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| Author |
McBride, S.D.; Wolf, B. |
| Title |
Using multivariate statistical analysis to measure ovine temperament; stability of factor construction over time and between groups of animals |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
2007 |
Publication  |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
103 |
Issue |
1-2 |
Pages |
45-58 |
| Keywords |
Arena test; Factor analysis; Temperament; Sheep |
| Abstract |
The ovine arena test in conjunction with multivariate statistical analysis (factor analysis) may be a means of measuring ovine temperament for practical purposes. Stability of factor construction over time and between groups of animals is considered to demonstrate trait consistency and is, therefore, one of the first steps in validating a temperament/personality test from this perspective. The aim of this study, therefore, was to assess the stability of factor construction, as a measure of trait consistency, using arena test data from three groups of animals with one group (Group 1) tested repeatedly over three rounds (twice at 8 months and once at 22 months of age). Group 1 consisted of 193 mule (Bluefaced Leicester Sire x Scottish Blackface/Welsh Speckled Face dam), ewe lambs (8 months old). Groups 2 and 3 consisted of 189 and 185 mules, respectively (14 months old). All animals were tested for 6 min in a 13 m x 3 m arena. Factor analysis (varimax rotation) was performed twice on the behavioural data (latency to bleat, total number of vocalisations, distance travelled, time spent in different areas of the arena and number of times crossing in and out of pertinent areas), initially using all data recorded on a per minute basis (`Per Minute') for all 6 min of the test (10 factors extracted) and then using total values (`Total'), the summation of the 6 min for each behaviour measured (4 factors extracted). Stability of factor loadings between rounds and between groups was tested using Kendall's coefficient of concordance. For the `Per Minute' data, 5 out of the 10 factors showed significant (p < 0.05) concordance between rounds whilst 9 out of 10 factors showed significant (p < 0.05) concordance between groups. All four factors generated from the `Total' data demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) concordance between rounds and between groups. The four factors generated from the `Total' data were considered to be of potential merit for future studies. These factors were named--`conspecific motivation-fear', `conspecific motivation-distress', `activity' and `low conspecific motivation'. |
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295 |
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Sarova, R.; Spinka, M.; Panama, J.L.A. |
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Synchronization and leadership in switches between resting and activity in a beef cattle herd--A case study |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
108 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
327-331 |
| Keywords |
Beef cattle; Activity synchronization; Leadership; Dominance |
| Abstract |
The mechanisms of activity synchronization in group living ungulates are not well understood. In a case study on herd of 15 Gasconne beef cows with calves observed during a total of 25 summer daylight periods in 2004 and 2005, we examined whether cows similar to each other in body weight or in reproductive status were more synchronized and whether the timing of activity switches were determined by specific leading animals. We calculated the synchronization of all possible pairs of cows in the herd and tested the effects of similarity in body weight and in reproductive status (lactating versus non-lactating) on synchronization in the pair. Further, we assessed whether any specific individuals, and especially the dominant cows, were more able, through their own activity switch, to incite another cow to follow shortly with her switch in activity. We found that body weight differences had a negative influence on pair synchronization (GLMM, F1,65 = 6.79; p < 0.05), but reproductive status did not affect the synchronization. Cows' individual identity explained only a small proportion (<2%) of variability in intervals between switches of subsequent cows. Furthermore, dominance status of an individual cow did not correlate with mean interval between her activity switches and activity switches of the next cow (lying down: Spearman correlation, rs = -0.16, n = 14, p > 0.10; standing up: Spearman correlation, rs = -0.38, n = 14, p > 0.10), indicating that there were no leading animals initiating switches in activity in our herd. |
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2025 |
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Lloyd, A.S.; Martin, J.E.; Bornett-Gauci, H.L.I.; Wilkinson, R.G. |
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Evaluation of a novel method of horse personality assessment: Rater-agreement and links to behaviour |
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Journal Article |
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2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
105 |
Issue |
1-3 |
Pages |
205-222 |
| Keywords |
Personality; Horse; Individual differences; Behaviour; Reliability |
| Abstract |
The efficacy of questionnaire-based personality assessment has been shown in a variety of animal and human personality studies. There has been a recent increase in questionnaire-based studies focussing on equine personality but with a lack of comparability to studies on other species. The aim of this study was to test the reliability of an assessment method originally developed for primates and demonstrate reliability using three criteria (1) assessments by independent observers must agree with one another, (2) these assessments must predict behaviours and real-world outcomes and (3) observer ratings must be shown to reflect genuine attributes of the individuals rated, not merely the observer's implicit personality theories about how traits co-vary. The personality of 61 horses (Equus caballus) was assessed using a questionnaire constructed of 30 behaviourally defined adjectives (BDAs). Horses were each assessed by three judges, in addition to a total of 2 h behaviour observations recorded per horse. Rater agreement was demonstrated for 72.1% of the horses and 25 of the BDAs. Principal component analysis was carried out on the rating data and revealed six underlying personality components that were labelled “dominance”, “anxiousness”, “excitability”, “protection”, “sociability” and “inquisitiveness”. Component scores for horses were correlated against behavioural observations for the same horses and revealed significant correlations with 20 of the recorded behaviour variables. Correlations between specific components and their associated behaviours were logical and consistent with the types of behaviours that would be expected to be linked with such personality types. The data were shown to meet all three criteria and provided strong evidence that the assessment method was reliably measuring horse personality. |
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1981 |
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Nogueira, S.S. da C.; Nogueira-Filho, S.L.G.; Bassford, M.; Silvius, K.; Fragoso, J.M.V. |
| Title |
Feral pigs in Hawai`i: Using behavior and ecology to refine control techniques |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
108 |
Issue |
1-2 |
Pages |
1-11 |
| Keywords |
Sus scrofa; Invasive species; Wildlife management; Pest management; Vertebrate pest control |
| Abstract |
Early Polynesians settlers were the first to introduce pigs to the Hawaiian Islands. Later Captain Cook brought European pigs during his first voyage to Hawai`i. Many other importations have followed. Animals from these introductions became feral and dispersed throughout the islands. Free-ranging pigs are now considered pests with negative impacts on some native biota. Several methods to control the ecological damage attributed to pigs have been adopted, such as fencing, hunting, live trapping and poisoning. However, the absence of behavioral knowledge in current control programs has resulted in inefficient management of this species. Therefore, the feral pig problem continues, and what before was almost strictly an agricultural and conservation concern has now become an urban problem as well. The aim of this study is to describe the state of knowledge on feral pig behavior in the Hawaiian Islands, introducing potential management approaches derived from the principles of behavioral ecology. Considering behavioral aspects of feral pig ecology, such as cognition and communication could help improve capture techniques, keep feral pigs away from urban areas and begin to resolve human-wildlife conflicts. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2887 |
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| Author |
Watanabe, S. |
| Title |
How animal psychology contributes to animal welfare |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
106 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
193-202 |
| Keywords |
Animal welfare; Anthropomorphism; Animal psychology; Reinforcement; Socially constructed concept |
| Abstract |
This article explores the contribution of animal psychology to animal welfare. Since animal welfare includes subjective welfare, it is crucial to know the subjective world of animals. Analysis of the concept of anthropomorphism is particularly important because it is a basic idea of animal ethics. The history of animal psychology, focusing on anthropomorphism and behaviourism, is briefly described, and then measurement of the subjective experience of animals in two ways, namely animal cognition and pleasure or reinforcing effects, is reported. Finally, it is suggested that animal welfare is not a permanently fixed idea, but a socially constructed one that can be changed. To gain widespread agreement about a socially constructed idea, it is important to know in which circumstances ordinary people employ metaphorical extension to an understanding of animal behaviour. In other words, a survey of “folk animal psychology” is important in order to establish a consensus about animal welfare. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2888 |
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Meehan, C.L.; Mench, J.A. |
| Title |
The challenge of challenge: Can problem solving opportunities enhance animal welfare? |
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Journal Article |
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2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
102 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
246-261 |
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Cognition; Environmental enrichment; Challenge; Eustress; Problem solving; Intrinsic motivation |
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Cognitive mechanisms are an important part of the organization of the behavior systems of animals. In the wild, animals regularly face problems that they must overcome in order to survive and thrive. Solving such problems often requires animals to process, store, retrieve, and act upon information from the environment--in other words, to use their cognitive skills. For example, animals may have to use navigational, tool-making or cooperative social skills in order to procure their food. However, many enrichment programs for captive animals do not include the integration of these types of cognitive challenges. Thus, foraging enrichments typically are designed to facilitate the physical expression of feeding behaviors such as food-searching and food consumption, but not to facilitate complex problem solving behaviors related to food acquisition. Challenging animals by presenting them with problems is almost certainly a source of frustration and stress. However, we suggest here that this is an important, and even necessary, feature of an enrichment program, as long as animals also possess the skills and resources to effectively solve the problems with which they are presented. We discuss this with reference to theories about the emotional consequences of coping with challenge, the association between lack of challenge and the development of abnormal behavior, and the benefits of stress (arousal) in facilitating learning and memory of relevant skills. Much remains to be done to provide empirical support for these theories. However, they do point the way to a practical approach to improving animal welfare--to design enrichments to facilitate the cognitive mechanisms which underlie the performance of complex behaviors that cannot be performed due to the restrictions inherent to the captive environment. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2890 |
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Gifford, A.K.; Cloutier, S.; Newberry, R.C. |
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Objects as enrichment: Effects of object exposure time and delay interval on object recognition memory of the domestic pig |
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Journal Article |
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2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
107 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
206-217 |
| Keywords |
Pig; Cognition; Exploratory behaviour; Animal welfare; Environmental enrichment |
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A modified spontaneous object recognition test was used to examine object recognition memory in the domestic pig. This test uses preference for a novel object over a previously encountered sample object as indicating recognition of the sample object, and no preference as indicating no recognition. Two factors hypothesized to affect object recognition are duration of exposure to the sample stimulus and delay interval before re-exposure. Both of these factors could be manipulated in a rotational object enrichment program for pigs. Reducing exposure time and increasing the delay interval before re-exposure should decrease object recognition and prolong novelty-induced object exploration. We exposed 5-week-old pigs to different sample objects in their home pens for 10 min and 2 days, respectively. We tested for object recognition memory at various delay intervals after initial exposure by placing littermate pairs in a test pen for 10 min and recording snout contact with a sample object and a completely novel object. At a 1-h delay, half the pairs were tested with the 2-day sample object; the other half received the 10-min sample object. At a 3-h delay, pairs were tested with the opposite sample object. Pairs were also tested with the 2-day sample at a 5-day delay and the 10-min sample at a 6-day delay. We predicted that pigs would show a preference for the novel versus the 2-day sample object at all three delays, but would only prefer the novel object over the 10-min sample object at the 1-h and 3-h delays. Pigs did not show novelty preference in the presence of the 10-min sample object at any delay. Novelty preference in the presence of the 2-day sample object occurred at the 3-h (P < 0.05) and 5-day delays (P < 0.001), but not the 1-h delay. The lack of novelty preference when pigs were tested with the 10-min sample object may have been due to failure to habituate to the sample object. Testing in a different location from the initial sample object exposure and retroactive interference from exposure to the 10-min sample object may have contributed to a temporary lack of novelty preference when pigs were tested with the 2-day sample object at the 1-h delay. The finding that pigs retained a memory for the 2-day sample object for at least 5 days suggests that restricting object exposure to less than 2 days may help to preserve the exploratory value of objects rotated among pens. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2892 |
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Langbein, J.; Siebert, K.; Nuernberg, G.; Manteuffel, G. |
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The impact of acoustical secondary reinforcement during shape discrimination learning of dwarf goats (Capra hircus) |
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Journal Article |
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2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
103 |
Issue |
1-2 |
Pages |
35-44 |
| Keywords |
Dwarf goats; Operant conditioning; Visual discrimination learning; Secondary reinforcement |
| Abstract |
The use of secondary reinforcement is widely accepted to support operant learning in animals. In farm animals, however, the efficacy of secondary reinforcement has up to now been studied systematically only in horses (“clicker training”), and the results are controversial. We investigated the impact of acoustical secondary reinforcement on voluntary, self-controlled visual discrimination learning of two-dimensional shapes in group-housed dwarf goats (Capra hircus). Learning tests were conducted applying a computer-controlled learning device that was integrated in the animals' home pen. Shapes were presented on a TFT-screen using a four-choice design. Drinking water was used as primary reinforcement. In the control group (Gcontrol, n = 5) animals received only primary reinforcement, whereas in the sound group (Gsound, n = 6) animals got additional acoustical secondary reinforcement. Testing recall of shapes which had been successfully learned by the goats 6 weeks earlier (T1), we found a weak impact of secondary reinforcement on daily learning success (P = 0.07), but not on the number of trials the animals needed to reach the learning criterion (trials to criterion, n.s.). Results in T1 indicated that dwarf goats did not instantly recall previously learned shapes, but, re-learned within 250-450 trials. When learning a set of new shapes (T2), there was a strong influence of secondary reinforcement on daily learning success and on trials to criterion. Animals in Gsound reached the learning criterion earlier (P < 0.05) and needed fewer trials (1320 versus 3700; P < 0.01), compared to animals in Gcontrol. Results suggest that acoustical secondary reinforcement supports visual discrimination learning of dwarf goats, especially when the task is new and the salience of S+ is low. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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3583 |
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Fleurance, G.; Duncan, P.; Fritz, H.; Cabaret, J.; Cortet, J.; Gordon, I.J. |
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Selection of feeding sites by horses at pasture: Testing the anti-parasite theory |
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Journal Article |
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2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
108 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
228-301 |
| Keywords |
Foraging strategies; Horses; Parasite risk; Patch choice |
| Abstract |
Management of grazed grasslands for production and/or conservation objectives requires a thorough understanding of the choices of feeding sites by herbivores, and of the biological processes involved. Most models of the feeding strategies of herbivores are based on the principle that optimising the intake of energy (or some nutrient) is the primary goal of foragers but other selective forces, such as parasitism, could be important. Gastrointestinal parasites (including cyathostome nematodes) have powerful effects on the fitness of herbivores and may act as a major selection pressure favouring host behaviour that reduces the risk of encountering parasites. Among large herbivores, horses have perhaps the most marked tendency to select particular feeding sites within grasslands. We test here: (1) whether horses select feeding patches with relatively low parasite densities and (2) if their choice is affected by their parasite load. We used 10 two-year old saddle-horses and three periods. In the first period, the horses were under natural parasitism which varied strongly among individuals; in the second period they were all dewormed, and in the third, a sub-set of the horses was experimentally infected with cyathostome larvae. Ninety-eight percent of the infective larvae in the pasture were found <1 m from faeces. The main determinant of the choice of feeding patch by horses was the availability of patches of different parasite risk and grass height. Controlling for availability, the horses used tall grasses (>16 cm) less than expected, whether the grass was contaminated or not, and they selected for short patches >1 m from faeces, where the risk of encountering parasites was low. These results suggest that selection of feeding sites by horses is driven by an interaction between their nutritional and anti-parasite strategies: the horses avoid the patches of tall grass which are generally of low quality and areas contaminated by parasite larvae which leads them to prefer the patches of short grass far from faeces. The parasite status of the horses at the time of the experiment had no effect on their feeding choices. However, before concluding that the challenge by cyathostomes has no effect on the selection of feeding sites in horses, it will be necessary to test whether the history of parasitism of the individuals, rather than the current status, is important. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4228 |
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Hausberger, M.; Gautier, E.; Muller, C.; Jego, P. |
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Lower learning abilities in stereotypic horses |
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Journal Article |
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2007 |
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Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
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Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
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107 |
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3-4 |
Pages |
299-306 |
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Stereotypies; Learning ability; Horses |
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The question of whether motor stereotypies may be associated with learning disorders is a highly debated issue both in humans and animals, but evidence is still scarce. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between the occurrence of stereotypic behaviours in horses where stereotypies are well described and learning abilities measurable. Seventy horses were observed in their box at two periods (August and November) and were then submitted to an instrumental task (opening a chest by raising the lid using the nose). Fifty-one of them had shown stereotypic behaviours at both periods. It appeared that more stereotypic horses (36/51) were unsuccessful than non-stereotypic horses (3/19) in the learning task. When successful, they required a longer time in order to perform the task (368 s on average against 220 for the non-stereotypic horses). No difference was found according to the type of stereotypy performed. This is to our knowledge the first time that a relation is found between stereotypy and learning in an animal species. The additional finding that stereotypic horses spent less time lying down and sleeping suggests a possible role of attentional processes. This finding has important implications for the horse industry. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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