The Good Blog
The Good Blog - The Science of Talking to Dogs in a Baby Voice─── 19:00 Sun, 10 Sep 2017
Most people make their voices higher pitched when talking to their pets. But does this Pet-Directed Speech have any influence on animals? BY SEEKER
People tend to do this weird thing when they meet a dog - we call them strange names like sweetie-face and ask them if they know that they're so cute - in that odd, slow tempo, high-pitched speech pattern we also use with babies.It's actually a real thing called Pet-Directed Speech or PDS, and a lot of us do it.
A study looked at how owners talk to their dogs, specifically female owners. In this study, 34 adult women were recorded interacting with their dogs in four instances: before being separated, reuniting after said separation, playing, and giving commands. They found the intricacies of PDS changed - the women used a lower pitch before separation, a high pitch upon reuniting, a questioning tone during play, and imperatives in giving commands coupled with attention-getting measures.
Female owners, the study found, adapt their verbal cues to the situation, giving their pet hints about their intentions and emotions.
https://www.seeker.com/videos/the-science-of-talking-to-dogs-in-a-baby-voice
