Researchers Explore Communication Between Dogs and Humans Using Soundboards

 

A new study has delved into the growing debate among dog enthusiasts: Can dogs and humans communicate using soundboards equipped with pre-recorded words? Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, led by Prof. Federico Rossano, have made initial strides in answering this question. Their findings suggest that dogs trained to use soundboards respond to the device’s pre-recorded words in much the same way they do to spoken words.

“We have shown that dogs do pay attention to the words from the soundboards and exhibit appropriate behaviors regardless of who produces the word or environmental cues,” said Rossano, emphasizing that while the study isn't groundbreaking, it is an important first step in understanding dog communication.

The popularity of push-button soundboards for dogs has surged, with viral videos featuring pets like Bunny seemingly "talking" to their owners. However, there has been skepticism about whether these dogs genuinely understand the words or are simply reacting to their owners’ body language or behavior.

Published in the journal PLOS One, Rossano and his team conducted two experiments involving 59 dogs trained to use soundboards. In the first experiment, a researcher covered the soundboard buttons with colored stickers corresponding to words like "out/outside," "play/toy," and "food/eat/dinner/hungry." Another researcher, unaware of which button corresponded to which word and unable to hear the words, pressed a button at random, and the dogs’ behaviors were recorded.

In the second experiment, dog owners conducted a similar test, alternating between pressing a button or speaking the word associated with it. The study found that dogs were about seven times more likely to display play-related behaviors when the "play/toy" button was pressed, compared to the average for the three buttons. Similar results were observed for the "out/outside" button, but there was no significant increase in food-related behaviors when the corresponding button was pressed.

Crucially, the results were consistent regardless of who pressed the button or whether the owner said the word out loud. The research suggests that dogs may indeed respond to the audio cues from the soundboards, rather than merely following cues from their owners.

The team is now investigating whether dogs can select the appropriate button for specific situations, which could offer deeper insights into the extent of dogs' understanding of words and whether these devices could enable more meaningful communication between dogs and humans.

However, not all experts are convinced. Prof. Clive Wynne, director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University, dismissed the study's findings as unremarkable, arguing that dogs responding to verbal cues is already well-established. He also noted that the study only involved three familiar words, with dogs successfully responding to two.

Dr. Mélissa Berthet from the University of Zurich acknowledged that while the study confirms that dogs respond to soundboard audio rather than owner cues, more work is needed. “They really needed to show this,” she said. “Now I think the community of scientists is waiting for the rest that’s going to be exciting.”

As research continues, the scientific community remains eager to see if these findings can lead to a better understanding of canine cognition and communication capabilities.