Investigating Empathy-Like Responding to Conspecifics’ Distress in Pet Dogs

摘要: Empathy covers a wide range of phenomena varying according to the degree cognitive complexity involved; ranging from emotional contagion, defined as sharing others’ states, sympathetic concern requiring animals have an appraisal situation and showing concern-like behaviors. While most studies investigated how reacted in response conspecifics’ distress, dogs so far mainly been targeted examine cross-species empathic responses. To investigate whether would respond with empathy-like behavior also conspecifics, we adopted playback method using vocalizations (whines) recorded during distressful event well control sounds. Our subjects were first exposed phase where they subjected either sound, familiar whine (from their partner) or stranger stimulus dog), then reunion partner entered room. When whines, showed higher behavioral alertness exhibited more stress-related behaviors compared when acoustically similar Moreover, demonstrated comfort-offering toward partners following playbacks than after stimuli. Furthermore, looking at session, this comfort offering was biased towards previously whines. Finally, stimuli tended maintain cortisol levels while whines did not. our knowledge, these results are suggest that can experience demonstrate “empathic-like” responses distress-calls.