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Author Janson, C.H. doi  openurl
  Title Experimental evidence for route integration and strategic planning in wild capuchin monkeys Type Journal Article
  Year 2007 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 10 Issue 3 Pages 341-356  
  Keywords (up)  
  Abstract Abstract  Both in captivity and the wild, primates are found to travel mostly to the nearest available resource, but they may skip over the closest resource and travel to more distant resources, which are often found to be more productive. This study examines the tradeoff between distance and reward in the foraging choices of one group of wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella nigritus) using feeding platforms in large-scale foraging experiments conducted over four years. Three feeding sites were arrayed in an oblique triangle, such that once the monkey group had chosen one site to feed, they had a choice between two remaining sites, a close one with less food and the other up to 2.3 times as far away but with more food. Sites were provisioned once per day. The capuchins generally chose the closer feeding site, even when the more distant site offered up to 12 times as much food. The distances to, rewards of, or various profitability measures applied to each alternative site individually did not explain the groups choices in ways consistent with foraging theory or principles of operant psychology. The groups site choices were predicted only by comparing efficiency measures of entire foraging pathways: (1) direct travel to the more rewarding distant site, versus (2) the longer “detour” through the closer site on the way to the more distant one. The group chose the detour more often when the reward was larger and the added detour distance shorter. They appeared to be more sensitive to the absolute increase in detour distance than to the relative increase compared to the straight route. The qualitative and quantitative results agree with a simple rule: do not use the detour unless the energy gain from extra food outweighs the energy cost of extra travel. These results suggest that members of this group integrate information on spatial location, reward, and perhaps potential food competition in their choice of multi-site foraging routes, with important implications for social foraging.  
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  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3248  
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Author Terrace, H.S. doi  openurl
  Title Animal Cognition: Thinking without Language Type Journal Article
  Year 1985 Publication Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences (1934-1990) Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 308 Issue 1135 Pages 113-128  
  Keywords (up)  
  Abstract Recent attempts to teach apes rudimentary grammatical skills have produced negative results. The basic obstacle appears to be at the level of the individual symbol which, for apes, functions only as a demand. Evidence is lacking that apes can use symbols as names, that is, as a means of simply transmitting information. Even though non-human animals lack linguistic competence, much evidence has recently accumulated that a variety of animals can represent particular features of their environment. What then is the non-verbal nature of animal representations? This question will be discussed with reference to the following findings of studies of serial learning by pigeons. While learning to produce a particular sequence of four elements (colours), pigeons also acquire knowledge about the relation between non-adjacent elements and about the ordinal position of a particular element. Learning to produce a particular sequence also facilitates the discrimination of that sequence from other sequences.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 3522  
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Author Negi,G. C. S.; Rikhari, H. C.; Ram,Jeet; Singh, S. P. doi  openurl
  Title Foraging Niche Characteristics of Horses, Sheep and Goats in an Alpine Meadow of the Indian Central Himalaya Type Journal Article
  Year 1993 Publication The Journal of Applied Ecology Abbreviated Journal J. Appl. Ecol  
  Volume 30 Issue 3 Pages 383-394  
  Keywords (up)  
  Abstract 1. Data on plant species foraged, foraging hours, bite rate, bite size and species dry matter (DM) removed per species per bite were collected in tussock grass-forb (Grass-F), forb-tussock grass (Forb-G), Trachydium-forb (Forb), Rhododendron-Cassiope and early successional communities from May to September in a moderately foraged Central Himalayan alpine meadow in order to study the foraging niche characteristics of horses, sheep and goats. 2. The three animals together grazed 30 plant species, of which 20 were grazed by horses, 22 by sheep and 16 by goats. 3. The average foraging hours (5.2-13.2), bites per minute (23-51) and mg DM per bite (59-99) for horses, sheep and goats were significantly different in different communities and months. 4. The foraging search cost, reckoned as distance walked per unit DM eaten, was highest for goats (15.4 km kg$^{-1}$), followed by sheep (8.1 km kg$^{-1}$) and horses (1.2 km kg$^{-1}$). 5. Of the total intake of horses (3.25 kg DM day$^{-1}$), the Forb community alone accounted for 40%. Sheep (0.74 kg DM day$^{-1}$) resembled horses in this respect. In contrast, the contribution of this community was negligible in the diet of goats in which the Grass-F community contributed most to the intake. 6. Forbs were the largest dietary category for all animal species. The selection ratio varied from 0.7 to 11.3 for forbs, 1.0 to 7.2 for sedges and 1.1 to 2.5 for grasses. 7. Response breadth (in terms of species grazed) was similar for horses and sheep (0.46 vs. 0.43) and somewhat wider for goats (0.49). 8. Grazing pressures below the carrying capacity of the community appeared to favour botanical diversity.  
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  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3545  
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Author Ohsawa, H. openurl 
  Title Transfer of group members in plains zebra (Equus burchelli) in relation to social organization. Type Journal Article
  Year 1982 Publication African Study Monographs Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 2 Issue Pages 53-71  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 3554  
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Author Sommer, H.; Barz, A.; Lindner, A. openurl 
  Title Testing horses for character and temperament Type Journal Article
  Year 1996 Publication Tierarztliche Umschau Abbreviated Journal Tierärztl. Umschau  
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  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3567  
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Author Miyashita, Y.; Nakajima, S.; Imada, H. doi  openurl
  Title Differential outcome effect in the horse. Type Journal Article
  Year 2000 Publication Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior Abbreviated Journal J Exp Anal Behav  
  Volume 74 Issue 2 Pages 245-253.  
  Keywords (up)  
  Abstract hree horses were trained with a discrimination task in which the color (blue or yellow) of a center panel signaled the correct (left or right) response (lever press). Reinforcing outcomes for the two correct color-position combinations (blue-left and yellow-right) were varied across phases. Discrimination performance was better when the combinations were differentially reinforced by two types of food (chopped carrot pieces and a solid food pellet) than when the combinations were randomly reinforced by these outcomes or when there was a common reinforcer for each of the correct combinations. However, the discrimination performance established by the differential outcome procedure was still 80% to 90% correct, and an analysis of two-trial sequences revealed that the stimulus color of the preceding trial interfered with discrimination performance on a given trial. Our demonstration of the differential outcome effect in the horse and its further analysis might contribute to more efficient control of equine behavior in the laboratory as well as in horse sports.  
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  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3579  
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Author Davis, H.; Balfour, D. (eds) url  isbn
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  Title The Inevitable Bond: Examining Scientist-Animal Interactions Type Book Whole
  Year 1992 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
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  Abstract Book Description

Although animals are widely employed as research subjects, it is only recently that we have acknowledged the bond that frequently, perhaps inevitably, develops between subject and researcher. Whatever the qualities of this relationship, an increasing body of evidence suggests that it may result in profound behavioural and physiological changes in the animal subject. Such effects are apparent in behavioural studies conducted in both laboratory and field settings. They also appear in physiological studies ranging from the biomedical (e.g. heart rate, blood pressure, immunological changes) to animal science (e.g. growth, reproduction). Such effects are not confined to obvious cases involving primates and dogs, but appear in unexpected animals like chickens, reptiles and even octopuses. Despite the fact that most researchers are trained to minimise or avoid such interactions, they continue to occur. This book, the first of its kind to address this issue systematically, describes many examples of this “inevitable bond” between scientist and animal. This discussion will allow researchers to anticipate these potentially confounding effects and take advantage of such relationships in designing more effective and humane environments for animal subjects.
 
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  Publisher Cambridge University Press Place of Publication Cambridge, Massachusetts Editor Davis, H.; Balfour, D.  
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  ISSN ISBN 978-0521405102 Medium  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3595  
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Author Sigurjónsdóttir , H.; Gunnarsson, V. url  openurl
  Title Controlled Study of Early Handling and Training of Icelandic Foals Type Journal Article
  Year Publication Abbreviated Journal  
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  Abstract Introduction

Many scientists agree that information on the learning abilities of horses should be used in developing training methods (Fiske and Potter, 1979; Mader and Price, 1980; McCall, 1990) but nevertheless research where such knowledge is put to the test is limited (Flannery, 1997). Foals that are handled continuously between 4 and 22 months of age were quicker learners and were easier to train than those that got less handling (Fiske and Potter, 1979). The handling involved being lead, brushed, and acclimated to restraint. In some studies more relaxed foals learned more and were easier to train later on than stressed foals (Fiske and Potter, 1979; Heird et al, 1986) while no such correlation was found in another study (Mader and Price 1980). It is commonly believed, and has been established with tests, that younger horses are quicker-learners than mature (Mader and Price, 1980; Houpt, 1982), but the question remains to be answered if a certain age is better than another and if so, if the optimum time differs between breeds.

The idea of imprint training (Miller, 2000) is controversial but seems to be popular in the USA. Miller found that foals that had been treated by veterinarians at birth were easier to handle later on. He associated this with what Konrad Lorenz called imprint learning (1937), which involved irreversible learning taking place during a sensitive period early in life. Miller claims that the idea has been tested scientifically but no such papers are covered by Wed of Science. To our knowledge one systematic research has been carried out whose results will be published this year (Jennifer Williams, personal communication). Miller (2000) claims that it is very important to stroke and handle the foals quickly after birth (hence the reference to the imprinting concept) and desensitize them to touch and other interventions. A study by Mal et al (1994) did not support the claim that very young foals are more sensitive to treatment than older foals. It is possible that what we are witnessing when the foals seem relaxed after stroking is not “imprinting” but “learned helplessness”.

In Iceland where mares give birth out in the field within the herd (usually herds of mares, sub-adults and sometimes geldings) it is customary not to disturb the mare and foal for the first hours of the foal's life. That fact and the custom in many places to let the foals stay with their dams within large groups in the wilderness from 1-2 months of age till autumn, would mean that continuous handling would not have a practical value for most Icelandic horse owners. We wanted to test the idea that early handling and training of foals should calm the foals considerably and teach them valuable lessons, which would make training later on easier.
 
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  Notes 2 papers – scroll down Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3619  
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Author Peham, C.; Licka, T.; Schobesberger, H.; Meschan, E. url  openurl
  Title Influence of the rider on the variability of the equine gait Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication Human Movement Science Abbreviated Journal European Workshop on Movement Science  
  Volume 23 Issue 5 Pages 663-671  
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  Abstract The aim of this study was to show that the motion pattern of a well-ridden horse varies less than the motion pattern of an unridden horse. In order to do so, we recorded the motion of two markers, one attached to the dorsal spinous processus of lumbar vertebra L4, the other to the right fore hoof. In total, we measured 21 horses in trot, ridden and unridden, with a fitting and with a non-fitting saddle. After breaking down the entire time series of the three-dimensional motion of the markers into their respective motion cycles, we computed a measure of motion pattern variability for the motion as well as for the derivatives (velocity and acceleration) along each of the three principal dimensions. Two of six variables (velocity and acceleration in the forward direction) displayed a significant discrimination between the ridden and the unridden case, and demonstrated the beneficial effect of a rider on the horse's motion pattern variability. Saddle fit was shown to have also an influence on motion variability: variability of two variables (velocity and of acceleration in forward direction) was significantly lower with a fitting saddle compared to a non-fitting saddle, a third variable (acceleration in the transversal direction) showed a significant difference also. This new method offers an objective evaluation of saddle fit, and a sensitive assessment of the quality of the rider in the moving horse.  
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  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3670  
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Author McCall, C.A.; Hall, S.; McElhenney, W.H.; Cummins, K.A. url  openurl
  Title EVALUATION AND COMPARISON OF FOUR REACTIVITY TESTS IN HORSES Type Conference Article
  Year 2010 Publication Proc.17th Equine Nutr. Physiol. Symp Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 357  
  Keywords (up)  
  Abstract Four methods of ranking horses on reactivity were evaluated and compared: isolation from conspecifics, presentation of a static novel stimulus, traversing a novel stimulus in a runway (isolation, novel stimulus and runways tests, respectively) and assigning subjective emotionality scores. Forty horses performed each of the three tests daily on three different days in a switchback design where treatments were injection of a tranquilizer or vehicle. Horses were randomly assigned a daily test sequence, which was maintained throughout the study. In all tests, heart rates were recorded and behavior was videotaped. To be considered a valid test of reactivity, at least one heart rate and one behavioural measurement in the test had to show a significant difference due to tranquilization, and behavioural measures had to be displayed in at least 75% of the trials. In the runway test, no significant difference in heart rate values in tranquilized and non-tranquilized horses was found, and no behavioural attribute was displayed in more than 52% of the trials; therefore it was rejected as a valid test of reactivity. Both isolation and novel stimulus tests produced valid measurements. Mean heart rate was the most precise physiological measure for these tests, and walking and defecation frequency were the most precise behavioural measures for novel stimulus and isolation tests, respectively. Mean heart rates on the novel stimulus and isolation tests were correlated (rs=0.79, P<0.01) indicating that these tests produced similar rankings based on physiological responses. However, behavioural measures ranked horses differently (rs=0.27, P<0.10) on the tests. Rank correlations between mean heart rates and behavioural measures were higher in the novel stimulus (rs = 0.66, P<0.01) than the isolation test (rs = 0.55, P<0.01), indicating that the novel stimulus test ranked horses based on either physiological or behavioural responses more similarly than did the isolation test. Therefore, the novel stimulus test was considered the more accurate evaluation of reactivity. Subjective emotionality scores were correlated moderately with mean heart rates (rs > 0.33, P<0.01) from the novel stimulus and isolation tests and with walking scores (rs = 0.47, P<0.01) from the novel stimulus test. Assignment of subjective emotionality scores was not as accurate as the novel stimulus or isolation tests in ranking horses for reactivity. Using physiological data alone, combining physiological and behavioural measurements or using more than one behavioural measurement in reactivity tests may reflect the reactivity of the horse better than a single behavioural measurement.  
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  Publisher Place of Publication Lexington, KY Editor  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3689  
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