10.6084/m9.figshare.4530911.v1
Tobey Ben-Aderet
Tobey
Ben-Aderet
Mario Gallego-Abenza
Mario
Gallego-Abenza
David Reby
David
Reby
Nicolas Mathevon
Nicolas
Mathevon
Supplementary Methods from Dog-directed speech: why do we use it and do dogs pay attention to it?
The Royal Society
2017
human–dog communication
pet-directed speech
infant-directed speech
hyperspeech
acoustic communication
dog cognition
2017-01-09 10:19:15
Journal contribution
https://rs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplementary_Methods_from_Dog-directed_speech_why_do_we_use_it_and_do_dogs_pay_attention_to_it_/4530911
Pet-directed speech is strikingly similar to infant-directed speech, a peculiar speaking pattern with higher pitch and slower tempo known to engage infants' attention and promote language learning. Here, we report the first investigation of potential factors modulating the use of dog-directed speech, as well as its immediate impact on dogs' behaviour. We recorded adult participants speaking in front of pictures of puppies, adult and old dogs, and analysed the quality of their speech. We then performed playback experiments to assess dogs' reaction to dog-directed speech compared with normal speech. We found that human speakers used dog-directed speech with dogs of all ages and that the acoustic structure of dog-directed speech was mostly independent of dog age, except for sound pitch which was relatively higher when communicating with puppies. Playback demonstrated that, in the absence of other non-auditory cues, puppies were highly reactive to dog-directed speech, and that the pitch was a key factor modulating their behaviour, suggesting that this specific speech register has a functional value in young dogs. Conversely, older dogs did not react differentially to dog-directed speech compared with normal speech. The fact that speakers continue to use dog-directed with older dogs therefore suggests that this speech pattern may mainly be a spontaneous attempt to facilitate interactions with non-verbal listeners.