Based on the idea that the structure of human intelligence is identical to that of dogs, researchers from the London School of Economics (Great Britain) imagined studying the IQ of dogs to advance research on the Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
For this is, the researchers assessed the dogs’ navigational skills, monitoring how long it took them to retrieve some food hidden behind various obstacles. They also assessed their ability to follow a hand gesture, pointing at an object. Each dog took about an hour to complete all the tests, which is the time it usually takes for humans to complete an IQ test.
Guinea pigs who don’t drink, smoke or take drugs
Researchers found that dogs that passed the first test tended to pass the others as well. And that the fastest dogs were also the most accurate in test results.
“This shows that in dogs, as in humans, problem-solving ability varies from individual to individual” points out Dr. Rosalind Arden, lead author of the study. “So if, as our research suggests, the dog’s intelligence and cognitive abilities are structured similarly to ours, studying this non-smoking, non-drinking, non-drug-using species may help us to understand the causes of the forms of dementia”adds Dr. Arden. “Dogs are excellent for this kind of work because they are willing to participate and seem to like participating in the tests” she insists.
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