美国国家公共电台 NPR How A Dog In An MRI Scanner Is Like Your Grandma At A Disco

How A Dog In An MRI Scanner Is Like Your Grandma At A Disco 

play pause stop mute¹ unmute max volume 00:0002:18repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser² to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: 

There was a study that came out in recent days that got a lot of play in the media, including here at NPR. It found that dogs can understand what we say to them - the actual words, not just the tone³ of voice.

BARTON GIRDWOOD, BYLINE⁴: Oh, you're such a good girl. You're such a good girl.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 

That's our producer Barton Girdwood with his dog. The scientists made their discovery about dogs' understanding of language by getting dogs to lie still in an MRI machine and monitoring their brains while talking to them.

MONTAGNE: Which got us wondering, how on earth did the researchers get the dogs to lie completely still in an MRI machine...

MONTAGNE: ...For eight minutes at a time, without drugging the dogs?

MARTA GACSI: Everybody told us that it's impossible because dogs wouldn't stay in the scanner because it's very noisy and annoying, even for humans.

INSKEEP: Marta Gacsi tried to find out how it would not be impossible. We reached her by Skype.

MONTAGNE: She studies animal behavior at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest. She trained the dogs not to move.

GACSI: They had to be absolutely motionless. They couldn't lick⁵ their mouth. They couldn't swallow. They couldn't even expect food because of the drooling problem.

INSKEEP: In other words, she couldn't rely on using treats.

GACSI: We didn't apply any restraint to keep the dogs in the desired position or in the scanner, so they could leave the tube and the scanner bed any time they wanted to. And sometimes they did so.

MONTAGNE: That was the key - giving them the option to go but tricking them into wanting to stay.

INSKEEP: It was essentially⁶ all a mind game to convince them it was fun to stay still.

GACSI: Our first aim was to persuade dogs that it's fun because they must feel it's great. So we communicate that they are great if they are there, so we are proud of them. And we are happy to be there. There's a big party there. And they believe us, even if it doesn't make sense.

MONTAGNE: And the longer the dogs were able to stay on the table, the more praise they earned. Eventually, there were 13 dogs that lay perfectly⁷ still for eight minutes and were happy to do it.

INSKEEP: So if your dog looks at you blankly when you tell her to sit, try again - this time with lots of praise.

GEORGE CLINTON: (Singing) Bow wow wow, yippie yo, yippie yay. Bow wow, yippie yo, yippie yay. Bow wow wow, yippie yo, yippie yay. Bow wow, yippie yo, yippie yay. Untied⁸ dog in a dogmatic society...

(SOUNDBITE OF MRI MACHINE RUNNING)

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ATOMIC DOG")

1 mute   

n.哑子，默音字母，弱音器；adj.哑的，无声的，沉默的；vt.减音，减弱；vi.（鸟）排泄

参考例句：

• He is mute on the subject of social system.他对社会制度的问题保持沉默。
• Her daughter was mute after a serious illness.她的女儿在一场重病之后失去了说话能力。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 tone   

n.语气，音调，气度，色调；vt.（up）增强

参考例句：

• There was a tone of mockery in his voice.他说话的语气含有嘲笑的意味。
• Holmes used an informal,chatty tone in his essays.霍姆斯在文章中语气轻松随便。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 lick   

vt.舔（吃），打败，轻拍，吞卷；n.舔，少许

参考例句：

• I think we could lick the best teams there.我想我们能打败那儿最好的队。
• The house would look better with a lick of paint.这房子稍加颜色就好看了。

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

8 untied   

松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决

参考例句：

• Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来，我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
• He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。