Bangalore: A new study from France shows that cats can recognize speech that is specifically directed at them, in contrast to speech among adult humans – but only when spoken by their owners. According to a French study, they are unable to recognize the speech of strangers, published in the magazine animal cognition This week.
Humans talk to domesticated animals such as dogs, cats and horses in a tone that is different from adult-directed speech (ADS), and similar to guided speech on young children or infant-directed speech (IDS). While there have been plenty of studies on how dogs respond to dog-directed speech (DDS), there are relatively few on cat-directed speech (CDS).
This new study is part of a larger project at the Université Paris Nanterre trying to understand human-cat vocal communication.
The study’s findings highlight a specific communication style that develops between a cat and a human and depends on experience. They provide further evidence that cats form strong one-to-one relationships with humans.
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all vet cats
The primary objective of the study was to find out whether cats are more responsive to CDS than ADS, which may reveal whether they know when their human companions are talking to them. The researchers also wanted to evaluate whether cats could differentiate between their owner’s speech and that of a stranger.
Thus, the focus was on human-cat colors or pairs.
The study was conducted with 16 cats, all of whom belonged to various veterinary students at the cole Nationale Veterinaire d’Alfort (ENVA) or the National Veterinary School of Alfort, near Paris. All felines were indoor cats – 12 were single cats that lived with a female owner, while four were kept in pairs and were living with heterosexual couples. Except for one male, all cats were neutered. Their ages ranged from eight to 24 months.
Cats were used in their own homes to keep them comfortable.
The team recorded human voices during direct human-cat interactions with owners, and strangers saying the same phrases in a single voice. These recordings were then played back to the cats and their reactions were observed.
These monitored interactions fell into four categories – play, treat, separation and reunion. During each of these interactions the humans were asked to use specific keywords and sentences (“Do you want to play?”, “Do you want a treat?”, “See you later”, “How do you are?”), as well as the names of their cats.
In the experiment, the researchers played the owner’s ADS recording three times, followed by a single speech in the CDS, and again once in the ADS. Cats respond quickly to their owner’s CDS and become indifferent to ADS.
After the experiment strangers called the cat’s name three times in a row, followed by the owner, and then the stranger again. The same protocol was repeated for command and speech during the four conditions.
Each time, the cats showed interest or responded to their owner’s voices, but not to strangers’ voices, even when the CDS was used.
talking to pets
IDS and Pet Directed Speech (PDS) register multiple Equality Elevated pitch, including increased variation in pitch, more repetitions, shorter words, and increased articulation. These features are distinct from typical ADS, and when directed to companion animals, are called caregiver speech.
Caregiver Speech and PDS vary depending on the receiver. Humans often raise the pitch when talking to puppies compared to adult dogs. Similarly, humans increase the modulation of their pitch when talking to dogs, but not as much with cats, although in general we Growth Our pitch even when talking to cats.
DDS and dog reactions have been well studied, and it is well-known That dogs respond better to higher pitches and DDS.
However, studies in cat-human relationships have been few in comparison, as cats quickly become uncomfortable when taken out of their environment and are generally thought to be less social than dogs. But cat research has been slowly progressing in recent years.
New study confirms many other who have suggested that cats are capable of forming very close bonds with humans, even though it was previously thought that they were “independent and ungrateful creatures”, as the authors of this study say.
Studies have shown that cats become very attached to individual humans, especially females. they can isolate themselves Name and many more cats prefer Human company over food and toys.
(Edited by Polomi Banerjee)
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