research assistant in the summer of 2010 and continues to enjoy the company of canines.

Rebecca Johnson, Barnard '13
Rebecca is a junior at Barnard College majoring in chemistry and studying pre-veterinary science. In addition to being a student and a member of the dog cognition lab, she volunteers at a local cat shelter, as well as the ASPCA, and is a research assistant in the Terrace primate cognition lab at Columbia University. Her psychology interests include animal behavior and cognition. She is excited to be a member of the dog cognition lab and make it a part of her undergraduate career!

Meredith Leeman, Barnard '12
Meredith is a senior at Barnard College majoring in Psychology and minoring in Women's Studies. She has been working in the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard since the summer of 2010. Her interests within psychology include child development and psychopathology, as well as social cognition in animals. She looks forward to adopting a dog once she graduates college next year!

Jennifer Oh, Barnard '11
Jennifer is a recent graduate of Barnard College with a major in Psychology. This is her second year working with the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab. She also works full time as a research assistant at the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development, focusing on the cognitive, emotional, and social development of young children and the experience of parenthood. In addition, she is the proud owner of a three-year-old Maltese dog, Coco.

Ilana Yablonowich, Barnard '12

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Past members:

James Fuller, Graduate student, Columbia

Olivia Tandon, Columbia '09

Sabrina Mashburn, Post-bacc, Columbia

Hannah Solomon, Columbia '10

Shoshana Schoenfeld, Barnard '11

Rebekka Dohme, Barnard, '11