Do Cats Understand Our Language ?
Cats possess remarkable cognitive abilities that can actually surpass those of many human babies. Recent research has delved into whether these clever creatures are hardwired to learn our language.
In an intriguing experiment, 31 adult cats were shown short animations on a laptop, each linked to a unique word created by their owners.
For instance, an animation of a whimsical creature was paired with the word "keraru." Astonishingly, after just two brief exposures, the cats began to associate the words with the corresponding images.
When the sounds were switched later, the cats displayed confusion, spending 33% more time looking at the mismatched screen.
Some even showed dilated pupils, indicating surprise. This suggests that cats might be paying closer attention to our conversations than we think, actively trying to decode the world we share with them.
Source:
www.science.org/content/article/cats-beat-babies-word-association-game.