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Author  |
Hothersall, B. | ||||
| Title | Preliminary studies on visuo-spatial cue use in horses | Type | Conference Article | ||
| Year | 2008 | Publication | IESM 2008 | Abbreviated Journal | |
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| Abstract | A number of discrimination learning studies suggest that horses attend to spatial cues in preference to visual ones. However, global and relative spatial cues have generally been confounded so it is not clear what information horses actually used. There has also been no study of whether one cue is learnt at the expense of another, or whether multiple cues are encoded but prioritised differently. We therefore carried out a series of studies examining how horses use different cues in learning a food-finding discrimination task. All studies used a criterion for success of 7/10 on two consecutive days (binomial test, p=0.0004). A pilot study showed that horses could discriminate between three buckets using visual cues (striped, chequered or plain patterns). All four subjects performed significantly above chance levels, although one horse’s performance did not meet the criterion. Three others completed the task in between two and 12 sessions. There were some indications that horses tried to solve the task using irrelevant spatial information. Nine foals were then taught to find a food reward using the same three patterned buckets placed in a row in any corner of a test arena. In Stage 1 the rewarded bucket was signified both by visual cues (pattern) and by relative spatial cues (left, middle or right position). Foals took between 2 and 10 days to complete the task , whereupon the cues were separated. Foals then had to ignore the inappropriate cue in Stage 2. For the Spatial group (n=5), only relative position remained relevant; for the Visual Group (n=4) bucket pattern indicated the rewarded bucket. Spatial group foals completed Stage 2 faster than Visual group foals (Mann Whitney U, z=-2.71, p=0.008). Position cues seemed to overshadow learning about visual cues: Visual group foals persisted in responding to the previously correct position and none reached criterion within the maximum available time (15 days to complete both stages). Finally, five adult horses and one 10 month old filly learnt to find a reward in one of three identical yellow buckets whose position in an array (left, middle or right) and location within the test arena were consistent. On reaching criterion, responses were recorded in two unrewarded probe trials where the buckets were either shifted along the same axis or rotated by 90º. When the array was shifted, five out of six horses chose the previously correct position (binomial test, p=0.018) that was now in a new location within the school. Choices were not significantly different from random when the array was rotated, suggesting that the horses had learnt something about global cues even if they did not use them in selecting a bucket. At the small scale tested, relative spatial cues (position with regard to other goals) seemed to be more important to horses than either visual cues or global spatial cues, though the latter appeared to be encoded to some extent. Reliance on spatial cues may reflect their usefulness in the horse’s natural lifestyle in navigating over long distances and feeding on visually similar plants. |
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| Address | University of Bristol, Clinical Veterinary Science | ||||
| Corporate Author | Hothersall, B. | Thesis | |||
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| Area | Expedition | Conference | IESM 2008 | ||
| Notes | Talk 15 min IESM 2008 | Approved | yes | ||
| Call Number | Equine Behaviour @ team @ | Serial | 4493 | ||
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| Author |
Hothersall, B.; Gale, E.; Harris, P.; Nicol, C. | ||||
| Title | Cue use by foals (Equus caballus) in a discrimination learning task | Type | Journal Article | ||
| Year | 2010 | Publication | Animal Cognition | Abbreviated Journal | Anim. Cogn. |
| Volume | 13 | Issue | 1 | Pages | 63-74 |
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| Abstract | Abstract Discrimination learning studies suggest that horses learn more easily using spatial than visible object-specific (OS) cues. However, spatial cues have generally confounded intra-array, distal and/or egocentric spatial information. It is also unclear whether conflicting cues compete for association or are redundantly encoded, and furthermore, the influence of prior experiences or training has not been quantified so far. We examined the effect of cue modality on unweaned foals’ performance in a discrimination learning task. After a pilot study confirmed that horses could perform the required OS cue discrimination, nine foals learnt to find food in one of three covered buckets, in any of four positions within a test arena. In Stage 1 the rewarded bucket was signified both by OS cues (pattern) and by relative spatial cues (position). On reaching criterion, cues were separated and foals had to ignore the inappropriate cue (Stage 2). Foals assigned to follow spatial cues (n = 5) completed Stage 2 faster than foals for whom OS cues remained consistent (n = 4). Spatial group foals all reached criterion without delay; no foal in the OS group reached criterion within the testing period. OS group foals initially persisted in responding to the previously correct position, adopting spatially-based strategies when this proved unsuccessful. The findings show for the first time that, even in the absence of distal spatial information, intra-array spatial cues were more salient than OS cues for foals in a food-finding task and learning appeared rather inflexible. | ||||
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| Notes | Approved | no | |||
| Call Number | Equine Behaviour @ team @ | Serial | 5082 | ||
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| Author |
Hothersall, B.; Harris, P.; Sörtoft, L.; Nicol, C.J. | ||||
| Title | Discrimination between conspecific odour samples in the horse (Equus caballus) | Type | Journal Article | ||
| Year | 2010 | Publication | Applied Animal Behaviour Science | Abbreviated Journal | Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume | 126 | Issue | 1-2 | Pages | 37-44 |
| Keywords | Horse; Olfaction; Social discrimination; Urine; Faeces | ||||
| Abstract | Behavioural observations suggest that smell is important in social discriminations between horses but balanced studies of this capacity are lacking. We used a habituation-discrimination procedure to investigate the ability of horses to distinguish between pairs of odour samples from different individuals. In Study 1, separate tests were conducted for urine, faeces or fleece fabric previously rubbed on the coat (to pick up body odour samples (BOS)) and donor pairs differed in sex, and age. 10 pregnant mares each underwent three tests, one per sample type. A test consisted of three successive 2-min presentations of a sample from Individual A with a simultaneous presentation of a sample from Individual B during the final presentation. Doubly repeated measures ANOVA indicated a main effect of sample type on investigative response (df = 2, f = 7.98, P = 0.004): durations were longer for BOS than for urine or faeces but habituation across trials was most consistent for urine. In the final presentation, mares demonstrated discrimination by investigating the novel urine sample (B) more than the repeated sample (novel: median 8.0 s, IQR = 10; repeated: median 2.5 s, IQR = 6; z = -2.558, P = 0.008). In Study 2, urine samples from castrated male donors were used and neither mares nor their 4-month-old foals discriminated between samples from different individuals in the final presentation. The findings suggest that urine odour may contain some information that horses can use to discriminate between conspecifics. This may be limited to the level of broad categories such as sex or reproductive status; further investigation is needed to reveal what functional information can be transmitted and what compounds are involved. | ||||
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| ISSN | 0168-1591 | ISBN | Medium | ||
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| Notes | Approved | no | |||
| Call Number | Equine Behaviour @ team @ | Serial | 5134 | ||
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| Author |
Hothersall, B.; Nicol, C. | ||||
| Title | Role of Diet and Feeding in Normal and Stereotypic Behaviors in Horses | Type | Journal Article | ||
| Year | 2009 | Publication | Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice | Abbreviated Journal | Clinical Nutrition |
| Volume | 25 | Issue | 1 | Pages | 167-181 |
| Keywords | Equine behavior; Diet; Crib-biting; Stereotypy; Weaning; Tryptophan; Insulin | ||||
| Abstract | This article reviews the effects of diet on equine feeding behavior and feeding patterns, before considering the evidence that diet affects reactivity in horses. A growing body of work suggests that fat- and fiber-based diets may result in calmer patterns of behavior, and possible mechanisms that may underpin these effects are discussed. In contrast, there is little evidence that herbal- or tryptophan-containing supplements influence equine behavior in any measurable way. The role of diet in the development of abnormal oral behaviors, particularly the oral stereotypy crib-biting, is also reviewed, and suggestions for future work are presented. | ||||
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| ISSN | 0749-0739 | ISBN | Medium | ||
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| Notes | Approved | no | |||
| Call Number | Equine Behaviour @ team @ | Serial | 4945 | ||
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| Author |
Hothersall, B.; Nicol, C. | ||||
| Title | Equine learning behaviour: accounting for ecological constraints and relationships with humans in experimental design | Type | Journal Article | ||
| Year | 2007 | Publication | Behavioural Processes | Abbreviated Journal | Behav. Process. |
| Volume | 76 | Issue | 1 | Pages | 45-48 |
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| Notes | Approved | no | |||
| Call Number | refbase @ user @ | Serial | 632 | ||
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