Quote:
Originally Posted by jacob  |
Very cool. I've always suspected dogs I've met of having some theory of mind (as most dog owners have). Some of my dog's ability to deceive people pretty much requires it. For example, she hates going inside after being out. If I grab her and tell her to go inside, she'll hunch her shoulders and act defeated, then start stomping toward the door. I let her go on her own, thinking that she'll finally go inside. Then, at the last minute, she dashes away and I have to chase her all over again.
The most parsimonious explanation for this type of behaviour, as far as I see it, is that she knows that I will think she's going inside, and thus let her go, when she acts as if she's been caught already. In some rudimentary way, she has a theory of what my state of mind will be if she acts a certain way.
(but I hope people realize that the above research isn't "mind reading" in a paranormal sense, but in the sense that each of two people in the same room can guess what the other person is thinking based on facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, logic, etc. So sorry for going off topic
