Publications
Partners
When a baby’s brain develops the baby starts to notice the actions of other humans- a trait previously thought to have been only common among human and non-human primates. A recent study has shown that dogs possess this skill, too; researchers claim that a dog is as intelligent as a five-month-old baby, according to the Daily Mail.
What this means is that dogs can reportedly understand goal-directed behaviour, much like children.
How it works:
The study tracked the responses of fifty dogs (individually) in a room with one person. The person interacted with two objects, a globe and a watering can. When the human interacted with the globe, the dogs paid attention to the person interacting with the globe. When the globe and watering can were switched the dogs would watch the person with the globe in the new location.
Eventually it was determined that the dogs would pay attention to the person rather than the spot that person had been in at first or the object to which the person had been with at first.
So the dogs were able to display goal-orientated behaviour.
That's great, but does it change anything?
The study is likely to draw some scathing comments from parents and pet owners. After all, most parents would baulk at having their kid’s intelligence compared with that of a dog, and most pet owners would insist that they were already aware that a dog is anintelligent animal.
The next step, the researchers say, is to take fifty babies out into the field and see if they can fetch sticks.
Just kidding.
Would you agree that dogs are as intelligent as five-month-old babies?
What this means is that dogs can reportedly understand goal-directed behaviour, much like children.
How it works:
The study tracked the responses of fifty dogs (individually) in a room with one person. The person interacted with two objects, a globe and a watering can. When the human interacted with the globe, the dogs paid attention to the person interacting with the globe. When the globe and watering can were switched the dogs would watch the person with the globe in the new location.
Eventually it was determined that the dogs would pay attention to the person rather than the spot that person had been in at first or the object to which the person had been with at first.
So the dogs were able to display goal-orientated behaviour.
That's great, but does it change anything?
The study is likely to draw some scathing comments from parents and pet owners. After all, most parents would baulk at having their kid’s intelligence compared with that of a dog, and most pet owners would insist that they were already aware that a dog is anintelligent animal.
The next step, the researchers say, is to take fifty babies out into the field and see if they can fetch sticks.
Just kidding.
Would you agree that dogs are as intelligent as five-month-old babies?
