TY - JOUR
T1 - How dogs navigate to catch frisbees
AU - Shaffer, Dennis M.
AU - Krauchunas, Scott M.
AU - Eddy, Marianna
AU - McBeath, Michael
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Romeo and Lilly for their participation, and Barbara Bartlett for helping code data. We would also like to thank Lisa Lavalley and Candice Langenfeld for training the dogs, and Karen McBeath and Jeffrey Anastasi for editorial assistance. This work was supported in part by a grant from the Interval Research Corporation, Palo Alto, CA.
PY - 2004/7
Y1 - 2004/7
N2 - Using micro-video cameras attached to the heads of 2 dogs, we examined their optical behavior while catching Frisbees. Our findings reveal that dogs use the same viewerbased navigational heuristics previously found with baseball players (i.e., maintaining the target along a linear optical trajectory, LOT, with optical speed constancy). On trials in which the Frisbee dramatically changed direction, the dog maintained an LOT with speed constancy until it apparently could no longer do so and then simply established a new LOT and optical speed until interception. This work demonstrates the use of simple control mechanisms that utilize invariant geometric properties to accomplish interceptive tasks. It confirms a common interception strategy that extends both across species and to complex target trajectories.
AB - Using micro-video cameras attached to the heads of 2 dogs, we examined their optical behavior while catching Frisbees. Our findings reveal that dogs use the same viewerbased navigational heuristics previously found with baseball players (i.e., maintaining the target along a linear optical trajectory, LOT, with optical speed constancy). On trials in which the Frisbee dramatically changed direction, the dog maintained an LOT with speed constancy until it apparently could no longer do so and then simply established a new LOT and optical speed until interception. This work demonstrates the use of simple control mechanisms that utilize invariant geometric properties to accomplish interceptive tasks. It confirms a common interception strategy that extends both across species and to complex target trajectories.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=3142716009&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=3142716009&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.0956-7976.2004.00698.x
DO - 10.1111/j.0956-7976.2004.00698.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 15200626
AN - SCOPUS:3142716009
SN - 0956-7976
VL - 15
SP - 437
EP - 441
JO - Psychological Science
JF - Psychological Science
IS - 7
ER -