title: Impulsive for life? The nature of long-term impulsivity in domestic dogs.
abstract: Individual differences in impulsivity occur at a cognitive and/or behavioural level and are associated with differing life outcomes. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the long-term stability of these characteristics in non-human animals. This study reports on the stability of convergent measures of impulsivity in domestic dogs assessed more than 6 years apart. Measures were (1) owner assessment by means of a questionnaire, the validated 'Dog Impulsivity Assessment Scale' (DIAS) and (2) dogs' performance in a delayed reward choice test. Dogs had 15-min free access to two food dispensers, one dispensing a piece of food immediately, the other dispensing three pieces after a delay, which increased by 1 s every other time the dogs sampled it. Maximum delay reached in this task reflects decision-making, or cognitive impulsivity, whereas the rate of extra presses on the delayed reward device during the delay can be considered as a measure of motor or behavioural impulsivity. DIAS scores were strongly and significantly correlated across years. The maximum delay reached in the behaviour test was also highly stable, whereas paw-pressing rate was uncorrelated between the years. These results demonstrate that cognitive but not motor impulsivity is highly consistent over time in dogs.
authors.affiliation: Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riemer
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004285:Dogs / Q000523:psychology*; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D012201:Reward