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I've seen a few videos on YouTube of cats trained on these push-down language buttons, mounted in a hexagonal pattern, on a mat laying on the floor. The cats p

I've seen a few videos on YouTube of cats trained on these push-down language buttons, mounted in a hexagonal pattern, on a mat laying on the floor. The cats press a button and the button plays back a word which the owner has recorded. I'd like to see more testing out of it but the cats seem to be rather expressive. They pick the same button, so at least they are consistent in their wants. They have a few verbs in the mix, it seems, not just nouns. I wonder how dogs would do on these buttons.

_whiteCaps_ 3y ago
You should check out Bunny the dog on Youtube / Tiktok.
gs17 3y ago
I've watched a few in the past and I'm not convinced the more complex interactions are "real" language use instead of operant conditioning combined with confirmation bias. Too many of the videos will have button sequences that seem random get assigned a meaning, and even non-request button presses will get attention. Buttons for "food", "water", "pet me", "play with me", "outside" almost definitely work. Before I lived with a cat again, I was skeptical of those as "well, duh, any of those buttons get a reward, they don't care what it is", but our cats ask for those specific things without buttons.
- at_a_remove 3y ago
  I've been on the lookout for that, but I was struck by some particular "conversations" that involved re-direction. "Sorry" "How about something else" "Mommy - Sick" and so on. There was some back and forth there that I could not quite discount.
- deathanatos 3y ago
  I know a dog that, if you've not paid attention to her water bowl and it's empty, and she wants water, will simply paw the rim of the bowl to cause it to overturn, which makes a loud clatter on the hard floor. Once she then has your attention, she'll give you a look, as if it say "water, let's go." I dare say she trained us — after all, we didn't teach her to do that. And sure, it's simple … but she's still purposefully communicating a desire/intent. (She's a good girl, too.)
  - greenie_beans 3y ago
    our dog does that too, among other specifically unique ways to communicate things

_whiteCaps_ 3y ago

You should check out Bunny the dog on Youtube / Tiktok.

gs17 3y ago

I've watched a few in the past and I'm not convinced the more complex interactions are "real" language use instead of operant conditioning combined with confirmation bias. Too many of the videos will have button sequences that seem random get assigned a meaning, and even non-request button presses will get attention. Buttons for "food", "water", "pet me", "play with me", "outside" almost definitely work. Before I lived with a cat again, I was skeptical of those as "well, duh, any of those buttons get a reward, they don't care what it is", but our cats ask for those specific things without buttons.

at_a_remove 3y ago
I've been on the lookout for that, but I was struck by some particular "conversations" that involved re-direction. "Sorry" "How about something else" "Mommy - Sick" and so on. There was some back and forth there that I could not quite discount.
deathanatos 3y ago
I know a dog that, if you've not paid attention to her water bowl and it's empty, and she wants water, will simply paw the rim of the bowl to cause it to overturn, which makes a loud clatter on the hard floor. Once she then has your attention, she'll give you a look, as if it say "water, let's go." I dare say she trained us — after all, we didn't teach her to do that. And sure, it's simple … but she's still purposefully communicating a desire/intent. (She's a good girl, too.)
- greenie_beans 3y ago
  our dog does that too, among other specifically unique ways to communicate things