Dogs, monkeys may have human-like sense of morality

Researchers from Japan's Kyoto University studying dogs and capuchin monkeys have found that the animals seem to understand when people are behaving unfairly.

In a series of experiments, the animals were placed in situations similar to those encountered by human infants observing adults' interactions: they were made to observe people interacting with one another in helpful or unhelpful ways.

According to Phys.org, the first experiment involved a person asking a second person for help with opening a can. The second person would either comply or refuse. Sometimes, a third person was present as a passive actor.

The second and third setups were nearly identical, involving two people carrying three balls each. As the animals watched, the first person would ask for all of the second person's balls. The first person would then be asked to give back the balls, and would either comply or refuse.

At the conclusion of each experiment, the animals would then be approached and offered a treat by the people involved.

It was found that the animals were clearly disinclined to accept treats from the people who refused to help or give back—possibly indicating that dogs and capuchin monkeys make social judments similarly to human children, and perhaps offering a glimpse at how human morals evolved. 

The study, entitled "Third-party social evaluations of humans by monkeys and dogs ," was published in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. — GMA News