Concept abstraction in the aging dog: development of a protocol using successive discrimination and size concept tasks.

The present study examined the effects of age on concept learning in beagle dogs. In experiment one, subjects were tested on a series of 2-choice size discrimination (2CSD) tasks, in which the correct response was to always approach the larger or smaller of the two blocks. Compared to old and senior dogs, young and middle-aged dogs solved the initial training subtest faster and were more successful at transferring this learning to subsequent tests. The second experiment extended the task by using three rather than two objects and introducing novel objects to test concept acquisition. Young and middle-aged dogs made fewer errors than old or senior dogs on a 3-choice size discrimination (3CSD) task. Transfer performance was above chance for all four groups on the 3CSD and first 3-choice size concept (CSC) task and for the young dogs on the second 3CSC but did not differ from the original learning criterion in any group. Age impairments in concept learning may account for differences in transfer performance on both 3CSC tests.