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Using mobile eye tracking to study dogs' understanding of human referential communication
Christoph J Völter1,2, Karoline Gerwisch1, Paula Berg1
1Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|February 11, 2025
Summary
Dogs better understand human communication when pointing and gazing are combined. This dual cueing significantly boosts canine attention and choice accuracy for hidden rewards, outperforming other signals.
Area of Science:
- Canine cognition
- Animal behavior
- Human-animal interaction
Background:
- Dogs' understanding of human referential communication is extensively studied but remains debated.
- While dogs follow human signals, the precise cognitive mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how ostensive pointing and gaze cues direct dogs' attention and choices.
- To compare the effectiveness of combined pointing and gazing versus other directional cues in dogs.
Main Methods:
- Mobile eye tracking was used during real-world object-choice tasks with dogs.
- Five conditions were tested: pointing, pointing + gazing, gazing, fake throwing, and a no-cue control.
- The location of a hidden food reward was indicated by each cue.
Main Results:
- The combination of pointing and gazing significantly enhanced dogs' attention to the referent.
- Dogs showed prolonged attention and chose the referent significantly above chance levels with pointing + gazing.
- A fake throwing cue directed gaze but did not improve referent identification.
Conclusions:
- The joint use of pointing and gazing is highly effective in directing dogs' attention.
- This combined cueing strategy significantly improves dogs' ability to locate hidden rewards.
- Findings contribute to understanding sophisticated communication in interspecies interactions.
