Dogs have the ability to categorize objects based on function, not simply by their physical appearance.
In a groundbreaking study published in the prestigious journal Current Biology on September 18, researchers led by Claudia Fugazza have found that dogs are capable of generalizing verbal labels to items that share only functional properties, rather than perceptual similarities.
The study, titled "Dogs extend verbal labels for functional classification of objects," was conducted with family dogs living in their home environment with their owners. These canine participants demonstrated an impressive ability to categorize objects used for pulling or throwing, and they were able to remember these categories for extended periods without any formal training.
The research, which was supported by the National Brain Research Program NAP 3.0 of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, and TRIXIE, provides insights into the diverse evolution of basic language-related skills and their relationship with other cognitive abilities.
The work was open access, allowing researchers and the general public to access and learn from the study's findings. The image accompanying the article is credited to the website.
The study's results reveal functional classification beyond perceptual features connected to verbal label learning in a non-linguistic species in naturalistic setups. This discovery challenges our understanding of the cognitive abilities of dogs and opens up new avenues for further research.
Intriguingly, the research suggests that future studies should explore whether dogs that don't learn object labels may nevertheless have an ability to classify objects based on their functions. This could offer valuable insights into the cognitive processes underlying object categorization in dogs and potentially other non-human species.
This fascinating study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that dogs are more cognitively complex than previously thought, and it underscores the importance of continued research into the cognitive abilities of our canine companions.
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