MadSci Network: Neuroscience
Query:

Re: Can dogs 'see' what's on tv like people can see?

Date: Wed Feb 25 08:24:55 1998
Posted By: Rick Huneke, D.V.M./M.P.H. Faculty, Division of Comparative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
Area of science: Neuroscience
ID: 888001306.Ns
Message:

Dear Peggy:

Vision is a complicated process, and some of these processes are different 
in the way dogs see compared to the way people see.  Since television was 
developed for people and not for dogs, aspects of dog vision were not 
considered.

One aspect of vision is sensitivity to flickering light.  If a light is 
flickered fast enough, it appears as constantly illuminated light.  
Flickering light appears to fuse at approximately 50 Hz in people, while 
dogs can detect a much quicker flicker (up to 80 Hz).  Because of this 
heightened sensitivity to flicker, a television program, in which the 
screen is updated 60 times per second and appears as a fluidly moving story 
to most humans, may appear to rapidly flicker to dogs.

Dogs also have depth perception, as anyone who has seen a dog jump a fence 
or catch a frisbee can attest to.  However their field of depth perception 
is limited compared to humans.  It takes two eyes looking at the same 
object (binocular vision) to have depth perception.  Because both eyes face 
forward in man, we have a field of binocular overlap of about 140 degrees. 
 In dogs, where the eyes face to the sides, the extent of binocular overlap 
is in the range of 30 to 60 degrees, thus their field of depth perception 
is only in front of them.

I don't know if dogs can see themselves in the mirror, but knowing dogs, 
I'm sure they wouldn't care what they looked like anyway!!



Reference: Miller, PE and Murphy,CJ, Vision in Dogs.  Journal of the 
American Veterinary Association.  December 1995.  207 (12): 1623-1634.


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