Dogs can judge humans.
(Image credit: FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images)

It's not just your parents who want you to be nice to other people. New research by scientists at Kyoto University has found that dogs judge humans based on how they treat other people, New Scientist reports:

… The researchers tested whether dogs preferred people who helped their owner. Each owner tried to open a container then presented it to one of two actors.This actor either helped or refused to do so, while the other actor was passive. Then the two actors offered the dog a reward and it chose between them.The dogs had no preference when the first actor had helped their owner, but were more likely to choose the passive actor if the first one had refused to help. [New Scientist]

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.