Can dogs hear what we mean? A study by Sturdy et al. (2021) suggests dogs are sensitive not just to pitch or timbre alone—but to the natural harmony between both.
A 2021 study published in Animal Cognition explored whether domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) respond to correlations between pitch and timbre in human speech. While dogs have long been known to distinguish male and female voices, this study by Sturdy et al. investigated if they also perceive the natural covariation of acoustic features that define vocal identity.
Researchers recorded a female voice giving simple commands (“Sit”, “Lay down”, “Come here”) and manipulated the recordings in three ways: lowering the pitch, altering the timbre, or combining both to simulate a male voice. Dogs responded best to either the unaltered female voice or the fully synthesized male voice, while their compliance dropped significantly when only one parameter—pitch or timbre—was changed.
The findings reveal that dogs are not only attuned to individual acoustic cues but also learn the natural alignment of these features through experience. This sensitivity may play a crucial role in their ability to interpret human commands, distinguish speakers, and adapt to multi-human households.
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