Dogs act like toddlers when trying to help humans
Popular Science...
It may be a cliché, but it’s undeniable: more often than not, cats are simply more aloof than dogs. New research suggests the disparities go even further, however. According to a study recently published in the journal Animal Behaviour, canine companions not only attempt to “help” humans in certain situations,and their actions largely mirror the same responses seen in toddlers.
Specifically, psychologists at Hungary’s Eötvös Loránd University were interested in comparing the capacity for prosocial behavior across humans, cats, and dogs. Unlike other forms of more self-interested interactions, prosocial tendencies arise when an animal or human participates in a way that benefits others without the expectation of a direct reward or compensation.
The experiment was straightforward: the team tasked a toddler parent or pet owner with searching for an object hidden in plain view of their child, cat, or dog. The caregiver never directly asked for assistance, but instead looked for their target on their own. Researchers then noted whether the pet or 18- to 24-month-old child took it upon themselves to try directing the adult towards the object’s location. Examples of help included looking back-and-forth between the target and the caregiver, approaching the object, or even retrieving it themselves.
“Children were already known to help others at this age. The fact that they performed similarly to what has been reported in earlier studies confirmed that our method and the experimental setup were suitable for measuring prosocial behavior,” study co-author Melitta Csepregi said in a statement.
Cspregi and her colleagues were surprised to find that over 75 percent of both children and dogs responded similarly to the hidden object scenario.
“[This suggests] strong motivation to help—despite being untrained, receiving no reward, and the hidden object, a dishwashing sponge, being irrelevant to them,” Csepregi added.
If you can believe it, cats didn’t perform nearly as well. Although they were certainly interested in the situation unfolding in front of them, they “rarely helped.” This only changed during the control trial, when the obscured object was an item they desired, such as a treat or toy.
Like so much of humanity’s history with dogs, the answers likely reside in our shared evolutionary pasts. Dogs are already highly social by nature, and have spent thousands of years learning to live with people in mutually beneficial scenarios. Meanwhile, today’s cat ancestors were naturally solitary creatures who chose to cuddle up with humans for perks like food, protection, and shelter.
The study’s authors stress that their findings aren’t an indictment on felines. It’s not that cats don’t care.Instead, their independence often leads them to remain on the sidelines unless there’s a clear reason to help. Just remember that no matter what type of small creature is in your life, they probably mean well.
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