The Ultimate Dogs' Time Perception Quiz

Albert Einstein once explained the principle of relativity with the above quote, which expresses the concept that each individual experiences the passing of time in different ways at different times. However, all humans think about time in similar ways.

Our memories are inevitably tied to how we understand the passing of time. We remember events in a certain order, which plays a large part in our perception of time.

Memory and the ability to predict things that may happen in the future gives us a sense of continuity, personal history and self-awareness.

Time-keeping devices including sundials, clocks and wristwatches revolutionized how human beings perceive time; animals don't have the advantage of these tools.

Roberts made some fascinating discoveries regarding animal memories by studying rodents, birds and primates.

Being able to deliberately think back to specific memories and to anticipate future events is a human ability that animals do not share. As a result, they live only in the present.

Dogs and young kids can learn things like following simple commands or crawling, but without the mental ability to remember where or how they learned them.

In order to know when it's mealtime, dogs respond to a biological state they reach at a certain time of day and they respond the same way at the same time every day.

Humans are able to remember a sequence of events and are able to anticipate future needs or events, which help them understand the concept of time. Studies indicate that animals may have these abilities, but to a lesser extent than us humans.

Short-term memory is also known as working memory. In animal tests of working memory, pigeons and primates did fairly well, but their memory didn't last.

Long-term memory is also known as reference memory. In tests conducted by animal cognition researcher William Roberts, it took extensive training for pigeons and monkeys to remember sequences, suggesting to Roberts that their long-term memory falls far short of that of humans.

Humans can easily remember a sequence of events and re-create it; it seems that animals perceive time differently.

Because animals don't seem to anticipate future needs and rewards very well, researchers believe they don't have a concept of the future.

Though the behavior of squirrels and other animals that hoard food for winter seems to imply that animals can anticipate future needs, they are probably acting out of instinct only.

Because animals don't seem to have a concept of the future, they will always choose an immediate reward over a future one.