Subscribe to our free Newsletter! →
Home › Animal & Wildlife News
By John Anderer
Jul 31, 2023
Photo by Isabel Vittrup-Pallier from Unsplash
JYVÄSKYLÄ, Finland — Many dogs appear adorable from afar but can turn terrifying quickly when someone approaches them. Picking up on subtle facial changes and expressions in dogs can help people of all ages avoid unwanted canine encounters. Now, new research out of Finland suggests both more years on this planet (being older) and owning a pet dog have a connection to a better ability to recognize dog emotions from facial expressions.
In a study involving both children and adults, four-year-olds weren’t as successful as six-year-olds and adults at correctly reading dog facial expressions, especially when it came to signs of aggression.
Recognizing emotions from facial expressions is a key part of nonverbal communication between different species, study authors from the University of Jyväskylä explain. Earlier research has suggested that three to five-year-olds may be less capable of recognizing dogs’ emotions than older kids and adults. However, more research is helping to clarify the precise relationships between age, prior dog experience, and the capacity to recognize dog emotions.
So, to research these nuanced topics, study leader Heini Törnqvist and her team conducted a study involving 34 adults, 28 four-year-olds, and 31 six-year-olds. Each child viewed images on a computer screen of various dog and human faces displaying different expressions and was then asked to rate each expression’s level of happiness, anger, positivity, negativity, and emotional arousal.
In line with earlier research, scientists found that people of all ages and prior dog experience (having had a pet dog in their family) provided roughly similar ratings of the images. However, some statistical differences between the groups emerged.
Regardless of pet dog experience, adults and older kids (six-year-olds) correctly recognized aggressive dog faces more often than four-year-olds. Meanwhile, four and six-year-olds showed similar abilities when recognizing human expressions.
Compared to adults, kids rated aggressive dog expressions as being more positive and having a lower level of arousal. Participants with no pet dog experience rated aggressive dog expressions as more positive than others with dog experience. Compared to aggressive human expressions, aggressive dog expressions were rated by kids as being more positive and displaying lower arousal.
All in all, study authors say this work indicates people’s capacity to identify dog emotions, particularly aggression, may improve with age. This may stem from more experience with dogs and the maturation of brain structures that recognize expressions. The team says more research should be conducted to build on these findings, which may one day help inform efforts to improve the quality of interactions between children and dogs.
“Aggressive dog expressions were especially rated incorrectly by 4-year-olds, and they rated aggressive dogs as significantly more positive and lower in arousal than adults,” the study authors conclude in a media release.
The study is published in the journal PLoS ONE.
About John Anderer
Born blue in the face, John has been writing professionally for over a decade and covering the latest scientific research for StudyFinds since 2019. His work has been featured by Business Insider, Eat This Not That!, MSN, Ladders, and Yahoo!
Studies and abstracts can be confusing and awkwardly worded. He prides himself on making such content easy to read, understand, and apply to one’s everyday life.
StudyFinds publishes digestible, agenda-free, transparent research summaries that are intended to inform the reader as well as stir civil, educated debate. We do not agree nor disagree with any of the studies we post, rather, we encourage our readers to debate the veracity of the findings themselves. All articles published on StudyFinds are vetted by our editors prior to publication and include links back to the source or corresponding journal article, if possible.
Our Editorial Team
Steve Fink
Editor-in-Chief
Chris Melore
Editor
Sophia Naughton
Associate Editor
July 3, 2024
July 3, 2024
July 3, 2024
I have a toy chihuahua and she sleeps with me always !!! And it has to be right up against my stomach as I turn from side to side she does also. And I love it passionately, I don’t know which one of us is more attached the dog or myself. I don’t think I could sleep without her , she is my medical companion also. Her name is lil bitty. She goes everywhere I go , I even have a car seat for her , and a harness to carry her hands free in front of my stomach ! Shes a part of my family…
July 3, 2024
July 3, 2024
July 3, 2024
July 3, 2024
As Seen On