10 hours ago
https://nautil.us/even-dogs-seem-to-expe...ct-1285842
EXCERPTS: The bouba/kiki effect is one of the odder psychological phenomena. For some reason, when presented with two random shapes (one angular and another rounded), and two nonsense words (“kiki” and “bouba”), people tend to associate bouba with the lobed figure and kiki with the spiky one. First discovered in the 1920s, this particular idiosyncrasy of the human mind is a strong indication that we associate certain sounds with certain shapes, which has important implications for the evolution of language.
It’s also proved to be strikingly widespread. Cultures from around the globe speaking different languages can “correctly” identify bouba and kiki (including those with no written language). In fact, when people who have been blind since birth are presented with 3D representations of the figures, they too get it right. Now, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the bouba/kiki effect may even extend to dogs.
[...] The team used artificial intelligence to track where and for how long the canines looked during the experiment. They found that the dogs tended to look longer at the rounded shape when the word “bouba” was played and longer at the angular shape more often when the word “kiki” was played. (Weird, right?)
It’s not the first time the bouba/kiki effect has been found in animals, however. A study published earlier this year found that baby chickens, freshly hatched from their eggs, made the association. The chicks, however, showed an overall bias toward rounded shapes, and the researchers discovered something similar in this study.... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: The bouba/kiki effect is one of the odder psychological phenomena. For some reason, when presented with two random shapes (one angular and another rounded), and two nonsense words (“kiki” and “bouba”), people tend to associate bouba with the lobed figure and kiki with the spiky one. First discovered in the 1920s, this particular idiosyncrasy of the human mind is a strong indication that we associate certain sounds with certain shapes, which has important implications for the evolution of language.
It’s also proved to be strikingly widespread. Cultures from around the globe speaking different languages can “correctly” identify bouba and kiki (including those with no written language). In fact, when people who have been blind since birth are presented with 3D representations of the figures, they too get it right. Now, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the bouba/kiki effect may even extend to dogs.
[...] The team used artificial intelligence to track where and for how long the canines looked during the experiment. They found that the dogs tended to look longer at the rounded shape when the word “bouba” was played and longer at the angular shape more often when the word “kiki” was played. (Weird, right?)
It’s not the first time the bouba/kiki effect has been found in animals, however. A study published earlier this year found that baby chickens, freshly hatched from their eggs, made the association. The chicks, however, showed an overall bias toward rounded shapes, and the researchers discovered something similar in this study.... (MORE - missing details)