Dogs’ brains are sensitive to the familiar high-pitched “cute” voice tone that adult humans, especially women, use to talk to babies, according to a new study.
The research, published recently in the journal Communications Biology, found “exciting similarities” between infant and dog brains during the processing of speech with such a high-pitched tone feature.
Humans tend to speak with a specific speech style characterised by exaggerated prosody, or patterns of stress and intonation in a language, when communicating with individuals having limited language competence.
Such speech has previously been found to be very important for the healthy cognitive, social and language development of children, who are also tuned to such a high-pitched voice.
But researchers, including those from the Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, hoped to assess whether dog brains are also sensitive to this way of communication.
In the study, conscious family dogs were made to listen to dog, infant and adult-directed speech recorded from 12 women and men in real-life interactions.
As the dogs listened, their brain activities were measured using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan.
The study found the sound-processing regions of the dogs’ brains responded more to dog- and infant-directed than adult-directed speech.
This marked the first neurological evidence that dog brains are tuned to speech directed specifically at them.
“Studying how dog brains process dog-directed speech is exciting, because it can help us understand how exaggerated prosody contributes to efficient speech processing in a nonhuman species skilled at relying on different speech cues,” explained Anna Gergely, co-first author of the study.
Scientists also found dog- and infant-directed speech sensitivity of dog brains was more pronounced when the speakers were women, and was affected by voice pitch and its variation.
These findings suggest the way we speak to dogs matters, and that their brain is specifically sensitive to the higher-pitched voice tone typical to the female voice.
“Remarkably, the voice tone patterns characterizing women’s dog-directed speech are not typically used in dog-dog communication – our results may thus serve evidence for a neural preference that dogs developed during their domestication,” said Anna Gábor, co-first author of the study.
“Dog brains’ increased sensitivity to dog-directed speech spoken by women specifically may be due to the fact that women more often speak to dogs with exaggerated prosody than men,” Dr Gabor said.
Heartbreaking Encounter: An Unconscious and Chained Dog’s Desperate Cry for Help on the Streets
Amidst a Tranquil Stroll: A Tale of Compassion and Rescue
One fateful Sunday evening, as I wandered through the familiar streets of São Paulo, an unexpected and heart-wrenching sight crossed my path. In the dimly lit corner of the street, I encountered a pitiful scene that shook me to my core: a defenseless dog, unconscious and chained.
Approaching cautiously, I could see the dog’s once lustrous fur now matted and soiled, a poignant testament to its prolonged suffering. The rusty chain, cruelly tight, had inflicted visible discomfort and injuries upon the poor creature’s neck.
The dog’s once-vibrant eyes, now dimmed by fear and pain, made feeble attempts to summon help with raspy, plaintive barks, yet it seemed invisible to the indifferent passersby. My heart ached witnessing this desperate cry for aid go unanswered.
Without hesitation, I knew I had to intervene. With trembling hands, I carefully examined the chain, realizing it had become embedded deep within the dog’s skin, causing severe wounds. Gently, I reached into my bag for a pair of scissors and painstakingly began to free the dog, mindful not to inflict further harm.
As the chain fell away, the dog slowly regained consciousness. Its trust in humanity had been shattered, but it tentatively accepted my reassuring touch. Tears welled in my eyes as I contemplated the cruelty it had endured.
The next steps were clear: I needed to seek immediate medical attention for this suffering soul. Cradling the dog gently in my arms, I embarked on a mission to find the nearest animal shelter or veterinary clinic capable of providing the care and rehabilitation it so urgently required.
This encounter served as a stark reminder of the paramount importance of compassion and empathy toward all living beings. It was a resounding call to action, a plea for change.
The surviving puppy found refuge with me, and I promptly alerted the relevant authorities to collect the deceased dog. According to the Samson Law, the owner of these animals will be held accountable for their actions.
Let us collectively work toward a world where such heart-wrenching encounters become rare, and compassion prevails.
Leave a Reply