In a groundbreaking study conducted at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, researchers have discovered that dogs possess a remarkable ability to understand words in a way that is similar to humans. The study, which analyzed brain activity in 18 dogs, revealed that our furry companions can activate a memory of an object when they hear its name.
Lead researcher Marianna Boros explained, “There has been a long debate on a non-human animal’s ability to understand words referentially. Our study is the first where we claim that this is a species-wide capacity.”
During the study, dog owners said words for objects their pets knew, and then presented the dogs with matching or mismatching objects. The results showed distinct patterns in the dogs’ brains when the words matched the objects, similar to how humans process language.
“Dogs can understand that words stand for things… They activate mental representations and link the meaning of the word to a mental representation and not just the context,” Boros added.
This discovery sheds light on the complex cognitive abilities of dogs and challenges previous assumptions about their understanding of language. The researchers are now planning to investigate if this capacity to understand referential language is unique to dogs or if it exists in other mammals as well.
This study not only deepens our understanding of the minds of man’s best friends but also opens up new possibilities for communication and interaction with our beloved canine companions.