Publications by authors named "F Gaunet"

Article Synopsis
  • Within species, vocal and auditory systems have evolved to optimize sound production and perception for communication, and this study investigates how dogs fit into this framework despite their inability to produce spoken words.
  • The acoustic analysis indicates that dog vocalizations have a slower rhythm than human syllabic speech, with human-directed speech falling in between the two.
  • The research demonstrates that dogs comprehend speech through a slower rhythm tracking (delta) compared to humans (theta), suggesting humans might adjust their speech rate to enhance communication with dogs.
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Dogs' behavioural synchronisation with humans is of growing scientific interest. However, studies lack a comprehensive exploration of the neurocognitive foundations of this social cognitive ability. Drawing parallels from the mechanisms underlying behavioural synchronisation in humans, specifically motor resonance and the recruitment of mirror neurons, we hypothesise that dogs' behavioural synchronisation with humans is underpinned by a similar mechanism, namely interspecific motor resonance.

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In humans, body segments' position and movement can be estimated from multiple senses such as vision and proprioception. It has been suggested that vision and proprioception can influence each other and that upper-limb proprioception is asymmetrical, with proprioception of the non-dominant arm being more accurate and/or precise than proprioception of the dominant arm. However, the mechanisms underlying the lateralization of proprioceptive perception are not yet understood.

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Recent studies have demonstrated that dogs synchronize their locomotor behaviour with that of their owners. The present study aims to improve our understanding of the sensorimotor processes underlying interspecific behavioural synchronization by testing the influence of the number of humans on dogs' behavioural synchronization. We used Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in an outdoor environment to measure dogs' behavioural synchronization to humans during a locomotor activity involving three speeds (static, slow walking and fast walking).

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