| Popis: |
1. 1. The subjects were 222 puppies of five pure breeds, tested at 13 weeks of age. 127 were chosen for a special statistical study. 2. 2. The apparatus consisted of a T maze especially designed for dogs, with transparent wire mesh walls. The pattern was 1, R, 2 L, 3 R and the reverse, 1 L, 2 R, 3 L. 3. 3. The subjects were tested once per day for a 10-day period receiving a food reward on emerging from the maze. 4. 4. Thirteen different performance measures based on time and error scores were subjected to analysis of variance. Ten of these measures showed significant differences attributable to breeds. 5. 5. In general, basenjis performed better on the first day than other breeds. Beagles made the best over-all performance, and shelties the poorest. 6. 6. Eleven factors thought to influence performance, including size and sex as well as several variable factors in the social and physical environment, were statistically analysed in the same way. Eight of these showed significant differences between breeds. 7. 7. The effect of the same “background variables” upon the maze performance scores was studied by analysis of covariance. All but one showed low but significant correlation with the performance variables. 8. 8. Some of the background variables themselves have a true hereditary basis, particularly those involving size and confidence. 9. 9. When the variance due to correlation with background variables was removed, six of the performance variables still showed significant differences between breeds. 10. 10. The tendency to form or not form stereotyped habits appears to be a trait directly related to the central nervous system and one little effected by background variables. Other measures of performance appear to reflect either motivational traits or patterns of behaviour characteristic of the breed. The conventional measures of performance do not directly measure basic breed characteristics. The effects of basic traits depend upon interaction with other traits, and the same trait may produce opposite effects at different times, e.g. high motivation in the beagle tends to produce poor initial performance but excellent final performance. |
