In the experiment published today in the journal Current Biology, the dogs were shown a video of a woman who used communication cues babies recognize -- making eye contact by looking directly into the camera and using a high-pitched tone in greeting -- before she turned to look at a plastic pot; the dogs were then shown a video in which the woman didn’t look at them and greeted them in a low-pitched voice before turning to the plastic pot.

The Hungarian researchers found that the dogs were more likely to follow the woman’s gaze to look at the pot when she used communication cues beforehand than when she didn’t.

Dog owners take advantage of the fact that their pets can be trained to respond to directional signals like sit, stand, or come, but the new research, if confirmed by other studies, indicates that dogs can detect more subtle communication signals like pitch and eye contact. Like 6-month-old babies, they appear to comprehend when there are attempts being made to get their attention and will respond by directing their focus at that person -- even if they can’t understand the language being expressed.

“Our findings reveal that dogs are receptive to human communication in a manner that was previously attributed only to humans,” study author Jozsef Topal, a researcher at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, said in a statement. “Dogs, as well as human infants, are sensitive to cues that signal communicative intent.”

Deborah Kotz can be reached at dkotz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @debkotz2.