Cognitive scientists in Vienna report that when strange things happen in front of their muzzles, dogs – just like human babies – naturally find this strange. Then the pupils of the quadrupeds dilate, looking longer in amazement than at physically explicable processes, and then inspecting the scene.
The scientists, led by Christoph Völter and Ludwig Huber of the Messerli Research Institute at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, played animated videos of balls for domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), some of which disappeared behind objects smaller than the balls themselves, and who sometimes reappeared involuntarily after their disappearance. In another experiment, they even showed the animals such ‘magic tricks’ on a mini stage.
While viewing unrealistic scenarios, the dogs opened their eyes wide and focused on the processes for longer than during realistic processes. Even after performances on the mini-stage with improbable disappearance and return of the ball, they inspected it longer than in physically understandable processes, as shown by the study, which was published in the journal “Proceedings of the Royal Society B”.
Dogs resemble human babies
Researchers had observed similar surprised responses in human infants in previous studies. According to the Viennese scientists in the trade publication, both dogs and small children have “acquired knowledge about causal relationships”.
Source: Krone
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