this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2025
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Gifted dogs classify toys by function, study finds (www.popsci.com)
submitted 1 month ago by Deebster to c/science@lemmy.world
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cross-posted from: https://infosec.pub/post/34906055

A study in Current Biology reports that some “gifted word learner” dogs can learn category words that refer to how toys are used (such as tugging versus fetching) and extend those labels to new objects that serve the same function. In tests, these dogs chose the correct toy by function even when it looked different, a pattern reminiscent of how human infants group objects by purpose during early language learning.

Study: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)01079-6

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[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I'm using modern definitions to try to explain the experience of the gifted program in the 90s, and parents and teachers basically hoping a kid was a savant or prodigy.

Gifted programs were like the other side of the spectrum of Special Education. Both programs were available to throw autistic kids into, depending on their perceived behavior.