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Author  |
Abeyesinghe, S.M.; Nicol, C.J.; Hartnell, S.J.; Wathes, C.M. |
| Title |
Can domestic fowl, Gallus gallus domesticus, show self-control? |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Animal Behaviour. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Behav. |
| Volume |
70 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
1-11 |
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| Abstract |
An important aspect of cognition is whether animals live exclusively in the present or can anticipate the future. Defined as self-control, the ability to choose a large, remote reinforcer over a small, proximate reinforcer available at the same frequency has been examined in a number of species, often proving difficult to demonstrate. We investigated self-control for food in domestic fowl using a standard two-key operant task and an equivalent two-choice return maze (TCRM) task. When hens chose between a 2-s delay to a 3-s feed access (impulsive) and a 6-s delay to a 7-s feed access (self-control), they appeared unable to discriminate in the TCRM but were impulsive in the operant task. We explored reasons for not choosing self-control in the operant task, first by examining the relation between feed access time and actual feed intake. A second operant experiment examined whether failure to show self-control could be attributed to an inability to combine the delay and access (quantity) reward information associated with choices to reach overall predictions of value. New hens chose between a 2-s delay to a 3-s feed access (impulsive) and either a 22-s delay to a 22-s feed access (standard self-control) or a 6-s delay to a 22-s feed access (jackpot self-control). While hens were impulsive in the standard condition, they showed significant and pronounced self-control in the jackpot condition, eliminating the possibility of an absolute cognitive constraint. Impulsive behaviour can instead be explained by temporal discounting: perceived depreciation of reward value as a function of the uncertainty associated with delay. Implications for welfare are discussed. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2897 |
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Abeyesinghe, S.M.; Nicol, C.J.; Wathes. C.M.; Randall, J.M. |
| Title |
Development of a raceway method to assess aversion of domestic fowl to concurrent stressors |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2001 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
| Volume |
56 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
175-194 |
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previous termConcurrent stressors; Aversion; Domestic fowlnext term; Transport; Vibration; Hyperthermia |
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The requirement for assessing the effects of stressor combinations in improving the welfare of animals has not been widely recognised. Knowledge of the effects of concurrent stressors is needed to improve environments such as transport, where animals are presented with many simultaneous challenges. However, no method for measuring the effects of different stressors with a common unit is currently available. A locomotor passive avoidance method was developed as a common currency measure of the aversion of domestic fowl to concurrent stressors, using vibrational and thermal stressors as an exemplar. Juvenile fowl, fasted overnight, were trained to run a raceway into a goal-box for small food rewards (FR1). When running consistently, the reinforcement schedule was superimposed with a FR5 treatment schedule (60 min confinement in the goal-box with either a control of no other stressors [N] or concurrent vibration and thermal stressors [VT]). Subsequent latency to return to the goal-box was recorded as a measure of aversion. The factors affecting bird response were addressed in a series of experiments to optimise the method and clarify interpretation of results. Pre-feeding (20% ration 2 h prior to testing) did not affect response, but increasing the number of treatment presentations facilitated learning and increased method sensitivity. Treatment responses were consistent across experiments; overall VT was avoided (P<0.001), but N was not. However, there was large individual variation in response to VT. A final experiment indicated that, given a visual discriminatory cue, birds were capable of learning the required association between entering the goal-box and receiving the treatment, suggesting that the delay responses were due to aversion rather than the immediate impact of treatment on ability to respond. Further work is required to test the singular stressors, but the method retains common currency potential for assessing aversion to multiple stressors. |
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Bio-Engineering Division, Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park, Silsoe, MK45 4HS, Bedford, UK |
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English |
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0376-6357 |
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PMID:11738510 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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85 |
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Adams, E.S. |
| Title |
Bayesian analysis of linear dominance hierarchies |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Animal Behaviour. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Behav. |
| Volume |
69 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
1191-1201 |
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Studies on social animals often seek to identify dominance hierarchies, in which individuals are ranked according to competitive abilities based on counts of wins and losses in pairwise encounters. I illustrate Bayesian approaches, based on the method of paired comparisons, for determining ranks and for estimating relationships between dominance ability and other attributes. Bayesian inference combines prior probability distributions for each unknown parameter with likelihood functions to produce the joint posterior probability distribution for the quantities of interest. In contrast to nonparametric techniques for inferring ranks, Bayesian models yield measures of certainty for each inference and allow rigorous estimates of correlations between ranks and covariates even when there is considerable uncertainty as to the ranks themselves. A possible objection to the Bayesian approach is that it appears to entail more restrictive assumptions than do simpler methods. However, simulations show that Bayesian inferences are more robust to deviations from these assumptions than are the results of nonparametric methods. |
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refbase @ user @ |
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451 |
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Ahrendt, L.P.; Christensen, J.W.; Ladewig, J. |
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The ability of horses to learn an instrumental task through social observation |
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Abstract |
| Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
139 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
105-113 |
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Horse; Social learning; Social interaction; Instrumental task; Investigative behaviour; Aggression |
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The ability of horses to learn through social observation may ease the implementation of new management systems, because the use of automatic feeders etc. by naive horses could be facilitated by observation of experienced horses. However, previous studies found no documentation for observational learning abilities in horses. This study aimed to investigate the ability of horses to learn an instrumental task from a familiar conspecific when social interaction was allowed during the demonstration. Two similar experiments were performed. In the first experiment, Observer horses (n=11) participated in ten successive demonstrations, where a trained Demonstrator opened an operant device by pushing a sliding lid aside with the muzzle in order to obtain a food reward. Immediately after the demonstrations the Observer horses were given the opportunity to operate the device alone. Control horses (n=11) were aware that the device contained food but were presented to the operant device without demonstration of the task. The learning criterion was at least two openings. Accomplishment of and latency to accomplish the learning criterion, and investigative behaviour towards the operant device were recorded. Five Observers and one Control, out of the eleven horses in each treatment group, accomplished the learning criterion. Even though this presents a high odds ratio (OR) in favour of the Observer treatment (OR=7.6), there was no significant difference between the treatment groups (P=0.15). Analysis of investigative behaviour showed, however, that the demonstrations increased the motivation of the Observer horses to investigate the device. Subsequently, a similar experiment was performed in a practical setting with 44 test horses (mixed age, gender and breed). We used the same operant device and the same number and type of demonstrations, although the horses were held on a loose rope to minimise aggression. In this second experiment, six of 23 Observer horses and five of 21 Control horses learned the instrumental task, representing no influence of the demonstration. Thus, this study did not demonstrate an ability of horses to learn an instrumental task through observation. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ S0168-1591(12)00087-1 |
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5773 |
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Ahrendt, L.P.; Labouriau, R.; Malmkvist, J.; Nicol, C.J.; Christensen, J.W. |
| Title |
Development of a standard test to assess negative reinforcement learning in horses |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
2015 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
169 |
Issue |
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Pages |
38-42 |
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Algometry; Horse behaviour; Learning performance; Operant conditioning; Pressure-release; Horse training |
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Most horses are trained by negative reinforcement. Currently, however, no standardised test for evaluating horses' negative reinforcement learning ability is available. The aim of this study was to develop an objective test to investigate negative reinforcement learning in horses. Twenty-four Icelandic horses (3 years old) were included in this study. The horses were tested in a pressure-release task on three separate days with 10, 7 and 5 trials on each side, respectively. Each trial consisted of pressure being applied on the hindquarter with an algometer. The force of the pressure was increased until the horse moved laterally away from the point of pressure. There was a significant decrease in required force over trials on the first test day (P<0.001), but not the second and third day. The intercepts on days 2 and 3 differed significantly from day 1 (P<0.001), but not each other. Significantly stronger force was required on the right side compared to the left (P<0.001), but there was no difference between first and second side tested (P=0.56). Individual performance was evaluated by median-force and the change in force over trials on the first test day. These two measures may explain different characteristics of negative reinforcement learning. In conclusion, this study presents a novel, standardised test for evaluating negative reinforcement learning ability in horses. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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6650 |
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Ajie, B.C.; Pintor, L.M.; Watters, J.; Kerby, J.L.; Hammond, J.I.; Sih, A. |
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A framework for determining the fitness consequences of antipredator behavior |
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Journal Article |
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2007 |
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Behavioral Ecology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Ecol. |
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18 |
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1 |
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267-270 |
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Behavioral ecologists have long been interested in understanding the adaptive value of antipredator behavior (Sih 1987Go; Lima and Dill 1990Go; Lima 1998Go). A recent review by Lind and Cresswell (2005)Go, however, noted some important difficulties with quantifying the fitness consequences of antipredator behaviors. In essence, Lind and Cresswell suggest that most studies do not provide strong evidence on the adaptive value of antipredator behavior because they do not consider 1) trade-offs between antipredator and reproductive performance, 2) the abilities of organisms to avoid fitness losses associated with constraints on focal traits by employing behavioral alternatives (behavioral compensation), and 3) the effects of behavioral defenses at different stages of the predation sequence. The authors rightfully assert that an understanding of these issues can only be accomplished by measuring multiple traits and fitness components (i.e., survival and reproduction). Nevertheless, the question of how to integrate such data into |
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10.1093/beheco/arl064 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4087 |
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Albers, P.C.H.; de Vries, H. |
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Elo-rating as a tool in the sequential estimation of dominance strengths |
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Journal Article |
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2001 |
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Animal Behaviour. |
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Anim. Behav. |
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61 |
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2 |
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489-495 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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858 |
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Allcroft, D. J.; Tolkamp, B. J.; Glasbey, C. A.; Kyriazakis, I. |
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The importance of `memory' in statistical models for animal feeding behaviour |
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Journal Article |
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2004 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
| Volume |
67 |
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1 |
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99-109 |
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Cow; Feeding data; Bouts; Memory; Satiety; Latent structure; Model comparison |
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We investigate models for animal feeding behaviour, with the aim of improving understanding of how animals organise their behaviour in the short term. We consider three classes of model: hidden Markov, latent Gaussian and semi-Markov. Each can predict the typical `clustered' feeding behaviour that is generally observed, however they differ in the extent to which `memory' of previous behaviour is allowed to affect future behaviour. The hidden Markov model has `lack of memory', the current behavioural state being dependent on the previous state only. The latent Gaussian model assumes feeding/non-feeding periods to occur by the thresholding of an underlying continuous variable, thereby incorporating some `short-term memory'. The semi-Markov model, by taking into account the duration of time spent in the previous state, can be said to incorporate `longer-term memory'. We fit each of these models to a dataset of cow feeding behaviour. We find the semi-Markov model (longer-term memory) to have the best fit to the data and the hidden Markov model (lack of memory) the worst. We argue that in view of effects of satiety on short-term feeding behaviour of animal species in general, biologically suitable models should allow `memory' to play a role. We conclude that our findings are equally relevant for the analysis of other types of short-term behaviour that are governed by satiety-like principles. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2350 |
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Altmann, S.A.; Altmann, J. |
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The transformation of behaviour field studies |
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Journal Article |
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2003 |
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Animal Behaviour. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Behav. |
| Volume |
65 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
413-423 |
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As areas of science mature, they pass through three, broadly overlapping stages of development, characterized respectively by description, explanation and synthesis. Field research on animal behaviour is making the transition from an area with a preponderance of purely descriptive studies to one that also includes the development and testing of verifiable hypotheses about the structure, causes and consequences of behaviour. We survey several reasons for this transformation of behaviour field studies and some of the major trends that characterize it, including: (1) patterns discerned in our cumulative knowledge of natural history; (2) increased support for behaviour field studies; (3) interfaces with related areas of science; (4) the development of observational sampling methods and other aspects of data sampling and analysis; (5) the development of models of behaviour's adaptive functions and life-history consequences; (6) long-term field sites that make possible complete life histories, increased attention to individual differences and intergenerational studies of behaviour; and (7) the development of techniques for remote tracking of animals and for noninvasive, hands-off sampling of a range of behavioural, physiological, genetic and environmental phenomena. Copyright 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. |
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Amant, R. St.; Horton, T.E. |
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Revisiting the definition of animal tool use |
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Journal Article |
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2008 |
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Animal Behaviour |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Behav. |
| Volume |
75 |
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4 |
Pages |
1199-1208 |
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cognition; tool use |
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Benjamin Beck's definition of tool use has served the field of animal cognition well for over 25 years (Beck 1980, Animal Tool Behavior: the Use and Manufacture of Tools, New York, Garland STPM). This article proposes a new, more explanatory definition that accounts for tool use in terms of two complementary subcategories of behaviours: behaviours aimed at altering a target object by mechanical means and behaviours that mediate the flow of information between the tool user and the environment or other organisms in the environment. The conceptual foundation and implications of the new definition are contrasted with those of existing definitions, particularly Beck's. The new definition is informally evaluated with respect to a set of scenarios that highlights differences from Beck's definition as well as those of others in the literature. |
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0003-3472 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5861 |
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