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Author Ladewig, J.
Title (up) Clever Hans is still whinnying with us Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication Behavioural Processes Abbreviated Journal Behav. Process.
Volume 76 Issue 1 Pages 20-21
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 631
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Author Cooper, J.J.; Ashton, C.; Bishop, S.; West, R.; Mills, D.S.; Young, R.J.
Title (up) Clever hounds: social cognition in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 81 Issue 3 Pages 229-244
Keywords Domestic dog; Canine; Social cognition; Counting; Theory of mind; Perspective taking
Abstract This paper reviews the reasons why domestic dogs make good models to investigate cognitive processes related to social living and describes experimental approaches that can be adopted to investigate such processes in dogs. Domestic dogs are suitable models for investigating social cognition skills for three broad reasons. First, dogs originated from wolves, social animals that engage in a number of co-operative behaviours, such as hunting and that may have evolved cognitive abilities that help them predict and interpret the actions of other animals. Second, during domestication dogs are likely to have been selected for mental adaptations for their roles in human society such as herding or companionship. Third, domestic dogs live in a human world and “enculturation” may facilitate the development of relevant mental skills in dogs. Studies of social cognition in animals commonly use experimental paradigms originally developed for pre-verbal human infants. Preferential gaze, for example, can be used as a measure of attention or “surprise” in studies using expectancy violation. This approach has been used to demonstrate simple numerical competence in dogs. Dogs also readily use both conspecific and human social signals (e.g. looking or pointing) as information sources to locate hidden rewards such as food or favourite toys. Such abilities make dogs particularly good models for investigating perspective-taking tasks, where animals are required to discriminate between apparently knowledgeable and apparently ignorant informants.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 395
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Author Massen, J.; Sterck, E.; de Vos, H.
Title (up) Close social associations in animals and humans: functions and mechanisms of friendship Type
Year 2010 Publication Behaviour Abbreviated Journal
Volume 147 Issue 11 Pages 1379
Keywords Both humans and group-living animals associate and behave affiliatively more with some individuals than others. Human friendship has long been acknowledged, and recently scientists studying animal behaviour have started using the term friendship for close social associates in animals. Yet, while biologists describe friends as social tools to enhance fitness, social scientists describe human friendship as unconditional. We investigate whether these different descriptions reflect true differences in human friendship and animal close social associations or are a by-product of different research approaches: namely social scientists focussing on proximate and biologists on ultimate explanations. We first stress the importance of similar measures to determine close social associations, thereafter examine their ultimate benefits and proximate motivations, and discuss the latest findings on the central-neural regulation of social bonds. We conclude that both human friendship and animal close social associations are ultimately beneficial. On the proximate level, motivations for friendship in humans and for close social associations in animals are not necessarily based on benefits and are often unconditional. Moreover, humans share with many animals a similar physiological basis of sociality. Therefore, biologists and social scientist describe the same phenomenon, and the use of the term friendship for animals seems justified.
Abstract Both humans and group-living animals associate and behave affiliatively more with some individuals than others. Human friendship has long been acknowledged, and recently scientists studying animal behaviour have started using the term friendship for close social associates in animals. Yet, while biologists describe friends as social tools to enhance fitness, social scientists describe human friendship as unconditional. We investigate whether these different descriptions reflect true differences in human friendship and animal close social associations or are a by-product of different research approaches: namely social scientists focussing on proximate and biologists on ultimate explanations. We first stress the importance of similar measures to determine close social associations, thereafter examine their ultimate benefits and proximate motivations, and discuss the latest findings on the central-neural regulation of social bonds. We conclude that both human friendship and animal close social associations are ultimately beneficial. On the proximate level, motivations for friendship in humans and for close social associations in animals are not necessarily based on benefits and are often unconditional. Moreover, humans share with many animals a similar physiological basis of sociality. Therefore, biologists and social scientist describe the same phenomenon, and the use of the term friendship for animals seems justified.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5813
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Author Brubaker, L.; Udell, M.A.R.
Title (up) Cognition and learning in horses (Equus caballus): What we know and why we should ask more Type Journal Article
Year 2016 Publication Behavioural Processes Abbreviated Journal
Volume 126 Issue Pages 121-131
Keywords Horse behaviour; Horse welfare; Learning; Social cognition
Abstract Abstract Horses (Equus caballus) have a rich history in their relationship with humans. Across different cultures and eras they have been utilized for work, show, cultural rituals, consumption, therapy, and companionship and continue to serve in many of these roles today. As one of the most commonly trained domestic animals, understanding how horses learn and how their relationship with humans and other horses impacts their ability to learn has implications for horse welfare, training, husbandry and management. Given that unlike dogs and cats, domesticated horses have evolved from prey animals, the horse-human relationship poses interesting and unique scientific questions of theoretical value. There is still much to be learned about the cognition and behaviour of horses from a scientific perspective. This review explores current research within three related areas of horse cognition: human-horse interactions, social learning and independent learning in horses. Research on these topics is summarized and suggestions for future research are provided.
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ISSN 0376-6357 ISBN Medium
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6021
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Author McLean, A.N.
Title (up) Cognitive abilities -- the result of selective pressures on food acquisition? Type Journal Article
Year 2001 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 71 Issue 3 Pages 241-258
Keywords Adaptive intelligence; Animal cognition; Darwinian selection; Insightful learning
Abstract Locating and capturing food are suggested as significant selection pressures for the evolution of various cognitive abilities in mammals and birds. The hypothesis is proposed that aspects of food procuring behaviour should be strongly indicative of particular cognitive abilities. Experimental data concerning higher mental abilities in mammals and birds are reviewed. These data deal with self-recognition studies, rule-learning experiments, number concept, deceptive abilities, tool-use and observational learning. A Darwinian approach reveals: (1) the adaptiveness of particular abilities for particular niches, (2) that in complex foraging environments, increases in foraging efficiencies in animals should result from the evolution of particular cognitive abilities, (3) that phenomena such as convergent mental evolution should be expected to have taken place across taxonomic groups for species exploiting similar niches, (4) that divergence in mental ability should also have taken place where related species have exploited dissimilar niches. Experimental data of higher mental abilities in animals concur with a Darwinian explanation for the distribution of these cognitive abilities and no anomalies have been found. There are, as a consequence, significant implications for the welfare of animals subject to training when training methodology gives little or no consideration to the various mental abilities of species.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2907
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Author Broom, D.M.
Title (up) Cognitive ability and awareness in domestic animals and decisions about obligations to animals Type Journal Article
Year 2010 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 126 Issue 1-2 Pages 1-11
Keywords Cognition; Awareness; Self-awareness; Feelings; Emotions; Cognitive bias; Sentience; Welfare; Domestic animals
Abstract Observation of behaviour, especially social behaviour, and experimental studies of learning and brain function give us information about the complexity of concepts that animals have. In order to learn to obtain a resource or carry out an action, domestic animals may: relate stimuli such as human words to the reward, perform sequences of actions including navigation or detours, discriminate amongst other individuals, copy the actions of other individuals, distinguish between individuals who do or do not have information, or communicate so as to cause humans or other animals to carry out actions. Some parrots, that are accustomed to humans but not domesticated, can use words to have specific meanings. In some cases, stimuli, individuals or actions are remembered for days, weeks or years. Events likely to occur in the future may be predicted and changes over time taken into account. Scientific evidence for the needs of animals depends, in part, on studies assessing motivational strength whose methodology depends on the cognitive ability of the animals. Recognition and learning may be associated with changes in physiology, behaviour and positive or negative feelings. Learning and other complex behaviour can result in affect and affect can alter cognition. The demonstration of cognitive bias gives indications about affect and welfare but should be interpreted in the light of other information. All of the information mentioned so far helps to provide evidence about sentience and the level of awareness. The term sentience implies a range of abilities, not just the capacity to have some feelings. The reluctance of scientists to attribute complex abilities and feelings to non-humans has slowed the development of this area of science. Most people consider that they have obligations to some animals. However, they might protect animals because they consider that an animal has an intrinsic value, or because of their concern for its welfare. In social species, there has been selection promoting moral systems that might result in behaviours such as attempts to avoid harm to others, collaboration and other altruistic behaviour. An evaluation of such behaviour may provide one of the criteria for decisions about whether or not to protect animals of a particular species. Other criteria may be: whether or not the animal is known as an individual, similarity to humans, level of awareness, extent of feelings, being large, being rare, being useful or having aesthetic quality for humans. Cognitive ability should also be considered when designing methods of enriching the environments of captive animals.
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ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5135
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Author Hogue, M.-E.; Beaugrand, J.P.; Lague, P.C.
Title (up) Coherent use of information by hens observing their former dominant defeating or being defeated by a stranger Type Journal Article
Year 1996 Publication Behavioural Processes Abbreviated Journal Behav. Process.
Volume 38 Issue 3 Pages 241-252
Keywords Domestic fowl; Dominance; Hierarchy formation; Observation; Transitive inference
Abstract This study examines the role of observation during the formation of triads in female domestic hens. Results indicate that during hierarchy formation, a hen observing agonistic interactions and conflict settlement between its former dominant and a stranger uses this information when in turn confronted by the latter. Under a first condition (E, N = 15 triads), bystanders witnessed their prior dominant being defeated by a stranger before being introduced to them. In a second condition (C1, N = 16 triads), bystanders witnessed the victory of their prior dominant over a stranger. In a third condition (C2, N = 15 triads), bystanders witnessed two strangers establishing a dominance relationship before being introduced to their prior dominant and to a stranger the former had just defeated. The behavioural strategies of bystanders depended on the issue of the conflict they had witnessed. Bystanders of the E condition behaved as having no chance of defeating the stranger. They never initiated an attack against it, and upon being attacked, readily submitted in turn to the stranger. On the contrary, bystanders of the C1 condition behaved as having some chances against the stranger. They initiated attacks in 50% of cases, and won 50% of conflicts against the stranger. Under condition C2, bystanders first initiated contact with the strangers in only 27% of cases, which approximates the average of their chances for defeating the stranger. However, bystanders finally defeated the strangers in 40% of cases. These results suggest that bystanders of conditions E and C1 gained some information on the relationship existing between their prior dominant and the stranger and that they used it coherently, perhaps through transitive inference, thus contributing to the existence of transitive relationships within the triads. Alternate explanations are examined.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 396
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Author Pillot, M.-H.; Deneubourg, J.-L.
Title (up) Collective movements, initiation and stops: Diversity of situations and law of parsimony Type Journal Article
Year 2010 Publication Behavioural Processes Abbreviated Journal Behav. Process.
Volume 84 Issue 3 Pages 657-661
Keywords Collective movement; Decision-making; Sheep
Abstract The environment of animals is often heterogeneous, containing zones that may be dedicated specifically to resting, drinking or feeding. These functional zones may spread over a more or a less extensive area. Thus, mobile animals may have to move from one patch to another when resources are locally depleted or when they need to change activity. The mechanisms involved in collective movement appear simple at first glance, but a brief reflection shows the real difficulty of the problem in terms of the numerous environmental, physical, physiological and social parameters involved. This review is mainly concerned with collective movements, which are characterised by a directional and temporal coordination, where individuals mutually influence each other, meaning this coordination mainly depends on social interactions ([Huth and Wissel, 1992], [Warburton and Lazarus, 1991], [Couzin and Krause, 2003] and [Couzin et al., 2002]). In literature, two types of movement are discussed: large-scale movement and small-scale movement. First, we define these types of movement and then discuss the behavioural mechanisms involved. Secondly, we show that short and long movement but also moving and stopping may result from the outcome of parameters modulation underpinning collective decision-making.
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ISSN 0376-6357 ISBN Medium
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5088
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Author Smith, S.; Goldman, L.
Title (up) Color discrimination in horses Type Journal Article
Year 1999 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 13-25
Keywords Horses; Vision; Color; Discrimination; Behavior
Abstract Four Arabian horses and one Thoroughbred were presented with a series of two-choice color vs. gray discrimination problems. Testing was done in a stall containing a wall with two translucent panels that were illuminated from behind by light projected through color or gray filters to provide the discriminative stimuli. Horses first learned to push one of the panels in order to receive the food reward behind the positive stimulus in an achromatic light-dark discrimination task, and were then tested on their ability to discriminate between gray and four individual colors: red (617 nm), yellow (581 nm), green (538 nm), and blue (470 nm). The criterion for learning was set at 85% correct responses, and final testing for all color vs. gray discriminations involved grays of varying intensities, making brightness an irrelevant cue. Three subjects were tested with all four colors. Two of those subjects successfully reached the criterion for learning on all four color vs. gray discriminations, while the third reached criterion with red and blue, but performed at chance levels for yellow and green. A fourth horse was only tested with green and yellow, and a fifth only with blue, and both of those horses successfully reached criterion on the discriminations they attempted. With the exception of the one subject's poor performance with yellow and green, there was no significant difference between horses on any of the discrimination tasks, and no significant difference in their performance with different colors. The results suggest that horses have color vision that is at least dichromatic, although partial color-blindness may occur in some individuals.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 850
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Author Mason, W.A.; Hollis, J.H.
Title (up) Communication between young rhesus monkeys Type Journal Article
Year 1962 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 10 Issue 3-4 Pages 211-221
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Abstract 1. 1. The communication performance of 12 rhesus monkeys was investigated in a situation in which the rewards of both members of a pair of monkeys could not exceed chance levels unless the operator monkey responded to cues provided by the informant monkey which indicated the location of food. Each member of the pair was trained in both operator and informant roles in different phases of the experiment. Communication performance improved progressively to levels consistently above chance. However, communication learning appeared to be specific to the role in which the individual was trained, and when roles were reversed no evidence of transfer was obtained. Tests of foodsharing behaviour showed a substantial increase in the tendency to share food with the partner following communication training. This occurred however, only when the partner was the only social stimulus present; if another monkey was also present there was no evidence of preferential responses to the partner. In all phases of communication training, monkeys which were housed together performed more efficiently than did monkeys housed individually.2. 2. The acquisition of stimulus-producing responses was investigated by causing an opaque screen to remain in front of the informant unless the operator monkey pulled a vertical lever at the front of its restraining cage. Initially, operators responded immediately to the foodcarts, but with further testing there was a steady increase in the tendency to defer the response to the food-carts until the lever had been pulled, revealing the informant monkey.3. 3. Transfer of communication training was tested with new monkey informants, and with two inanimate stimuli, a mechanical puppet, and a stationary plaque. The latter two objects were placed behind the rewarded food-carts before each trial. There was clear evidence of positive transfer to each of these conditions, but marked differences among conditions were obtained. Performance with the monkeys averaged 76 per cent. correct, as compared with 62 and 40 per cent., with the puppet and the plaque, respectively.4. 4. To test the ability of trained operator monkeys to select the appropriate informant on the basis of behavioural cues, the communication situation was arranged so that two informant monkeys were present on all trials. However, on any trial only one of these informants could be rewarded, and the operator's rewards were contingent upon delivering food to this informant. Efficiency of discrimination began at approximately 45 per cent, (chance = 25 per cent. and improved progressively to levels above 75 per cent.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3017
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