Comparative psychology: Cats and dogs

Question 1

What is comparative psychology?

Answer 1

The scientific study of the behaviour and cognitive capacities of non-human animals

Question 2

What percentage of the UK owns a cat?

Answer 2

24%

Question 3

Cats use slow blinking as what kind of behaviour?

Answer 3

As an affiliative behaviour

Question 4

What two kinds of people do cats appear to discriminate between?

Answer 4

Attentive and inattentive people

Question 5

Cats have higher frequency purrs when soliciting what?

Answer 5

Food

Question 6

Cats can discriminate what from other words?

Answer 6

Their names

Question 7

Cats recognise who’s voices?

Answer 7

Their owners

Question 8

Cats use social referencing with owners in the presence of what?

Answer 8

New stimuli

Question 9

What do cats know the names of?

Answer 9

Other cats

Question 10

Cats can discriminate between what number of dots?

Answer 10

Between 2 and 3 dots

Question 11

What percentage of the UK has a pet dog?

Answer 11

29%

Question 12

What are two human behaviours dogs can understand?

Answer 12

1. Pointing
2. Gazing

Question 13

What are two ways in which dogs communicate to humans?

Answer 13

Gaze alternations
Looking back

Question 14

What way did dogs appear to show empathy?

Answer 14

Sniffed, nuzzled and licked an upset human when the human pretend
to cry
Also approached in a ‘submissive’ manner

Question 15

What are three things gifted word learner dogs specifically can do? (Border collies)

Answer 15

1. Share characteristics of large vocabulary, rapid acquisition of new names and spontaneous learning
2. Can learn up to 12 new object names in one week (2 month retention)
3. Rated significantly higher on playfulness than non-GWL dogs