July 2012 PMID 22347411

Dogs (Canis familiaris), but not chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), understand imperative pointing.

Katharina C Kirchhofer, Felizitas Zimmermann, Juliane Kaminski, Michael Tomasello

Mentions

33
Peak: 13 in Sep 2017
across 5 sources since Jan 2017

Extended reach

212,405
potential audience

Total likes

7,105

Video views

209,738

Mentions per month

Jan 2017 – Dec 2024

Where it's discussed

  • Reddit16 posts
  • News11 articles
  • X / Twitter2 posts
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Facebook2 posts

AI synopsis

What people are saying

These discussions highlight that dogs outperform chimpanzees in understanding pointing gestures, with examples such as retrievers being skilled at retrieving objects, and references to multiple studies validating these findings. The tone is informative and appreciative of the research's significance, emphasizing practical implications for canine behavior and cognition.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions agree that the study provides important insights into canine cognition and their ability to understand human gestures.

InterestModerate interest

The social discussions indicate moderate interest, often referencing the study and related examples of dog behavior.

EngagementModerate engagement

Examples include mentions of specific breeds performing well and referencing further studies, showing active engagement.

ImpactModerate impact

The tweets suggest the study could influence how we understand human-animal interactions, though the overall tone indicates moderate perceived impact.

Abstract in brief

  • Dogs are better than chimpanzees at understanding human pointing gestures used to find objects, especially in a task where they have to identify which object the human wants.
  • Chimpanzees often follow human gaze but struggle with interpreting direct pointing gestures as referential cues for unseen objects, possibly due to misunderstandings of the gesture or its communicative intent.
  • The study suggests that dogs have developed a better understanding of human communicative signals compared to great apes, which has implications for understanding how different species interpret human intentions and gestures.

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Emily Bray
@DrEmilyBray · X

@DogSchmutz @bunsenbernerbmd Hi @DogSchmutz - you're remembering correctly! Several studies have found that dogs outperform chimps in following points. Here's the original study by @bharedogguy: https://t.co/9oEanI10qe plus another more recent one: https://t.co/HKnjsid211

Feb 27, 2022 · 2 likes · 1,526 followers View post →
Dave Leavens
@DaveLeavens · X

@AlyssaArre Demonstration that retrievers and other working dogs are good at retrieving

Jun 12, 2020 · 852 followers View post →

All mentions

Emily Bray
@DrEmilyBray · X

@DogSchmutz @bunsenbernerbmd Hi @DogSchmutz - you're remembering correctly! Several studies have found that dogs outperform chimps in following points. Here's the original study by @bharedogguy: https://t.co/9oEanI10qe plus another more recent one: https://t.co/HKnjsid211

Feb 27, 2022 · 2 likes · 1,526 followers View post →
Dave Leavens
@DaveLeavens · X

@AlyssaArre Demonstration that retrievers and other working dogs are good at retrieving

Jun 12, 2020 · 852 followers View post →
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