"Gifted Word Learner Dogs Can Acquire Words by Overhearing Owners' Conversations"

Hungarian and Austrian University Research Team's Experiment
'Gifted Word Learner' Dogs Learn New Words
By Overhearing Owners' Conversations
"Comparable to 18-Month-Old Children"

A recent experiment has shown that pet dogs can learn new words simply by overhearing their owners' conversations. On January 9, Yonhap News reported that the scientific journal Science published research indicating that so-called 'Gifted Word Learner' dogs can learn the names of objects from their owners' conversations, much like infants do.

Mugsi, the dog who participated in this experiment. Dogs that quickly learn hundreds of toy names are known as 'talented word-learning dogs.' Photo by AP Yonhap News

Generally, while most dogs easily learn commands such as 'sit' and 'lie down,' only a very small number of dogs display the ability to learn the names of objects. Dogs that quickly learn the names of hundreds of toys during natural play with their owners are classified as 'Gifted Word Learner' dogs.

According to Yonhap News, a research team led by Dr. Shani Dror from E?tv?s Lor?nd University (ELTE) in Hungary and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in Austria conducted two experiments with 10 dogs identified as 'Gifted Word Learners.' In the first experiment, the owner spoke directly to the dog and showed it a new toy, repeatedly saying a specific name. In the second experiment, the owner did not address the dog but instead had a conversation with another person, mentioning the toy's name while the dog observed. Each experiment lasted eight minutes.

Afterward, the researchers placed the toy in a different room, and the owner asked the dog to fetch the toy by calling its name. As a result, in both conditions, 7 out of 10 dogs successfully learned the new toy's name. The dogs' performance accuracy was 80% in the direct instruction condition and nearly 100% in the overheard condition.

In particular, in the overhearing experiment, the dog was shown the toy, which was then placed in a bucket, and after some time had passed, the dog overheard a conversation about the toy. Even in this case, most of the dogs were found to have successfully learned the new name.

The research team stated, "Gifted Word Learner dogs generally performed at the same level when learning through overheard speech as they did when learning through direct interaction with their owners," adding, "This is consistent with research findings involving infants." They further explained, "These exceptional dogs demonstrate word-learning abilities comparable to those of children aged 18 to 23 months, indicating that humans are not the only beings capable of learning new names by overhearing third-party interactions."

Dr. Dror, who led the research team, emphasized, "These results suggest that the social and cognitive ability to learn words through overheard speech is not unique to humans but can also evolve and develop in other species. This may provide important insights into the origins of language-related cognition."