Emotional state and personality influence cognitive flexibility in horses (Equus caballus).

This study investigates the effect of positive and negative emotions on the cognitive abilities, specifically learning flexibility and acquisition, in horses. It also looks into the role of personality, identifying a connection between fearless personality traits and improved acquisition and cognitive flexibility.

Research Methodology and Participants

• The research involved a total of 55 mares (female horses) which were first assessed for their specific personality traits.
• They were then exposed to varied scenarios involving different emotional contexts, through what is known as instrumental conditioning.

Types of Instrumental Conditioning

• The horses were conditioned in a box where three different emotional events were carried out. The events ranged from negative events such as sudden stimuli, positive events like reward, and neutral scenarios that did not comprise any specific event.
• The negative and positive event-conditioning are coded as E⸺ and E⸺ respectively, while the neutral scenario is labelled as E⁰.

Induced Emotional States and Behavioral Responses

• The research found that horses’ behavior and physiological responses varied according to the induced emotional state.
• Negative situations caused stress in horses, while positive situations induced a relaxed or excited state.

Findings on Learning Acquisition and Flexibility

• The research found that the performance of horses was not influenced by their emotional state during the acquisition phase — the phase when they were in the process of learning.
• However, E⸺ horses (those exposed to positive emotional events) exhibited superior learning flexibility during the extinction phase (the phase when the learned behaviour is no longer reinforced) compared to horses that were associated with negative or neutral emotional events.

Role of Personality

• The study also uncovered a link between personality and cognitive performance.
• Horses with a “fearless” personality demonstrated better performance in learning acquisition and showed an increase in cognitive flexibility.

Conclusion

• Through the study, it was observed that the horse’s emotional state greatly impacted their cognitive performance.
• Interestingly, it was found that positive emotional conditions enhanced the cognitive flexibility of horses.
• Moreover, horses with fearless personalities were found to be more receptive to learning and adept at cognitive flexibility.