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Author |
Krueger, K. |
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Title |
Social learning and innovative behaviour in horses |
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Conference Article |
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Year |
2015 |
Publication |
Proceedings of the 3. International Equine Science Meeting |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. 3. Int. Equine. Sci. Mtg |
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Keywords |
social learning, innovative behaviour, Equus caballus, cognitive capacities |
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Abstract |
The evaluation of important parameters for measuring the horses’ cognitive capacities is one of the central topics of the equine behaviour team at Nürtingen-Geislingen University. Social complexity has been said to be one of the settings in which needs for cognitive capacities arise in animals. A variety of studies throughout the last two decades proved the horses’ social complexity to be far more elaborate than previously assumed. Horses form social bonds for the protection of offspring, intervene in encounters of others, identify group mates individually and easily orientate in a fission fusion society.
In such socially complex societies, animals will benefit from learning socially. In many bird and primate species the degree of social complexity correlates nicely with the species abilities for social learning. Social learning was, therefore, argued to be an indicator for elaborate mental capacities in animals. We were delighted to prove that horses actually copy social behaviour and techniques for operating a feeding apparatus from older and higher ranking group members. In a recent study we found young horses, at the age of 3 to 12, to copy the operation of a feeding apparatus from a human demonstrator. Social learning seems to work nicely in horses when the social background of the animals is considered.
The degree to which individual animals adapt to changes in their social or physical environment by finding innovative solution appears to be the other side of the coin, of whether animals adjust to challenges by social learning. It is not very astonishing, that along with the animals’ social complexity and their ability to learn socially also the degree to which they show innovative behaviour was claimed to be one of the most important demonstrations of advanced cognitive capacities. In a recent approach, we started to ask horse owners and horse keepers in many countries to tell us about unusual behaviour of their horses via a web site (http://innovative-behaviour.org). To date, we received 204 cases of innovative behaviour descriptions from which six cases were clear examples of tool use or borderline tool use. We categorized the innovative behaviours into the classes, a) innovations to gain food, b) innovations to gain freedom, c) social innovations, d) innovations to increase maintenance, and e) innovations that could not be clearly assigned to a category. About 20% of the innovative horses showed more than one innovation. These animals could be termed “true innovators”. Again, young horses were more innovative than older ones with the age group 5 – 9 showing the highest number of innovative behaviour descriptions.
In a nutshell, the horses’ cognitive capacities appear to be underestimated throughout the last decades. The horses’ social complexity is far more elaborate than previously assumed, horses learn socially from conspecific and humans, some of them demonstrate innovative behaviour adaptations to their environment and even simple forms of tool use. |
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Corporate Author |
Krueger, K. |
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Xenophon Publishing |
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Wald |
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in prep |
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978-3-95625-000-2 |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5848 |
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Author |
Levin, L.E.; Grillet, M.E. |
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Title |
[Diversified leadership: a social solution of problems in schools of fish] |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1988 |
Publication |
Acta Cientifica Venezolana |
Abbreviated Journal |
Acta Cient Venez |
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Volume |
39 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
175-180 |
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Keywords |
Animals; Fishes; *Leadership; Reversal Learning/*physiology; *Social Behavior |
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Spanish |
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Original Title |
Liderazgo diversificado: una solucion social de problemas en el cardumen |
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0001-5504 |
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PMID:3251383 |
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2045 |
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Author |
Whiten, A. |
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Title |
Social complexity and social intelligence |
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Conference Article |
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Year |
2000 |
Publication |
Novartis Foundation Symposium |
Abbreviated Journal |
Novartis Found Symp |
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Volume |
233 |
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185-96; discussion 196-201 |
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Keywords |
Animals; Brain/anatomy & histology/*physiology; Humans; *Intelligence/physiology; Learning; Models, Psychological; Primates; *Social Behavior; Social Problems |
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Abstract |
When we talk of the 'nature of intelligence', or any other attribute, we may be referring to its essential structure, or to its place in nature, particularly the function it has evolved to serve. Here I examine both, from the perspective of the evolution of intelligence in primates. Over the last 20 years, the Social (or 'Machiavellian') Intelligence Hypothesis has gained empirical support. Its core claim is that the intelligence of primates is primarily an adaptation to the special complexities of primate social life. In addition to this hypothesis about the function of intellect, a secondary claim is that the very structure of intelligence has been moulded to be 'social' in character, an idea that presents a challenge to orthodox views of intelligence as a general-purpose capacity. I shall outline the principal components of social intelligence and the environment of social complexity it engages with. This raises the question of whether domain specificity is an appropriate characterization of social intelligence and its subcomponents, like theory of mind. As a counter-argument to such specificity I consider the hypothesis that great apes exhibit a cluster of advanced cognitive abilities that rest on a shared capacity for second-order mental representation. |
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School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JU, UK |
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1528-2511 |
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PMID:11276903 |
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2084 |
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Author |
Cambefort, J.P. |
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A comparative study of culturally transmitted patterns of feeding habits in the chacma baboon Papio ursinus and the vervet monkey Cercopithecus aethiops |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1981 |
Publication |
Folia Primatologica; International Journal of Primatology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Folia Primatol (Basel) |
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Volume |
36 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
243-263 |
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Keywords |
Age Factors; Animals; *Cercopithecus; *Cercopithecus aethiops; Culture; *Feeding Behavior; Female; Group Structure; Learning; Male; *Papio; Social Class; Teaching |
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Abstract |
Japanese workers have studied social acquisition patterns of new feeding habits in Macaca fuscata which they have termed precultural. The present study investigates the same phenomenon in the chacma baboon and the vervet monkey in their natural habitat. The questions addressed are: (1) How a new feeding habit enters a troop and by which age and sex category, also how it is propagated? (2) When individuals are permitted with a choice between palatable and unpalatable food, can they learn by demonstration only or do they have to pass through a direct learning process? (3) Can the results from the above questions be explained by social parameters such as the social structure of the individual species? It was found that juvenile baboons discover new food and that after the discovery propagation is instantaneous. In vervets discovery is random among the age classes and propagation is slow and takes place through certain 'pivot' individuals. Both species fail to learn about palatability by demonstration but have to go through a direct learning process. This contrasts strongly with the forest baboon Mandrillus sphinx that have been shown to learn by demonstration. Socially, baboon juveniles stay closer to each other than the adults who force them to live at the periphery of the troop. Vervets again forage without precise sub-group formation. The link between social and cultural propagation and social structure is discussed on the basis of these findings. |
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0015-5713 |
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PMID:7319426 |
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2087 |
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Author |
Broucek, J., Uhrincat, M., Kišac, P., Hanus, A.. |
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Title |
Hair Whorl Position as a Predictor of Learning Ability and Locomotor Behavior in Cattle? |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2004 |
Publication |
ACTA VETERINARIA BRUNENSIS |
Abbreviated Journal |
ACTA VET. BRNO |
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73 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
455-459 |
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Keywords |
Cattle, hair whorl, reversal learning, open-field |
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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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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4321 |
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Author |
Broucek, J.; Ksac, P.; Uhrincat, M. |
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Title |
The effect of sire line on learning and locomotor behaviour of heifers |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Czech Journal of Animal Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Czech J. Anim. Sci |
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48 |
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Pages |
387-394 |
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Keywords |
heifers; sire; maze; open-field test; repeatability; learning; locomotor behaviour relationship |
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Abstract |
ABSTRACT: e aim of this study was to test the effect of sire line on maze learning ability and locomotor behaviour
in open-field tests of heifers, consistency over the time of grid crossing and relationship between the time of traversing the maze and grid crossings in open-field tests, respectively. We analysed the results of ethological tests for 54 Holstein heifers that descended from 7 sires. Maze behaviour was observed at the age of 15 weeks, an open-field test was applied at two age periods, 16 weeks and 18 months. We found out highly significant differences in the time of traversing the maze between heifers of different sire origin (P < 0.01). e number of grid crossings over the five minutes of the open-field test did not differ between the daughters of the age of 16 weeks and 18 months. Repeatability between the number of grid crossings at the age of 16 weeks and 18 months was proved by significant correlation (r = 0.2713*). On the contrary, significant relationships between the times of traversing the maze and locomotor behaviour in the open-field test (r =-0.3739*) were found only when the sequence of observations followed
after a week pause (age of 15 and 16 weeks). |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4322 |
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Author |
Krueger, K. (ed) |
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Title |
Proceedings of the International Equine Science Meeting 2008 |
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Conference Volume |
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2008 |
Publication |
IESM 2008 |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Equine Ecology; Equine Sociality; Equine Learning; Equine Cognition; Equine Welfare |
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Target group: Biologists, Psychologists, Veterinarians and Professionals
Meeting target: Because the last international meeting on Equine Science took place a couple years ago, there is an urgent need for equine scientists to exchange scientific knowledge, coordinate research provide knowledge for practical application, and discus research results among themselves and with professionals who work with horses. Additionally, dialog concerning the coordination of the study “Equitation Science” in Europe is urgently needed. Coordination and cooperation shall arise from the meeting, enrich the research, and advance the application of scientific knowledge for the horses` welfare. |
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Xenophon Verlag |
Place of Publication |
Wald |
Editor |
Krueger, K. |
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English |
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978-3-9808134-0-2 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4508 |
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Author |
Christensen, J.W. |
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Title |
Object habituation in horses: Voluntary vs. negatively reinforced approach to frightening stimuli |
Type |
Conference Article |
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Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Proceedings of the 2. International Equine Science Meeting |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. 2. Int. Equine. Sci. Mtg |
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in press |
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Keywords |
Habituation; learning; fearfulness; stress; reinforcement |
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The ability and ease of horses to habituate to frightening stimuli greatly increases safety in the horse-human relationship. Several different techniques have been suggested for habituation training of horses and under certain conditions, preventing animals from avoidance reactions during exposure to frightening stimuli is believed to facilitate habituation. Response prevention does, however, lead to a loss of control, which is a known stress inducer in both animals and humans. This experiment investigated whether horses show increased stress responses when negatively reinforced to approach a mildly frightening stimulus, compared to horses allowed to voluntarily explore the same stimulus. We further investigated whether the prevention of avoidance responses in horses that are negatively reinforced to approach the stimulus, facilitates habituation to the stimulus. Twenty-two 2-3 years old Danish warmblood geldings were included in the study. Half of the horses (NR group) were negatively reinforced (through halter and rope pressure) by a familiar human handler to approach a collection of frightening objects (six open and colourful umbrellas) placed in a semi-circle in a familiar test arena. The other half of the horses were released in the arena and were free to avoid or explore the objects (VOL group). On the next day, all horses were exposed to the objects again without a human to investigate the rate of habituation. Behavioural and heart rate responses were recorded on both days. Data were analysed in a two way repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc analysed via the Holm-Sidak method. In the VOL group, all horses initially chose to avoid the unknown objects, whereas the handler managed to get all horses in the NR group to approach and stand next to the objects within the first 2-min session. As expected, horses in the NR group had a significantly longer duration of alertness (sec, mean ± se: NR: 23 ± 4.1 vs. VOL: 16 ± 4.7, P=0.026) and a higher max HR in the first session (bpm, mean ± se: NR: 106 ± 5.2 vs. VOL: 88 ± 4.4, P=0.004). On the next day, however, the NR horses spent significantly less time investigating the objects (sec, mean ± se: NR: 13 ± 4.1 vs. VOL: 24 ± 6.0, P=0.005) and had a shorter latency to approach a feed container, placed next to the objects (sec, mean ± se: NR: 25 ± 3.9 vs. VOL: 47 ± 16.2, P=0.031), indicating increased habituation. In conclusion, negatively reinforced approach to mildly frightening objects appears to increase stress responses during the initial exposure, but also to facilitate habituation in young horses. |
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Corporate Author |
Christensen, J.W. |
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Publisher |
Xenophon Publishing |
Place of Publication |
Wald |
Editor |
Krueger, K. |
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978-3-9808134-26 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5499 |
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Author |
De Giorgio, F.; Schoorl, J.M. |
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Title |
Why isolate during training? Social learning and social cognition applied as training approach for young horses (Equus caballus) |
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Conference Article |
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Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Proceedings of the 2. International Equine Science Meeting |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. 2. Int. Equine. Sci. Mtg |
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in press |
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Cognitive approach; Horse training; Horse-Human relationship; Social environment; Social learning |
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In the last decade an increasing number of studies has been oriented towards equine social learning and their social behavior within the herd (Kruger‚ 2006-2008). In social species, social learning is important to learn and gain useful skills to move and live in their own social and environmental context. Group housing has been recognized as an important element to fulfill the physical and behavioral needs of horses, especially their need for social contact (Søndergaard‚ 2011). Still‚ when it comes to horse training, the social aspect and‚ in general‚ cognitive abilities of the horse are rarely taken into account. Although it is widely accepted that social isolation is stressful for horse (Mal et al, 1991a and 1991b) still isolating a young horse is the first step when it comes to training methods. Due to tradition and culture and our performance-oriented society it is both difficult to accept and apply a different social/cognitive training approach. Training sessions are focused on immediate results whereas in cognitive learning part of the process is latent and will not be visible immediately‚ but taking the cognitive skills into account plays an important role in avoiding tension both in the horse as in the human-horse interaction (Baragli and De Giorgio, 2011). In this study we tested the possibility to apply social learning by creating a social environment‚ favoring a cognitive learning approach‚ for the training of six young horses. The group existed in three males and three females, between two and three years old. All six showed initial difficulties and defense to human interaction. They were housed in two groups in adjacent spacious paddocks where they had ample opportunity to move and express their individual and social behavioral repertoire. Each horse had one training session per week without isolating it from the others. The training sessions were held following a cognitive-relational model defined as the equine-zooanthropologic approach (De Giorgio, 2010 – Marchesini, 2011). The learning objectives were to be able to handle each horse‚ conduct it‚ saddle and ride it within a maximum time-frame of two years. Every time a defensive or alert behavior would occur the training activity was re-arranged to not over-pressure the horse. Therefore the persons working with the horses carried out the activities without tight expectations focusing on the horses’ positive attention. After eighteen months all six horses were used to the saddle and to riding. None of the horses ever fled or showed defense behavior and in the case of unexpected events they showed no emotional reactivity/reactive behavior. Today the horses show the same calm behavior whenever worked individually. This preliminary study highlights how social learning applied to equestrian activity can be fundamental for safety and welfare and the establishment of a more problem-free relationship between horse and human. Safety as the defensive behavior seems to have been reduced and welfare as the horses have been trained in a social context without being isolated and thus without being stressed during the training experience. |
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Corporate Author |
De Giorgio, F. |
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Xenophon Publishing |
Place of Publication |
Wald |
Editor |
Krueger, K. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5528 |
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Author |
Pokorná, M.; Bartošová, J. |
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Title |
Social learning in horses |
Type |
Conference Article |
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Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Proceedings of the 2. International Equine Science Meeting |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. 2. Int. Equine. Sci. Mtg |
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in press |
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Keywords |
horse, human demonstrator, interspecific observational learning |
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Abstract |
Social observational learning is one of learning abilities expected in domestic horses (Equus caballus) because of their ecological and evolutional history. However, a few studies on this type of learning in horses failed to provide clear evidence of observational learning and/or could not distinguished it from other types of learning. We tested interspecific observational learning abilities using the spatial task and a human demonstrator. We hypothesised that 1) horses with possibility of observing a human demonstrator will complete the task in shorter time than control horses without any demonstrator, and 2) horses observing a familiar demonstrator will carry out the task in shorter time than horses with an unfamiliar demonstrator due to established positive human-horse relationship. We randomly allocated 24 riding horses of mixed age and breed to three groups per 8 and started the task either with observing a familiar demonstrator, unfamiliar demonstrator or without demonstrator (control group). Each horse was released individually at the starting point in the experimental paddock and the latency to pass the task was recorded. A horse completed the task once it walked 25 m from the starting point to the squared area (4x4 m) fenced by a tape, went into it through the entrance on the opposite side and touched the bucket with food. Eight people served as demonstrators, each for one familiar and one unfamiliar horse. Horses from groups with a demonstrator, either familiar or unfamiliar, reached the food bucket significantly faster than control horses during the first trial (mean±SE: 29.1±3.13 s with familiar, 28.9±3.13 s unfamiliar and 41.5 ± 3.13 s without demonstrator, P<0.02, GLMM, PROC MIXED, SAS). Horses did not differ in time needed to reach the fence of the squared area, but in “solving time”, i.e. time from reaching the fence of the squared area and touching the bucket (14.6±2.34, 14.3±2.34 and 27.6±2.34 s in horses with familiar, unfamiliar or without demonstrator, P<0.001). Despite our presumption, the horses observing a familiar demonstrator finished the task in comparable time as horses with an unfamiliar demonstrator (P=0.85) which indicated little effect of long lasting positive relationship between a horse and a particular human. We found, however, large individual variability in performance of individual demonstrators. Further, horses did not differ in time needed to pass the same task without a demonstrator repeated either shortly or 7 days after the first test which supported that interspecific observational learning rather than social facilitation occurred. In conclusion, horses with a human demonstrator, regardless familiar or unfamiliar, were able to solve the task in shorter time compared to control horses but they did not differ in performing repeated task if they learned it by individual or social learning process. This indicates that interspecific observational learning does occur in horses. Supported by AWIN, EU FP7 project No. 266213. |
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Pokorná, M. |
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Xenophon Publishing |
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Wald |
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Krueger, K. |
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978-3-9808134-26 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5529 |
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