Abstract
This study demonstrates long-term declarative memory of imitative actions in a non-human animal species. We tested 12 pet dogs for their ability to imitate human actions after retention intervals ranging from 1 to 24 h. For comparison, another 12 dogs were tested for the same actions without delay between demonstration and recall. Our test consisted of a modified version of the Do as I Do paradigm, combined with the two-action procedure to control for non-imitative processes. Imitative performance of dogs remained consistently high independent of increasing retention intervals, supporting the idea that dogs are able to retain mental representations of human actions for an extended period of time. The ability to imitate after such delays supports the use of long-term declarative memory.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akins CK, Zentall TR (1996) Imitative learning in male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) using the two-action method. J Comp Psychol 110:316–320. doi:10.1037/0735-7036.110.3.316
Barnat SB, Klein PJ, Meltzoff AN (1996) Deferred imitation across changes in context and object: memory and generalization in 14-month-old infants. Infant Behav Dev 19:241–251. doi:10.1016/s0163-6383(96)90023-5
Bates D, Maechler M, Bolker B, Walker S (2014) lme4: Linear mixed-effect models using Eigen and S4. R package version 1.1-7, URL: http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=lme4
Bauer PJ, Fivush R (2014) The Wiley handbook on the development of children’s memory. Wiley, Chichester
Bjorklund DF, Bering JM (2003) A note on the development of deferred imitation in enculturated juvenile chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Dev Rev 23:389–412. doi:10.1016/s0273-2297(03)00021-2
Bjorklund DF, Yunger JL, Bering JM, Ragan P (2002) The generalization of deferred imitation in enculturated chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Anim Cog 5:49–58. doi:10.1007/s10071-001-0124-5
Call J (2001) Body imitation in an enculturated orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). Cyber Syst 32:97–119
Clayton NS, Dickinson A (1998) Episodic-like memory during cache recovery by scrub jays. Nature 395:272–274
Cohen NJ, Squire LR (1980) Preserved learning and retention of pattern-analyzing skill in amnesia—dissociation of knowing how and knowing that. Science 210:207–210. doi:10.1126/science.7414331
Custance DM, Whiten A, Bard KA (1995) Can young chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) imitate arbitrary actions? Hayes and Hayes (1952) revisited. Behaviour 132:837–859
Dorrance BR, Zentall TR (2001) Imitative learning in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) depends on the motivational state of the observer quail at the time of observation. J Comp Psychol 115:62–67. doi:10.1037/0735-7036.115.1.62
Dumas C (1998) Figurative and spatial information and search behaviour in dogs (Canis familiaris). Behav Process 42:101–106
Fisher RA (1925) Statistical methods for research workers. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh
Fugazza C, Miklósi Á (2014a) Deferred imitation and declarative memory in domestic dogs. Anim Cogn 17:237–247. doi:10.1007/s10071-013-0656-5
Fugazza C, Miklósi Á (2014b) Should old dog trainers learn new tricks? The efficiency of the do as I do method and shaping/clicker training method to train dogs. Appl Anim Behav Sci 153:53–61. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2014.01.009
Hayes KJ, Hayes C (1952) Imitation in a home-raised chimpanzee. J Comp Psychol 45:450–459
Herbert J, Hayne H (2000) Memory retrieval by 18–30-month-olds: age-related changes in representational flexibility. Dev Psychobiol 36:473–484
Huber L, Range F, Voelkl B, Szucsich A, Viranyi Z, Miklósi Á (2009) The evolution of imitation: what do the capacities of non-human animals tell us about the mechanisms of imitation? Philos T Roy Soc B 364:2299–2309. doi:10.1098/rstb.2009.0060
Jones BN (2009) Split-plot designs: what, why, and how. J Qual Technol 41:340–361
Klein PJ, Meltzoff AN (1999) Long-term memory, forgetting, and deferred imitation in 12-month-old infants. Dev Sci 2:102–113. doi:10.1111/1467-7687.00060
Learmonth AE, Lamberth R, Rovee-Collier C (2004) Generalization of deferred imitation during the first year of life. J Exp Child Psychol 88:297–318
Meltzoff AN (1988) Infant imitation and memory: nine-month-olds in immediate and deferred tests. Child Dev 59:217–225
Miller HC, Rayburn-Reeves R, Zentall TR (2009) Imitation and emulation by dogs using a bidirectional control procedure. Behav Proc 80:109–114. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2008.09.011
Range F, Huber L, Heyes C (2011) Automatic imitation in dogs. P Roy Soc B 278:211–217. doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.1142
Singer RA, Zentall TR (2007) Formation of a simple cognitive map by rats. Int J Comp Psychol 19:417–425
Thorpe WH (1963) Learning and instinct in animals, 2nd edn. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Tomasello M (1990) Cultural transmission in tool use and communicatory signalling of chimpanzees. In: Parker S, Gibson K (eds) ‘Language’ and intelligence in monkeys and apes: comparative developmental perspectives. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 274–311
Topál J, Byrne RW, Miklósi Á, Csányi V (2006) Reproducing human actions and action sequences: “Do as I Do!” in a dog. Anim Cog 9:355–367. doi:10.1007/s10071-006-0051-6
Zentall TR (2006) Imitation: definitions, evidence, and mechanisms. Anim Cog 9:335–353. doi:10.1007/s10071-006-0039-2
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Hungarian Scholarship Board by providing a fellowship to C. Fugazza. A. Miklósi also received funding from MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Group (MTA01 031) and the Hungarian Science Foundation (OTKA K81953 and K109337). We are immensely grateful to the dog-owners who participated in this research with their dogs. The authors confirm that the experiments reported in this paper are in accordance with the current Hungarian laws in regard to animal protection.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest with their sponsors.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fugazza, C., Pogány, Á. & Miklósi, Á. Do as I … Did! Long-term memory of imitative actions in dogs (Canis familiaris). Anim Cogn 19, 263–269 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-015-0931-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-015-0931-8