TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of attachment behaviour to human caregivers in wolf pups (canis lupus lupus)
AU - Hall, Nathaniel J.
AU - Lord, Kathryn
AU - Arnold, Anne Marie K
AU - Wynne, Clive
AU - Udell, Monique A R
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014.
PY - 2015/1/1
Y1 - 2015/1/1
N2 - Previous research suggested that 16-week old dog pups, but not wolf pups, show attachment behaviour to a human caregiver. Attachment to a caregiver in dog pups has been demonstrated by differential responding to a caregiver compared to a stranger in the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test. We show here that 3-7 week old wolf pups also show attachment-like behaviour to a human caregiver as measured by preferential proximity seeking, preferential contact, and preferential greeting to a human caregiver over a human stranger in a modified and counterbalanced version of the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test. In addition, our results show that preferential responding to a caregiver over a stranger is only apparent following brief isolation. In initial episodes, wolf pups show no differentiation between the caregiver and the stranger; however, following a 2-min separation, the pups show proximity seeking, more contact, and more greeting to the caregiver than the stranger. These results suggest intensive human socialization of a wolf can lead to attachment-like responding to a human caregiver during the first two months of a wolf pup's life.
AB - Previous research suggested that 16-week old dog pups, but not wolf pups, show attachment behaviour to a human caregiver. Attachment to a caregiver in dog pups has been demonstrated by differential responding to a caregiver compared to a stranger in the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test. We show here that 3-7 week old wolf pups also show attachment-like behaviour to a human caregiver as measured by preferential proximity seeking, preferential contact, and preferential greeting to a human caregiver over a human stranger in a modified and counterbalanced version of the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test. In addition, our results show that preferential responding to a caregiver over a stranger is only apparent following brief isolation. In initial episodes, wolf pups show no differentiation between the caregiver and the stranger; however, following a 2-min separation, the pups show proximity seeking, more contact, and more greeting to the caregiver than the stranger. These results suggest intensive human socialization of a wolf can lead to attachment-like responding to a human caregiver during the first two months of a wolf pup's life.
KW - Attachment
KW - Canis lupus
KW - Domestication
KW - Strange situation test
KW - Wolves
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84920124225&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84920124225&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.11.005
DO - 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.11.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 25447510
AN - SCOPUS:84920124225
SN - 0376-6357
VL - 110
SP - 15
EP - 21
JO - Behavioural processes
JF - Behavioural processes
ER -