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Frontiers in psychology2012; 3; 306; doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00306

Do horses expect humans to solve their problems?

Abstract: Domestic animals are highly capable of detecting human cues, while wild relatives tend to perform less well (e.g., responding to pointing gestures). It is suggested that domestication may have led to the development of such cognitive skills. Here, we hypothesized that because domestic animals are so attentive and dependant to humans' actions for resources, the counter effect may be a decline of self sufficiency, such as individual task solving. Here we show a negative correlation between the performance in a learning task (opening a chest) and the interest shown by horses toward humans, despite high motivation expressed by investigative behaviors directed at the chest. If human-directed attention reflects the development of particular skills in domestic animals, this is to our knowledge the first study highlighting a link between human-directed behaviors and impaired individual solving task skills (ability to solve a task by themselves) in horses.
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Publication Date: 2012-08-24 PubMed ID: 22936923PubMed Central: PMC3426792DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00306Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research study investigates whether domesticated animals, particularly horses, might have developed a dependence on humans to solve their problems due to the active role that humans play in their lives.

Objective of the Research

  • The study aims to explore the impact of domestication on the cognitive skills of animals. It questions whether animals’ dependence on humans for resources may have led to decreased self-sufficiency and impaired ability to solve tasks individually.

Methodology and Procedure

  • The performance of horses is observed in a learning task, specifically opening a chest. The researchers then scrutinize the relationship between this performance and the extent to which the horses show interest towards humans.
  • The level of motivation of the horses is measured by their investigative behaviors directed towards the chest.

Findings and Conclusion

  • The results reveal a negative correlation between the horses’ interest in humans and their performance in the learning task. This indicates that the more attention horses pay to humans, the less able they are to solve tasks on their own.
  • The study proposes that this reliance on humans may be a consequence of the cognitive skills domestic animals have developed over time.
  • This research, as far as the authors are aware, is the first to demonstrate a link between human-directed behaviors and weakened individual problem-solving skills in horses.

It should be noted that while these findings provide valuable insight into the cognitive impact of domestication, they are based on a single species (horses) and a specific task. Further research would be useful to generalize these findings across a broader array of domesticated animals and tasks.

Cite This Article

APA
Lesimple C, Sankey C, Richard MA, Hausberger M. (2012). Do horses expect humans to solve their problems? Front Psychol, 3, 306. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00306

Publication

Frontiers in psychology
ISSN: 1664-1078
NlmUniqueID: 101550902
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 3
Pages: 306
PII: 306

Researcher Affiliations

Lesimple, C
  • Laboratoire d'Éthologie Animale et Humaine EthoS - UMR CNRS 6552, Station Biologique, Université de Rennes 1 Paimpont, France.
Sankey, C
    Richard, M A
      Hausberger, M

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        Citations

        This article has been cited 17 times.
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