title: Wolves, dogs, rearing and reinforcement: complex interactions underlying species differences in training and problem-solving performance.
abstract: Frank and Frank et al. (1982-1987) administered a series of age-graded training and problem-solving tasks to samples of Eastern timber wolf (C. lupus lycaon) and Alaskan Malamute (C. familiaris) pups to test Frank's (Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 53:389-399, 1980) model of the evolution of information processing under conditions of natural and artificial selection. Results confirmed the model's prediction that wolves should perform better than dogs on problem-solving tasks and that dogs should perform better than wolves on training tasks. Further data collected at the University of Connecticut in 1983 revealed a more complex and refined picture, indicating that species differences can be mediated by a number of factors influencing wolf performance, including socialization regimen (hand-rearing vs. mother-rearing), interactive effects of socialization on the efficacy of both rewards and punishments, and the flexibility to select learning strategies that experimenters might not anticipate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Michigan-Flint, 4488 Hillside Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA. hfrank@umich.edu
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Frank
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000523:psychology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004285:Dogs / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011336:Probability; D011340:Problem Solving; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012951:Socialization; D013045:Species Specificity; D019596:Wolves / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*