CAN DOGS READ MINDS?

 

     







                 

Canterbury University psychology student Michelle Maginnity has just completed a masters research

project looking at whether the domestic dog has a theory of mind - that is, whether they can think

 about the thoughts and feelings of self and others.

She said after carrying out a range of experiments which tested the cognitive skills of dogs, she believed

 they were not only sensitive to human cues, but also had the ability to think about what their human companions

 may be thinking.

"So, in a way, dogs may be able to read minds," she said.

Michelle's research involved testing the social-cognitive skills of 16 dogs, some pure bred and others of mixed

 breed, in a food-finding task. In four different experiments the dogs had to decide where the food was hidden by

following cues from people who either did or didn't know where the food was.