Mar 21, 2014 09:55 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

A latest University of Kentucky study found a similarity between eating habits of dogs and humans and monkeys. Just like humans, dogs also prefer quality over quantity.

For the study, the researchers offered baby carrots and string cheese to 10 dogs of various breeds. The study was conducted on dogs that were fond of cheese. When the animals were given a choice between one slice of cheese and a piece of carrot with cheese, nine of them chose the cheese slice instead of the carrot combo.

This experiment proves the "less is more effect," a heuristic or mental shortcut that prefers quality or quantity when considering options. The researchers found that dogs analyzed the quality of the cheese plus carrot instead of the quantity of food before making a choice.

This spur of the moment decision was first demonstrated in humans and monkeys. Humans are more likely to prefer a set of six baseball cards in perfect condition when compared to a set of six perfect cards with three more cards in 'ok' condition.

In case of the monkeys, when given an option, they chose to eat one grape over one grape plus a slice of cucumber.

Researchers said that quick solution-driven heuristics like "less is more" effect is useful in situations where rapid decisions have to be made. For example, the effect comes in handy when members of the same species like a pack of dogs eat together. Dogs that respond slowly to situations might end up losing their food to faster-choosing competitors. Such heuristics also helps prey in the wild to avoid becoming supper.

In the study, the one dog that chose the cheese-and-carrot combination lived in shelters and had to look after itself.

"The present research indicates that the less is more effect is not unique to humans and other primates but can occur in other mammalian species, at least those that are socially organized such as carnivores like wolves, dogs and jackals," Kristina Pattison said in a press release.

Pattison said that further research is required to determine if the effect also occurs in less socially organized species like rats, or non-mammalian species like birds.

The findings are published in Springer's journal Animal Cognition.

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