Advertisement |
The team said only humans, bottlenose dolphins, great apes, Asian elephants and European magpies have so far been proven to have the capacity to recognize themselves in mirrors.
"A lot of dogs, when they first see themselves in the mirror, they bark at it or try to play with it," said Pauleen Bennett, a senior psychology lecturer and head of the research group. "What we don't know is if they eventually recognize themselves."
The second study, led by Vivian Ewe, will take note of canine reactions when their owners watch sad films.
"Dog owners always say their dogs can tell when they're happy or sad. We're trying to show whether it actually exists," she said.