Have you ever wondered if your dog really understands what you're saying?
Recent studies have shown that dogs catch on a little more than you think. Not only do canines hear what you're saying, but they also process words in a way similar to humans. According to the study published in "Science", dogs use the left hemisphere of their brain to process the words they are hearing, and the right hemisphere of their brain to process the tone that the words were said in. These studies show that dogs may separate what you say from how you say it.
Hungarian scientist Attila Andics claims that dogs are special because "they pay attention to human social signals, including speech." When 13 dogs were studied in an MRI machine, the left hemisphere of their brain reacted to positive and meaningful words, while the right hemisphere reacted to intonation- solidifying the claim that dogs separate what humans say from how they say it.
These studies show that a man's best friend may be smarter than we think! Below, you will see a picture of the 13 dogs that were a part of the study.
Read the full story here
Questions:
1. Do you have a dog? If so, do you think that he or she can understand what you're saying? Why or why not?
2. Do you think other animals process words in a way similar to dogs? If so, which ones? Why?
My Opinion:
I do have a dog, and she seems to understand what we say to her. For example, whenever she hears the word "here," she knows that someone is at our house and immediately starts barking. If someone says "walk", she goes over and stands by the door. I think that cats may have a similar thought process to dogs. I think that all animals are smarter than we think!
Replies
Interesting story and well done Kara!
I have a two year old Yellow Labrador and I think he can understand me because he is very intelligent and he responds to what I say. I think other domestic animals can process words while wild animals not so much because domestic animals have been raised around humans with humans talking to them and wild animals haven't.
Yes I do, I think he can understand what I'm saying but not exactly how I am saying it. I think dogs learn a certain sound and associate it to an action. They don't know English, they know what do do by sounds and the tone of their owners. I think all animals can process words like dogs, it just depends on if they are around people and trained.
Yes I do, and sometimes I think he can. Because when we are talking about certain subjects like baths he suddenly disappears or like talking about the car and he is sitting by the door. Yes I do think there are other animals that process words that we just would not think because we are not around them as much. I think almost any animal would be able to it would just be the more they are around people and their environments.
You have great points! I definitely think that any animal would have the ability to process words just like a dog, if they were around people enough to get used to them. I can agree with your bath and car stories based on experience:)
I do not have a dog. I think cats or other animals may understand what we are saying if they are around people enough.
I do think exposure to people helps animals become more accustomed and intelligent. I think this also helps them understand the language that we are speaking.
Yes, I have 3 dogs and I think so because when we say something they know what we say and they do it. I think they hear a lot more than what we think. And when we tell them to do something they do it. I think so just maybe a little different. I mean my cat listens when I tell it to come here he does.
I agree with you! I also think they hear more than we think. Dogs can be very helpful because they do what we tell them, although they do take some training.
I have 2 dogs and I have a feeling that my older dog knows what I'm saying but my younger dog is not the smartest quite yet. The older dog will come whenever you say come and when you say food he'll go to his bowl and when you say walk he'll go to the leash. I do not think that other animals process words like dogs because otherwise not common animals would be more popular among households.
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