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Oxytocin and Friendly Dogs - Coggle Diagram
Oxytocin and Friendly Dogs
Background
Oxytocin is a hormone synthesized in the hypothalamus in mammals (Romero et al, 2014).
Oxytocin has been known to be responsible for several reproductive behaviors, such as: lactation, pair-bonding, parental care, peer recognition, and enhancements in trust, cooperation, and empathy (Romero et al, 2014).
Previous studies on oxytocin have focused mainly on the behaviors associated with sexual reproduction (Romero et al, 2014)
Hypothesis
Oxytocin effects the maintenance of non-reproductive social bonds in dogs (Romero et al, 2014).
Dogs who have been artificially administered oxytocin exhibit a higher frequency of prosocial behaviors in comparison to dogs administered a placebo saline spray (Romero et al, 2014).
Results
Dogs who received the experimental oxytocin spray initiated affiliation with their human owners more often than dogs who received the placebo spray (Romero et al, 2014).
Oxytocin treated dogs also exhibited increases social orientation with their human owners (Romero et al, 2014).
In addition to increased human affiliation, oxytocin treated dogs also had increased affiliation with other dogs. This was regardless of sex and level of kinship (Romero et al, 2014).
Immediate reciprocation of affiliation behavior between dogs resulted in the release of endogenous oxytocin (Romero et al, 2014).
Conclusion
The data supports the hypothesis that oxytocin does have a positive effect on the social behaviors in dog-to-human and conspecific interactions (Romero et al, 2014).
Affiliation and social bonds are under positive selection pressure, since it has been recorded in several species that individuals with deep social bonds experience increased lifespans and higher offspring success (Romero et al, 2014)
Related Research Question
Are dogs who have received oxytocin spray able to complete tasks more efficiently when in the presence of a human or a conspecific?
References
Romero T, Nagasawa M, Mogi K, Hasegawa T, Kikusui T. 2014. Oxytocin promotes social bonding in dogs. PNAS. 111:25 (9085-9090).