Dogs appear to link “bouba” to round shapes and “kiki” to spiky ones

New Scientist reports that pet dogs appeared to show the bouba-kiki effect in an experiment: 56 percent lingered on a rounded shape after hearing “bouba,” while 63 percent focused on a spiky shape after “kiki.” The pattern persisted when owners wore headphones so they couldn’t hear the words. Researchers say the finding may reflect general brain mechanisms, though the role of dogs’ exposure to human speech remains unclear.