The study, carried out atEötvös Loránd University of Budapestaimed to determine whether dogs can remember past events in a way comparable to human episodic memory. The latter allows us to mentally relive specific experiences from the past.
To test this capacity, the researchers used the method known as “ Do as I Do » (“ Do like me “). The participating doggies had been trained to reproduce certain actions performed by their human after hearing a specific command.
Secondly, the scientists modified the protocol. The canines always observed their humans performing an action, but were then trained to perform a different behavior, such as lying down. So, they no longer expected to have to imitate what they had just seen. It is precisely this effect of surprise which made it possible to test their memory of the observed event.
Episodic memory in dogs
When the scientists suddenly asked the dogs to reproduce the previously observed action, the dogs were able to do it successfully, even though they had no reason to think that they would have to memorize the action.
The animals demonstrated this ability after delays of a few minutes, but also after longer periods. As in humans, their performance decreased over time, a sign that the memory was gradually fading.
For the authors of the study, this ability constitutes solid proof of the existence of an episodic memory in Man's best friend. Thus, the latter not only learns associations or habits, it can also remember a particular event experienced in the past.
A study to learn more about the cognitive abilities of dogs
This discovery contributes to a better understanding of the richness of canine cognitive abilities. It suggests that dogs pay more attention to our daily behavior than we imagine and that they are capable of retaining a trace of it in memory.
The study also calls into question the idea that episodic memory is reserved for humans or a few particularly evolved species. Researchers believe that this ability may be more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously thought.
For doggy owners, these results also provide a scientific explanation for certain everyday observations. Their furball may not always react out of habit. She can remember a particular moment experienced (situation, gesture, etc.) thanks to episodic memory.
*“Recall of Others' Actions after Incidental Encoding Reveals Episodic-like Memory in Dogs”, Claudia Fugazza, Akos Pogany, AdAm Miklosi, Current Biology, volume 26, article 23, p. 3209-3213, 2016.