Dogs have episodic memory just like humans

Dogs have episodic memory just like humans

Researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology have evidence that dogs have the same kind of episodic memory that allows humans to remember and recall events from the past, even when those events didnt hold any particular importance when they occurred. The study found that dogs can recall a persons complex actions even when they dont need to. Researchers used a trick called do as I do; dogs trained to do this watched a person perform an action and then copied it, for example jumping. Next, they trained the dogs to lie down after watching a human action, no matter what it was. After the dogs had learned to lie down, the researchers surprised them by saying Do it and the dogs did. Showing the dogs recalled what theyd seen the person do even though they had no particular reason to think theyd need to remember. This phase showed episodic memory. Nov 23, 2016