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Author Lindberg, A.C.; Kelland, A.; Nicol, C.J.
Title Effects of observational learning on acquisition of an operant response in horses Type Journal Article
Year 1999 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 61 Issue 3 Pages 187-199
Keywords Horse; Observational learning; Stereotyped behaviour; Operant behaviour; Breed influence; Age influence
Abstract (down) The effect of observational learning on the acquisition of an operant response was examined in eighteen riding horses and ponies. The test horses were randomly divided into three groups of six and individually exposed to one of three treatments. An additional horse was trained as a demonstrator, to perform the operant response. The observer horses watched either the demonstrator performing the bin-opening response (Group D+B); the demonstrator standing passively (Group D); or the operant bin in the absence of the demonstrator (Group B). Observers had access to and were free to interact with an identical bin during testing. Observers in Groups D+B and D were socially familiar with the demonstrator. Each test horse was tested once a day for 10 days. An ANOVA revealed no significant differences between treatment groups in the number of responses or the time taken to reach the learning criterion. However, there were highly significant differences between breed types, with non-warmbloods performing more bouts of opening the bin and feeding (p=0.02), feeding from the bin sooner (p=0.01) and reaching the criterion for learning sooner than warmbloods (p=0.05). There was also a significant negative linear relationship between horses' ages and time spent investigating the bin, with younger horses performing more investigative behaviour (y=-3.08x+106.86; p=0.02).
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 562
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Author Mader, D.R.; Price, E.O.
Title Discrimination learning in horses: effects of breed, age and social dominance Type Journal Article
Year 1980 Publication Journal of animal science Abbreviated Journal J. Anim Sci.
Volume 50 Issue 5 Pages 962-965
Keywords Aging; Animals; *Discrimination Learning; Female; Horses/*physiology; *Social Dominance
Abstract (down) The discrimination learning ability of Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds was compared by means of visual cues in a three-choice test with food as a reward. Quarter Horses learned significantly faster than Thoroughbreds, and learning progressed more rapidly for both breeds in a second discrimination task. Significant negative correlations were observed between age and rate of learning. Quarter Horses tended to be less reactive than Thoroughbreds, but individual emotional reactivity ratings and learning scores were not correlated. No correlation was found between social dominance and learning scores. Learning studies with horses may provide a better understanding of the behavioral traits that influence trainability in this species.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0021-8812 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:7390949 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 679
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Author Gomez, J.-C.
Title Species comparative studies and cognitive development Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Trends in Cognitive Sciences Abbreviated Journal Trends. Cognit. Sci.
Volume 9 Issue 3 Pages 118-125
Keywords Animals; Attention/physiology; Brain/*growth & development; Child, Preschool; Cognition/*physiology; Concept Formation/physiology; Dogs; Evolution; Fixation, Ocular; Gorilla gorilla; Humans; Infant; Learning/*physiology; Macaca mulatta; Mental Recall/physiology; Personal Construct Theory; Psychomotor Performance/physiology; Species Specificity
Abstract (down) The comparative study of infant development and animal cognition brings to cognitive science the promise of insights into the nature and origins of cognitive skills. In this article, I review a recent wave of comparative studies conducted with similar methodologies and similar theoretical frameworks on how two core components of human cognition--object permanence and gaze following--develop in different species. These comparative findings call for an integration of current competing accounts of developmental change. They further suggest that evolution has produced developmental devices capable at the same time of preserving core adaptive components, and opening themselves up to further adaptive change, not only in interaction with the external environment, but also in interaction with other co-developing cognitive systems.
Address Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY15 9JU, UK
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1364-6613 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:15737820 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2851
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Author Martin, T.I.; Zentall, T.R.; Lawrence, L.
Title Simple discrimination reversals in the domestic horse (Equus caballus): Effect of discriminative stimulus modality on learning to learn Type Journal Article
Year 2006 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 101 Issue 3-4 Pages 328-338
Keywords Horse; Learning-to-learn; Discrimination Reversal
Abstract (down) The cognitive capacity of an organism, relative to that of other species, can be assessed by using a relative measure of learning. One such measure is the ability of an organism to learn about the reversal of a discrimination. The present study compared the performance of two groups of horses on a simple discrimination reversal task when the only difference between the groups was the modality of the relevant cue. For the visual group (absence or presence of a light), the spatial position was irrelevant. For the spatial group, a spatial cue (left/right) was available and the visual cue was irrelevant. Horses in the spatial group learned the original discrimination and six reversals; they also showed evidence of learning to learn. Horses in the visual group did not reach criterion during the study. As a result, there was no evidence of learning to learn.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 289
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Author Klein, E.D.; Zentall, T.R.
Title Imitation and affordance learning by pigeons (Columba livia) Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983) Abbreviated Journal J Comp Psychol
Volume 117 Issue 4 Pages 414-419
Keywords Animals; *Behavior, Animal; Columbidae; Cues; *Imitative Behavior; *Learning; Odors; Sound
Abstract (down) The bidirectional control procedure was used to determine whether pigeons (Columba livia) would imitate a demonstrator that pushed a sliding screen for food. One group of observers saw a trained demonstrator push a sliding screen door with its beak (imitation group), whereas 2 other groups watched the screen move independently (possibly learning how the environment works) with a conspecific either present (affordance learning with social facilitation) or absent (affordance learning alone). A 4th group could not see the screen being pushed (sound and odor control). Imitation was evidenced by the finding that pigeons that saw a demonstrator push the screen made a higher proportion of matching screen pushes than observers in 2 appropriate control conditions. Further, observers that watched a screen move without a demonstrator present made a significantly higher proportion of matching screen pushes than would be expected by chance. Thus, these pigeons were capable of affordance learning.
Address Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-004, USA
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0735-7036 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:14717643 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 234
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Author Franks, N.R.; Richardson, T.
Title Teaching in tandem-running ants Type Journal Article
Year 2006 Publication Nature Abbreviated Journal Nature
Volume 439 Issue 7073 Pages 153
Keywords *Animal Communication; Animals; Ants/*physiology; Feedback/physiology; Learning/*physiology; *Teaching
Abstract (down) The ant Temnothorax albipennis uses a technique known as tandem running to lead another ant from the nest to food--with signals between the two ants controlling both the speed and course of the run. Here we analyse the results of this communication and show that tandem running is an example of teaching, to our knowledge the first in a non-human animal, that involves bidirectional feedback between teacher and pupil. This behaviour indicates that it could be the value of information, rather than the constraint of brain size, that has influenced the evolution of teaching.
Address School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 IUG, UK. nigel.franks@bristol.ac.uk
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1476-4687 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:16407943 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4651
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Author Hausberger, M.; Bruderer, C.; Le Scolan, N.; Pierre, J.-S.
Title Interplay between environmental and genetic factors in temperament/personality traits in horses (Equus caballus) Type Journal Article
Year 2004 Publication Journal of Comparative Psychology Abbreviated Journal J Comp Psychol
Volume 118 Issue 4 Pages 434-446
Keywords *Affect; Animals; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; *Environment; Female; Horses/*psychology; Learning; Male; Memory/physiology
Abstract (down) The aim of the present study was to broach the question of the relative influence of different genetic and environmental factors on different temperament/personality traits of horses (Equus caballus). The researchers submitted 702 horses to standardized experimental tests and investigated 9 factors, either genetic or environmental. Genetic factors, such as sire or breed, seemed to influence more neophobic reactions, whereas environmental factors, such as the type of work, seemed to play a more dominant role in reactions to social separation or learning abilities. Additive effects were evident, showing how environmental factors may modulate behavioral traits. This study constitutes a first step toward understanding the relative weights of genetic factors and how the environment may intervene in determining individual behavioral characteristics.
Address Ethologie-Evolution-Ecologie, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes, France. Martine.Hausberger@univ-rennes1.fr
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. : 1983 Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0735-7036 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:15584780 Approved no
Call Number Serial 1897
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Author Broucek, J., Uhrincat, M., Kišac, P., Hanus, A..
Title Hair Whorl Position as a Predictor of Learning Ability and Locomotor Behavior in Cattle? Type Journal Article
Year 2004 Publication ACTA VETERINARIA BRUNENSIS Abbreviated Journal ACTA VET. BRNO
Volume 73 Issue 4 Pages 455-459
Keywords Cattle, hair whorl, reversal learning, open-field
Abstract (down) The aim of our work was to investigate the hypothesis that the speed of solving the maze tests and

locomotor behavior of heifers in open-field tests are affected by the height location of facial whorl.

Fifty-eight Holstein heifers were used. Maze learning was observed at the age of 15 weeks, and an

open-field test was applied at two ages, 16 weeks and 18 months. Whorl placement was recorded by

one person as each heifer entered the scale. The hair whorl position was determined on the basis of

two patterns: A) hair whorl high, middle and low and B) hair whorl high and low. Heifers with a

high hair whorl were the fastest (77.8 ± 84.3 s) and heifers with a middle hair whorl the slowest (87.3

± 100.3 s) in the A pattern during the maze tests. In the B whorl pattern, heifers with a high hair whorl

ran across the maze in 84.5 ± 95.2 s and heifers with a low hair whorl in 84.1 ± 97.9 s. The number

of crossed squares in a 5-minute open-field test in the A pattern was the non-significantly highest in

heifers with a high hair whorl (43.4) at the age of 16 weeks. In the B whorl pattern, heifers with a

high hair whorl were also more mobile, but neither differences in individual minutes nor in the whole

5 minutes were significant. Heifers with a high hair whorl displayed the strongest locomotory

behavior (37.6 squares) and heifers with a low hair whorl (30.8) were the slowest in the A pattern at

the age of 18 months. The differences were not significant. In the B whorl pattern, heifers with a

high hair whorl crossed more squares, but the difference was not significant in comparison with

heifers with a low hair whorl. We found that the time of traversing the maze and the locomotor

activity in open-field test may not be influenced in the dairy cattle by the height facial whorl position
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4321
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Author Giraldeau, Luc-Alain; Valone, Thomas, J.; Templeton, Jennifer, J.
Title Potential disadvantages of using socially acquired information Type Journal Article
Year 2002 Publication Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal Phil. Trans. Biol. Sci.
Volume 357 Issue 1427 Pages 1559-1566
Keywords Public Information Informational Cascades Social Learning Sampling
Abstract (down) The acquisition and use of socially acquired information is commonly assumed to be profitable. We challenge this assumption by exploring hypothetical scenarios where the use of such information either provides no benefit or can actually be costly. First, we show that the level of incompatibility between the acquisition of personal and socially acquired information will directly affect the extent to which the use of socially acquired information can be profitable. When these two sources of information cannot be acquired simultaneously, there may be no benefit to socially acquired information. Second, we assume that a solitary individual's behavioural decisions will be based on cues revealed by its own interactions with the environment. However, in many cases, for social animals the only socially acquired information available to individuals is the behavioural actions of others that expose their decisions, rather than the cues on which these decisions were based. We argue that in such a situation the use of socially acquired information can lead to informational cascades that sometimes result in sub-optimal behaviour. From this theory of informational cascades, we predict that when erroneous cascades are costly, individuals should pay attention only to socially generated cues and not behavioural decisions. We suggest three scenarios that might be examples of informational cascades in nature.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
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Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4197
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Author Yamazaki, Y.; Shinohara, N.; Watanabe, S.
Title Visual discrimination of normal and drug induced behavior in quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) Type Journal Article
Year 2004 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.
Volume 7 Issue 2 Pages 128-132
Keywords Animals; Behavior, Animal/*drug effects; Classification; Coturnix/*physiology; *Discrimination Learning; *Generalization (Psychology); Ketamine/pharmacology; Male; Methamphetamine/pharmacology; *Pattern Recognition, Visual; Video Recording; Visual Perception
Abstract (down) The ability to discriminate the physical states of others could be an adaptive behavior, especially for social animals. For example, the ability to discriminate illness behavior would be helpful for avoiding spoiled foods. We report on an experiment with Japanese quails testing whether these birds can discriminate the physical states of conspecifics. The quails were trained to discriminate between moving video images of quails injected with psychoactive drugs and those in a normal (not injected) condition. Methamphetamine (stimulant) or ketamine (anesthetic) were used to produce drug-induced behaviors in conspecifics. The former induced hyperactive behavior and the latter hypoactive behavior. The subject quails could learn the discrimination and showed generalization to novel images of the drug-induced behaviors. They did not, however, show discriminative behavior according to the type and dosage of the drugs. Thus, they categorized the behavior not on the basis of degree of activity, but on the basis of abnormality.
Address Biopsychologie, Institut fur Kognitive Neurowissenschaft, Fakultat fur Psychologie, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany. yumyam@bio.psy.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
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Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:15069613 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2527
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