Dogs match humans on bouba/kiki sound-shape effect
The gist
A University of Parma team tested 70 pet dogs and found most matched 'bouba' to round shapes and 'kiki' to spiky ones.
The result hints sound-shape links may rest on general brain mechanisms, not language.
How it unfolded
- Oct 13, 2026New Scientist reports the study: when dogs heard 'bouba', 56 per cent lingered on the round shape, and when they heard 'kiki', 63 per cent concentrated on the spiky shape.
- Oct 13, 2026ScienceAlert reports the research, led by animal behaviorist Eleonora Biffi at the University of Parma in Italy, tested 70 domestic dogs in two experiments.
- Oct 14, 2026GIGAZINE notes the bouba-kiki effect was first reported in the 1920s; Phys.org reports the study's publication in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.