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The actors repeated the performance on a second container, with the same results: the competent person succeeded, the other, not so much.
演员们在第二个容器上重复了同样的表演(拧盖子)，结果都一样: 有能力打开的人成功了，另一个人则失败了。
Then the researchers handed both actors a third container.
之后，研究人员将第三个容器递给了两位演员。
In some trials, this container was empty. In others, it contained a treat.
在一些实验中，这个容器是空的。而在其他实验里，容器里放的是犒劳食物。
And what they found was that female dogs spent more time gazing expectantly at the person who had previously demonstrated container-opening know-how.
结果发现，母狗会会花更多时间期待地盯着之前展示过能打开容器的人。
And they were more likely to approach the competent person.
而且它们更有可能接近能拧开盖子的人。
But only when they thought they might get free food.
但只有在它们认为可以得到免费食物的时候。
Dogs in the empty condition showed no preferences.
狗在空容器下没有表现出偏好。
Although one little cutie with a bow on her head did bark at all the containers, regardless of their contents.
尽管有一只头上戴着蝴蝶结的小可爱对着所有的容器都吠叫，不管里面装的是什么。
So, why would females be more censorious observers of people’s performances than males?
那么，为什么母狗比公狗更善于观察人类的表现呢？
Female superiority in the social cognitive domain has been reported across many mammalian species including humans.
据报道，包括人类在内的多种哺乳动物在社会认知领域都具有女性（雌性）优势。
In other words, in many cognitive studies, furry females seem to show a higher social IQ than mammalian males.
换句话说，在许多认知研究中，毛茸茸的雌性哺乳动物似乎比雄性表现出更高的社会智力。
And sex differences have been seen in other pup studies.
在其他幼犬的研究中也发现了性别差异。
For example, females look at their owners more frequently and longer than males when facing unsolvable task.
例如，当面临无法解决的任务时，母狗会比公狗更频繁、更长时间地注视主人。
And female dogs solve significantly more tasks than males in social learning task.
在社会学习任务中，母狗明显比公狗处理的任务要多。
So…next time Fifi looks at you with those puppy dog eyes…you might be thinking, what a good dog!
所以，下次小狗菲菲用惹人怜爱的眼睛看着你时，你可能在想的是，多好的狗狗啊!
But she might be thinking, Meh, you could do better.
但小狗可能想的是，你还可以做得更好啊。
For Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Karen Hopkin.
谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是凯伦·霍普金。
文章为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
