Most dog owners are familiar with the sad, droopy-eared, lowered-head expression their guilty-looking dogs inevitably display when theyve done something wrong. The question is, does that look really say, I know Im guilty?Remorse or Something Else?According to Scientific American, 74 percent of dog owners believe that their dogs experience guilt, and 60 percent claim that sweet, sad expression makes them scold their dogs less. Though many dog owners clearly believe their pups can feel remorse, studies seem to show that there may be something different going on behind those sad puppy eyes and hangdog looks.On a recent edition of the NPR series Radiolab titled Animal Minds, the hosts spoke with Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, a psychology professor at the University of Barnard. Horowitz, who studies animal cognition, ran a study to discern if that Im guilty look truly indicates remorse. Her findings showed that — although most people believe their dog is exhibiting signs of guilt — they are in fact showing signs of submissiveness.The study further proved that the guilty behavior was not necessarily associated with an actual transgression, but from the scolding that followed. The guilty dogs were displaying remorse as a learned response to bad dog rather than actually being one.Animal Emotions 101Despite the findings, you shouldnt jump to the conclusion that your dog cant feel guilt. As Horowitz has explained, her findings merely indicate that the guilty look doesnt itself indicate guilt, but that doesnt mean a dog isnt capable of the feeling. As Scientific American explains, there is evidence that dogs are capable of basic emotions like happiness and fear, but more research is required to decipher an emotion as complex as guilt.We may never know for sure what a dog actually feels. One thing is certain, however — those guilty dog looks make for some very amusing Internet memes and Tumblr feeds! - See more at: petcentric/Knowledge/Articles/Guilty-Dogs-Do-They-Really-Feel-Remorse.aspx?articleid=6dd86ea3-f8b8-4df1-bbaf-a68c063e90e9#sthash.zLKg1v41.dpuf
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 19:52:41 +0000
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