2024-09-02 11:21:31
Dogs have good long-term memory, but poor short-term memory. Cause It is based on what is called “associative memory”, which combines memories with information received through the senses. The result of that combination is a long-lasting memory. On the contrary, your immediate memory usually lasts between 5 and 30 seconds.
Do dogs have good memories? Those who live with dogs are sometimes surprised by the fact that their pet shows the memory of an elephant. for some things and people, while on the contrary in everyday situations their memory seems to be as short as that of a fish. Why?
It all has to do with the dog’s short and long term memoryA question that the neuroscientist GS Berns has studied in depth and that in the conclusions of his research offers us some surprises.
Memories are forever
Because of its duration and level of detail, dogs’ long-term memory can be quite impressive. According to research by GS Berns Our dogs have the power to remember us for lifealthough the most interesting thing is that in the infinite memory there can also be people who have been seen once. How can they do it?
They can deal with information received through the senses (smell, sight and hearing) and connects this information with memories, what experts call “associative memory”. In this ability to remember and remind ourselves, we must note that dogs have 300 million olfactory receptors, compared to six million for humans, so they are capable of capturing and storing all kinds of smells, aromas, etc., and later. connect them to the memory of a specific person.
For this reason, if the dog has not seen a person in a while, the first thing he does is to catch them.process the information you receive and go to your “associative memory” to find your store of memories. What the dog will get from this analysis is the positive or negative reaction of the person it has just eaten and therefore its behavior towards them will be one or the other.
Unfortunately, A major problem of long-term memory is a phenomenon that in the aging world is called “cognitive disorder.”Canine Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to affect between 14 and 28% of dogs over the age of eight and one of the first symptoms is memory loss.
This pathology, which is often mistaken because it has unclear symptoms, There is no cure but there is treatment in processes and mental stimulation with which it is achieved that the animal can maintain an adequate level of well-being and quality of life.
short term memory
One of the conclusions of GS Berns research is that The short term memory of dogs is very limited and its duration can be set between 5 and 30 seconds.so the corrections to the unwanted behavior must be quick, because if we wait a few minutes to do so, the animal will not remember the reason for the discipline.
On the other hand, in a study conducted in 2011, researchers could also confirm that the short-term memory of dogs is very “short-term” and after two hours of our absence, when long-term memory comes into play, the reception they gave us when we returned home was great that if we have been there for a minimum time and this dog’s behavior increases to the level of effusiveness as the time of absence increases.
#dog #memory #remember