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Started by Recusant, June 25, 2018, 02:24:14 PM

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Recusant

I find studies like this of interest, in that they tend to corroborate what knowledgeable people have believed for a very long time. As scientific evidence mounts up, the uninformed position of "ah, they're just dumb animals" becomes less tenable.

"Dogs understand what's written all over your face" | ScienceDaily

QuoteDogs are capable of understanding the emotions behind an expression on a human face. For example, if a dog turns its head to the left, it could be picking up that someone is angry, fearful or happy. If there is a look of surprise on a person's face, dogs tend to turn their head to the right. The heart rates of dogs also go up when they see someone who is having a bad day, say Marcello Siniscalchi, Serenella d'Ingeo and Angelo Quaranta of the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy. The study in Springer's journal Learning & Behavior is the latest to reveal just how connected dogs are with people. The research also provides evidence that dogs use different parts of their brains to process human emotions.

By living in close contact with humans, dogs have developed specific skills that enable them to interact and communicate efficiently with people. Recent studies have shown that the canine brain can pick up on emotional cues contained in a person's voice, body odour and posture, and read their faces.

[Continues . . .]

For the moment, the full paper is available online:

"Orienting asymmetries and physiological reactivity in dogs' response to human emotional faces" | Learning & Behavior

Quote
Abstract

Recent scientific literature shows that emotional cues conveyed by human vocalizations and odours are processed in an asymmetrical way by the canine brain. In the present study, during feeding behaviour, dogs were suddenly presented with 2-D stimuli depicting human faces expressing the Ekman's six basic emotion (e.g. anger, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust, and neutral), simultaneously into the left and right visual hemifields. A bias to turn the head towards the left (right hemisphere) rather than the right side was observed with human faces expressing anger, fear, and happiness emotions, but an opposite bias (left hemisphere) was observed with human faces expressing surprise. Furthermore, dogs displayed higher behavioural and cardiac activity to picture of human faces expressing clear arousal emotional state. Overall, results demonstrated that dogs are sensitive to emotional cues conveyed by human faces, supporting the existence of an asymmetrical emotional modulation of the canine brain to process basic human emotions.
"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


Dave

It is quite evident that my friend's (far too intelligent) Yorkie has got this down to a T! I always took the face turning as a dignal of ibwuiditiveness - "What do you mean/want from me?" But that could be anthropomorphism.

Even though tone of voice goes a long way I know that expression and head movements, nodding etc, is also part of the story. Even recognisingvthat some of it might be "Pavlovian", learnt stimulus/response stuff, some seems to be a sort of cognitive analysis/synthesis - the dog goes away, maybe works it out, then cones back with a "new" tactic towards the original end (95% food related, 5% noseball.) That "new" tactic might be an old one revamped.

If Jane just says, "Stop!" no matter how loudly it gets ignored. If I do it Sindy hides under a chair. (I very, very rarely do it! Takes 10 minutes to make friends with her again.) Dogs learn limits, it takes three elements for Jane, word, volume, finger point and stance. Sindy does not know the limits of my temper, the word and deeper tone is enough . . .

But, seen similar with kids.

Actually a water pistol also works with Sindy, does it work on kids?
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Recusant on June 25, 2018, 02:24:14 PM
I find studies like this of interest, in that they tend to corroborate what knowledgeable people have believed for a very long time.

I agree, anyone who ever owned a dog already knew this.  ;D
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Icarus

When my wife died suddenly I was devastated. My two Irish Setters somehow knew that I was in emotional trouble.  They responded with unfailing attention and loving gestures.  They might have saved my life.   They are long gone now but to this day I am grateful for what they did to help me through my grief.

Tank

Quote from: Icarus on June 28, 2018, 02:35:01 AM
When my wife died suddenly I was devastated. My two Irish Setters somehow knew that I was in emotional trouble.  They responded with unfailing attention and loving gestures.  They might have saved my life.   They are long gone now but to this day I am grateful for what they did to help me through my grief.
There are many good things in this life and dogs are one of them.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Tank on June 28, 2018, 07:40:17 AM
Quote from: Icarus on June 28, 2018, 02:35:01 AM
When my wife died suddenly I was devastated. My two Irish Setters somehow knew that I was in emotional trouble.  They responded with unfailing attention and loving gestures.  They might have saved my life.   They are long gone now but to this day I am grateful for what they did to help me through my grief.
There are many good things in this life and dogs are one of them.

:this:
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey