Discovering canine cognition

How do researchers investigate what dogs learn and perceive? Meet studies of object names, faces and voices, human odours, pointing gestures and awake brain imaging. Discover why controls, sample size and alternative explanations matter. These research milestones reveal specific abilities and open questions, rather than a universal intelligence ranking or a home diagnostic test.

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Discovering canine cognition

0 / 20 answered

1. Why test Bailey with unfamiliar speakers as well as her owner?

Why test Bailey with unfamiliar speakers as well as her owner? To check recognition across voices To test visual reading To measure hearing distance outdoors
2. Why compare baseline and stress samples from the same person in the 2022 odour study?

Why compare baseline and stress samples from the same person in the 2022 odour study? To teach the person's name To separate condition changes from differences between people To compare dog breeds by appearance
3. In Bray and colleagues' 2021 puppy study, what did a pointing gesture indicate?

In Bray and colleagues' 2021 puppy study, what did a pointing gesture indicate? A location containing a hidden food reward The age of another puppy The spelling of a toy name
4. How were the dogs prepared for stillness in the 2012 awake-MRI study?

How were the dogs prepared for stillness in the 2012 awake-MRI study? Physical immobilisation during learning Skipping all preparation Positive reinforcement
5. Which material did Wilson and colleagues use in their 2022 human-stress odour study?

Which material did Wilson and colleagues use in their 2022 human-stress odour study? Combined breath and sweat samples Recordings of footsteps Written stress diaries alone
6. What did Bailey's study add to the earlier Rico debate?

What did Bailey's study add to the earlier Rico debate? A test of reading novels Proof that object retrieval is impossible An additional test of associations between newly named objects
7. The first Berns awake-MRI paper involved two dogs. What does that number counsel?

The first Berns awake-MRI paper involved two dogs. What does that number counsel? Caution about generalising to all dogs A complete population census Certainty about every breed
8. Does Rico's object retrieval establish that every dog understands human conversation?

Does Rico's object retrieval establish that every dog understands human conversation? Yes, including abstract conversations No, the finding concerns a particular task and dog Yes, without any learning
9. Which two kinds of information were paired in Albuquerque and colleagues' 2016 emotion experiment?

Which two kinds of information were paired in Albuquerque and colleagues' 2016 emotion experiment? Written words and maps Faces and vocalisations Odours and footprints
10. Which breed was Bailey, studied by Griebel and Oller in 2012?

Which breed was Bailey, studied by Griebel and Oller in 2012? Yorkshire Terrier Siberian Husky Border Collie
11. A headline says the 2016 face-and-voice study proves dogs read every thought. Which wording is more accurate?

A headline says the 2016 face-and-voice study proves dogs read every thought. Which wording is more accurate? Dogs matched emotional cues in the experiment Dogs translated silent sentences Dogs knew all participants' memories
12. What made the dogs' condition notable in Berns and colleagues' 2012 MRI study?

What made the dogs' condition notable in Berns and colleagues' 2012 MRI study? They were running inside the scanner They were awake and physically unrestrained They were asleep under anaesthesia
13. Did the 2016 face-and-voice experiment test only human expressions?

Did the 2016 face-and-voice experiment test only human expressions? Yes, only human smiles No, it also used dog expressions No, it used only cats
14. Rico heard an unfamiliar label among familiar toys and a new object. What process did the researchers investigate?

Rico heard an unfamiliar label among familiar toys and a new object. What process did the researchers investigate? Following a scent trail Reading printed letters Selection by exclusion
15. Bailey selected novel items by exclusion but initially failed when choosing between the newly named items. What matters here?

Bailey selected novel items by exclusion but initially failed when choosing between the newly named items. What matters here? All earlier retrievals were meaningless Exclusion success need not prove a lasting name–object link No dog can learn object names
16. Does success with stress odour samples certify every pet as a diagnostic tool?

Does success with stress odour samples certify every pet as a diagnostic tool? Yes, for every medical condition No, it shows discrimination under the tested conditions Yes, without further evaluation
17. Why include trials without a social cue in Bray's puppy pointing study?

Why include trials without a social cue in Bray's puppy pointing study? To remove all food from the study To measure adult obedience titles To check whether smell alone explained finding food
18. What behavioural measure helped assess matching in the 2016 face-and-voice experiment?

What behavioural measure helped assess matching in the 2016 face-and-voice experiment? How far dogs ran How long dogs looked at each face How much food dogs ate
19. Which dog featured in Kaminski, Call and Fischer's 2004 word-learning paper?

Which dog featured in Kaminski, Call and Fischer's 2004 word-learning paper? Laika Bailey Rico
20. A 2022 reanalysis challenged a 2021 dog–wolf comparison after accounting for rearing conditions. What does this illustrate?

A 2022 reanalysis challenged a 2021 dog–wolf comparison after accounting for rearing conditions. What does this illustrate? Reanalysis creates new animals All observations must be discarded Interpretations can depend on environmental differences

Questions covered in this exam

Which dog featured in Kaminski, Call and Fischer's 2004 word-learning paper?
Rico heard an unfamiliar label among familiar toys and a new object. What process did the researchers investigate?
Does Rico's object retrieval establish that every dog understands human conversation?
Which breed was Bailey, studied by Griebel and Oller in 2012?
Why test Bailey with unfamiliar speakers as well as her owner?
Bailey selected novel items by exclusion but initially failed when choosing between the newly named items. What matters here?
What made the dogs' condition notable in Berns and colleagues' 2012 MRI study?
How were the dogs prepared for stillness in the 2012 awake-MRI study?
The first Berns awake-MRI paper involved two dogs. What does that number counsel?
Which two kinds of information were paired in Albuquerque and colleagues' 2016 emotion experiment?
What behavioural measure helped assess matching in the 2016 face-and-voice experiment?
Did the 2016 face-and-voice experiment test only human expressions?
Which material did Wilson and colleagues use in their 2022 human-stress odour study?
Why compare baseline and stress samples from the same person in the 2022 odour study?
Does success with stress odour samples certify every pet as a diagnostic tool?
In Bray and colleagues' 2021 puppy study, what did a pointing gesture indicate?
Why include trials without a social cue in Bray's puppy pointing study?
A 2022 reanalysis challenged a 2021 dog–wolf comparison after accounting for rearing conditions. What does this illustrate?
What did Bailey's study add to the earlier Rico debate?
A headline says the 2016 face-and-voice study proves dogs read every thought. Which wording is more accurate?

Discovering canine cognition

Discovering canine cognition

1. Why test Bailey with unfamiliar speakers as well as her owner?

2. Why compare baseline and stress samples from the same person in the 2022 odour study?

3. In Bray and colleagues' 2021 puppy study, what did a pointing gesture indicate?

4. How were the dogs prepared for stillness in the 2012 awake-MRI study?

5. Which material did Wilson and colleagues use in their 2022 human-stress odour study?

6. What did Bailey's study add to the earlier Rico debate?

7. The first Berns awake-MRI paper involved two dogs. What does that number counsel?

8. Does Rico's object retrieval establish that every dog understands human conversation?

9. Which two kinds of information were paired in Albuquerque and colleagues' 2016 emotion experiment?

10. Which breed was Bailey, studied by Griebel and Oller in 2012?

11. A headline says the 2016 face-and-voice study proves dogs read every thought. Which wording is more accurate?

12. What made the dogs' condition notable in Berns and colleagues' 2012 MRI study?

13. Did the 2016 face-and-voice experiment test only human expressions?

14. Rico heard an unfamiliar label among familiar toys and a new object. What process did the researchers investigate?

15. Bailey selected novel items by exclusion but initially failed when choosing between the newly named items. What matters here?

16. Does success with stress odour samples certify every pet as a diagnostic tool?

17. Why include trials without a social cue in Bray's puppy pointing study?

18. What behavioural measure helped assess matching in the 2016 face-and-voice experiment?

19. Which dog featured in Kaminski, Call and Fischer's 2004 word-learning paper?

20. A 2022 reanalysis challenged a 2021 dog–wolf comparison after accounting for rearing conditions. What does this illustrate?

Further reading

Snoutscoop

Discovering canine cognition

1. Why test Bailey with unfamiliar speakers as well as her owner?

2. Why compare baseline and stress samples from the same person in the 2022 odour study?

3. In Bray and colleagues' 2021 puppy study, what did a pointing gesture indicate?

4. How were the dogs prepared for stillness in the 2012 awake-MRI study?

5. Which material did Wilson and colleagues use in their 2022 human-stress odour study?

6. What did Bailey's study add to the earlier Rico debate?

7. The first Berns awake-MRI paper involved two dogs. What does that number counsel?

8. Does Rico's object retrieval establish that every dog understands human conversation?

9. Which two kinds of information were paired in Albuquerque and colleagues' 2016 emotion experiment?

10. Which breed was Bailey, studied by Griebel and Oller in 2012?

11. A headline says the 2016 face-and-voice study proves dogs read every thought. Which wording is more accurate?

12. What made the dogs' condition notable in Berns and colleagues' 2012 MRI study?

13. Did the 2016 face-and-voice experiment test only human expressions?

14. Rico heard an unfamiliar label among familiar toys and a new object. What process did the researchers investigate?

15. Bailey selected novel items by exclusion but initially failed when choosing between the newly named items. What matters here?

16. Does success with stress odour samples certify every pet as a diagnostic tool?

17. Why include trials without a social cue in Bray's puppy pointing study?

18. What behavioural measure helped assess matching in the 2016 face-and-voice experiment?

19. Which dog featured in Kaminski, Call and Fischer's 2004 word-learning paper?

20. A 2022 reanalysis challenged a 2021 dog–wolf comparison after accounting for rearing conditions. What does this illustrate?

Further reading

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