alex revision
August 11th, 2009, 09:55 AM
Canines as clever as 2-year-old humans
Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:52:31 GMT
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=103127§ionid=3510210
Dogs have long been believed to be among the smartest animals, a new study has now found that an average canine has the mental abilities of a 2-year-old human child.
"The social life of dogs is much more complex, much more like human teenagers at that stage, interested in who is moving up in the pack and who is sleeping with who and that sort of thing," said lead researcher Stanley Coren.
He added that the 'stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity' seen in dogs is proof that they are closer to human beings in many ways.
According to the study presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, dogs have the developmental abilities equivalent to a 2-year-old human.
They not only identify hidden treats (spatial problem-solving skills) in the same manner as toddlers but also read and count (basic language and math skills) like them.
Similar to a 2-year-old child, an average dog understands 165 words including signals and gestures. As for more geniuses in the canine world, they are reported to be capable of learning up to 250 words.
Most dogs can count as high as five.
Like toddlers, dogs can experience fear, anger, happiness and disgust; they, however, are handicapped in more complex emotions such as guilt. Their eye movements during sleep also show that they dream like humans.
The study concluded that different breeds of dog differ in their intelligence, adding that border collies, poodles and German shepherds are among the smartest breeds of dogs.
Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:52:31 GMT
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=103127§ionid=3510210
Dogs have long been believed to be among the smartest animals, a new study has now found that an average canine has the mental abilities of a 2-year-old human child.
"The social life of dogs is much more complex, much more like human teenagers at that stage, interested in who is moving up in the pack and who is sleeping with who and that sort of thing," said lead researcher Stanley Coren.
He added that the 'stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity' seen in dogs is proof that they are closer to human beings in many ways.
According to the study presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, dogs have the developmental abilities equivalent to a 2-year-old human.
They not only identify hidden treats (spatial problem-solving skills) in the same manner as toddlers but also read and count (basic language and math skills) like them.
Similar to a 2-year-old child, an average dog understands 165 words including signals and gestures. As for more geniuses in the canine world, they are reported to be capable of learning up to 250 words.
Most dogs can count as high as five.
Like toddlers, dogs can experience fear, anger, happiness and disgust; they, however, are handicapped in more complex emotions such as guilt. Their eye movements during sleep also show that they dream like humans.
The study concluded that different breeds of dog differ in their intelligence, adding that border collies, poodles and German shepherds are among the smartest breeds of dogs.