Does direct human eye contact function as a warning cue for domestic sheep (Ovis aries)?
Direct eye contact may function as a warning cue during interspecific interactions, and human staring has been shown to influence the behavior of many species. The authors used an arena test to assess whether human staring altered the behavior of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) compared with no human eye contact. Sheep glanced at the staring […]
Are great apes tested with an abject object-choice task?
A surprising finding in comparative social cognition is that great apes seem to have difficulties understanding others’ communicative behaviour. In no other paradigm is this more evident than in the object-choice task in which subjects use a human cue, such as pointing, to infer the correct choice of a reward hidden in one of a […]
Face and eye scanning in gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), and humans (Homo sapiens): Unique eye-viewing patterns in humans among hominids
Because the faces and eyes of primates convey a rich array of social information, the way in which primates view faces and eyes reflects species-specific strategies for facial communication. How are humans and closely related species such as great apes similar and different in their viewing patterns for faces and eyes? Following previous studies comparing […]
Uncovering the origins of dog–human eye contact: dingoes establish eye contact more than wolves, but less than dogs
Through domestication, dogs have developed a robust ability to form interspecific bonds with humans. Recent work comparing dogs and wolves suggests that eye contact is an important behaviour underlying these social bonds; however, it remains unclear how this feature of interspecific social bonding evolved. We explored eye contact in a unique comparison species that represents […]