GoKawiilStudy finds dogs may match 'bouba' and 'kiki' sounds to shapes like humans
Researchers led by animal behaviorist Eleonora Biffi at the University of Parma tested 70 domestic dogs to see if they associate the nonsense word 'bouba' with rounded shapes and 'kiki' with spiky ones, a pattern long observed in humans. Using screens, speakers and AI-based head-tracking from GoPro footage, the team recorded where dogs looked as the words and shapes were played in different combinations. The findings were published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.