BIOLOGY

DISCUSSION

What, according to the article, is the role of the caudate nucleus? and what did this study discover, in terms of activation of the caudate nucleus? (i.e., was it activated in the dogs they studied? and if so, by what stimuli specifically?)

What do you think of the authors’ concluding statement, “..while we might expect that the dogs should be highly tuned to the smell of conspecifics, it seems that the ‘reward response’ is reserved for their humans. Whether this is based on food, play, innate genetic predisposition, or something else, remains an area for future investigation.” Does this result surprise you? Why or why not, in light of what we have discussed so far in this seminar about the evolution and behavior of the domestic dog?