Study Finds 70 Dogs Match 'Bouba' to Round Shapes and 'Kiki' to Spiky Ones
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Oct 13
Study Finds 70 Dogs Match 'Bouba' to Round Shapes and 'Kiki' to Spiky Ones
3 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Oct 13
Summary
Seventy domestic dogs in two experiments looked significantly more at rounded shapes when hearing “Bouba” and at spiky shapes when hearing “Kiki,” suggesting a cross-species sound-shape link.
Fifty-one dogs first watched screens and heard the words over speakers, while AI tracked head direction from GoPro video; a second test with 19 dogs repeated the setup with owners in headphones to block possible cueing.
The first group showed an extra bias toward spiky shapes that disappeared when owners could not hear the words, though researchers said unintentional human cues may not fully explain the pattern.
The Proceedings of the Royal Society B study stops short of proving dogs share the human “bouba-kiki” effect, but it offers a starting point for research on how dogs process human language.