Dogs can read human emotions, study finds (only other species shown to be capable of this)
Dogs really are man's best friend, it seems, as researchers have shown they can recognize emotions in humans by combining information from different senses.
They are the only creatures outside of humans who have been observed to have that ability.
-SNIP-
"Our study shows that dogs have the ability to integrate two different sources of sensory information into a coherent perception of emotion in both humans and dogs.
"To do so requires a system of internal categorisation of emotional states. This cognitive ability has until now only been evidenced in primates and the capacity to do this across species only seen in humans."
Co-author Professor Daniel Mills, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln, said: "It has been a long-standing debate whether dogs can recognize human emotions. Many dog owners report anecdotally that their pets seem highly sensitive to the moods of human family members.
"However, there is an important difference between associative behavior, such as learning to respond appropriately to an angry voice, and recognising a range of very different cues that go together to indicate emotional arousal in another.
"Our findings are the first to show that dogs truly recognize emotions in humans and other dogs.
-SNIP-
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Dogs really are man's best friend, it seems, as researchers have shown they can recognize emotions in humans by combining information from different senses.
They are the only creatures outside of humans who have been observed to have that ability.
-SNIP-
"Our study shows that dogs have the ability to integrate two different sources of sensory information into a coherent perception of emotion in both humans and dogs.
"To do so requires a system of internal categorisation of emotional states. This cognitive ability has until now only been evidenced in primates and the capacity to do this across species only seen in humans."
Co-author Professor Daniel Mills, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln, said: "It has been a long-standing debate whether dogs can recognize human emotions. Many dog owners report anecdotally that their pets seem highly sensitive to the moods of human family members.
"However, there is an important difference between associative behavior, such as learning to respond appropriately to an angry voice, and recognising a range of very different cues that go together to indicate emotional arousal in another.
"Our findings are the first to show that dogs truly recognize emotions in humans and other dogs.
-SNIP-
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Comment