Brain Scans Show Dogs Recognize Words For Objects

While it's widely acknowledged that dogs can learn words for spoken commands like "sit," "stand," and "heel," a recent study reveals they can also differentiate between different toys, as Dennis Thompson reported for United Press International (UPI).

Brain scans demonstrate that dogs typically associate certain words with specific objects. I Photo: Andrew G. Contreras, AGC Photography

Brain scans demonstrate that dogs typically associate certain words with specific objects, as outlined by researchers in the journal Current Biology.

Researcher Marianna Boros of Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, stated in a news release that words "trigger a memory of an object when they hear its name."
For the study, researchers monitored 18 dogs using EEG to gauge the depth of their understanding of language.

Owners would say words for toys their dogs recognized and then present objects to them—either the corresponding toy or a different one.

Brain recording results showed distinct patterns when dogs were presented with matching versus mismatched objects, similar to what is observed in humans. This indicates a solid comprehension of the words by the dogs, researchers concluded.

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