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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(24); 3514; doi: 10.3390/ani12243514

Garrano Horses Perceive Letters of the Alphabet on a Touchscreen System: A Pilot Study.

Abstract: This study aimed to use a computer-controlled touchscreen system to examine visual discrimination in Garrano horses (), an endangered breed of pony belonging to the Iberian horse family. This pilot study focused on the perceptual similarity among letters of the alphabet. We tested five horses in a one-male unit (OMU) living permanently in a semi-free enclosure near their natural habitat in Serra d'Arga, northern Portugal. Horses were trained to nose-touch black circles that appeared on the screen. Then, they were tested for discrimination of five letters of the Latin alphabet in Arial font, namely O, B, V, Z, and X, using a two-choice discrimination task. The confusion matrix of letter pairs was used to show the MDS and to identify the relative contribution of shape features. The results showed perceptual similarities among letters with curvatures pitted against those of straight lines. Shape perception in horses seems to share features with that of humans and other animals living in different niches. The touchscreen system proved to be an objective and innovative way of studying cognition in the socially organized group of horses. The automated system can promote the welfare of captive horses by maximizing their freedom of movement.
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Publication Date: 2022-12-12 PubMed ID: 36552434PubMed Central: PMC9774258DOI: 10.3390/ani12243514Google 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.

The research article is about a study that examines how Garrano horses perceive different letters of the alphabet using a touchscreen system.

Research Objective and Methodology

The research team aimed to understand the visual discrimination abilities of Garrano horses, an endangered breed of pony in the Iberian horse family. They devised an innovative approach to studying cognition in horses—an interactive, computer-controlled touchscreen method. This study was carried out with a group of five horses, consisting of a one-male unit living in a semi-free enclosure near their natural habitat in Serra d’Arga, northern Portugal.

Initially, the team trained the horses to nose-touch black circles that appeared on the touchscreen. Once this was established, they began testing the horses’ ability to discriminate between five letters of the Latin alphabet in Arial font: O, B, V, Z, and X. This was done using a two-choice discrimination task.

  • The team utilized a confusion matrix to analyze how often each of the horse misinterpreted one letter for another. This enabled them to identify perceptual similarities and differences between the selected letters.
  • The multidimensional scaling (MDS) applied would help discern the relative influence of shape features on the horse’s perception.

Major Findings

The test results revealed that horses were able to perceive letters differently based on their shape features:

  • The horses confused letters with similar curvatures, and separately, letters composed of straight lines with each other, indicating perceptual parallels based on the shape of the letters.
  • The shape perception in horses was found to share similar features with that of humans and other animals, even those residing in different niches.

Significance and Implications

This pilot study demonstrated that the touchscreen system is an effective, objective tool for studying cognition in horses. Furthermore, the automated system contributed positively to the living conditions of captive horses.

  • The touchscreen system introduced a novel way to increase our understanding of horse cognition, specifically in terms of visual discrimination capabilities.
  • The system allowed horses a degree of freedom of movement, thereby promoting better welfare conditions for captive horses.
  • This research could continue to evolve and possibly aid in the development and improvement of training programs for horses and other captive animals.

Cite This Article

APA
Schubert CL, Ryckewaert B, Pereira C, Matsuzawa T. (2022). Garrano Horses Perceive Letters of the Alphabet on a Touchscreen System: A Pilot Study. Animals (Basel), 12(24), 3514. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12243514

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 24
PII: 3514

Researcher Affiliations

Schubert, Clara-Lynn
  • Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering of Sorbonne University, CEDEX 05, 75005 Paris, France.
Ryckewaert, Barbara
  • Laboratory «Scenes of the World, Creation, Critical Knowledge», Doctoral School of Aesthetics, Sciences and Technology of the Arts, University of Paris 8 Vincennes, CEDEX 02, 93526 Saint-Denis, France.
Pereira, Carlos
  • Department of LEA (Applied Foreign Languages), University of Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle, CEDEX 05, 75230 Paris, France.
Matsuzawa, Tetsuro
  • Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
  • Department of Pedagogy, Chubu Gakuin University, Gifu 504-8037, Japan.
  • College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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