Exploring human interaction and diet effects on the behavior of dogs in a public animal shelter.

This study examined the effects of 2 manipulations--a brief, regular period of human contact and diet--on the behavior of dogs confined in a public animal shelter. A behavioral battery designed to assess reactions to novel situations, and a test of responsiveness to an unfamiliar human were administered both prior to (pretest) and immediately following (posttest) the 8-week intervention period. Overall, the regular periods of increased human contact together with a diet that contained augmented levels of digestible protein, fat, calories, and animal-derived ingredients reduced signs of behavioral reactivity from pretest to posttest.

Effects of target and distractor heterogeneity on search for a color target.

Experiments were designed to investigate the effects of target and distractor heterogeneity on the threshold for detection of a color target in a search task. In the first two experiments stimuli were chosen so that the target and distractor stimuli varied along one Cardinal axis in color space, while the target differed from distractors along another Cardinal axis. The Cardinal axis signaling the relevant target-distractor difference was consistent from trial to trial within an experiment.

Color mechanisms used in selecting stimuli for attention and making discriminations.

Previous work (Nagy & Thomas, 2003) showed that signals in different Cardinal color mechanisms could be combined to facilitate search for a color target. Further investigation (Nagy et al., 2003) suggested that signals in one Cardinal color mechanism were used to select a subset of stimuli to be attended, while signals in second Cardinal mechanism were used to discriminate the stimuli within the selected subset.

Social preferences of developing guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) from the preweaning to the periadolescent periods.

Preference tests in a novel environment (Experiment 1) and unobtrusive observations in a specialized living environment (Experiment 2) examined the attractiveness of various classes of conspecifics for maturing guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). It was found that (a). the young continued to remain near the mother well beyond weaning; (b).

Effects of a program of human interaction and alterations in diet composition on activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in dogs housed in a public animal shelter.

Objective: To determine whether a program of human interaction or alterations in diet composition would alter activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in dogs housed in an animal shelter.

Design: Prospective study.

Animals: 40 dogs.