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Frontiers in psychology2020; 11; 562989; doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.562989

Horses Solve Visible but Not Invisible Displacement Tasks in an Object Permanence Paradigm.

Abstract: A key question in the field of animal cognition is how animals comprehend their physical world. Object permanence is one of the fundamental features of physical cognition. It is the ability to reason about hidden objects and to mentally reconstruct their invisible displacements. This cognitive skill has been studied in a wide range of species but never directly in the horse (). In this study, we therefore assessed the understanding of visible and invisible displacements in adult Welsh mares in two complementary experiments, using different horses. In experiment 1, visible displacement was investigated using two tasks adapted from the Uzgiris and Hunt scale 1. Invisible displacement was assessed using a transposition task, in which food was first hidden in one of two containers and the location of the containers was then switched. In experiment 2, we further investigated horses' understanding of visible and invisible displacements using an easier procedure designed to avoid potentially confounding factors. In both experiments, horses successfully completed the tasks involving visible displacement with two or three possible hiding places. However, in both experiments, horses failed the transposition tasks, suggesting that they may not be able to track the displacement of an object that is not directly perceived (i.e., invisible displacement). These results bring new insights into object permanence in horses and how they represent their physical world.
Copyright © 2020 Trösch, Flamand, Chasles, Nowak, Calandreau and Lansade.
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Publication Date: 2020-09-29 PubMed ID: 33117229PubMed Central: PMC7552213DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.562989Google 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 investigates the cognitive abilities of horses, specifically their understanding of object permanence—the idea that an object still exists even when it’s not immediately visible. The study found that while horses are good at tracking visible displacements of objects (when an object is moved from one place to another while in view), they struggle with comprehending invisible displacements (when an object’s movement is obscured or hidden).

Background

  • Animal cognition is a field of study devoted to understanding how animals perceive and understand their environment. This research specifically focuses on the concept of object permanence, which is considered a fundamental aspect of physical cognition.
  • While this cognitive skill has been studied in a wide range of species, there has been little research focused specifically on horses.

Methodology

  • Two complementary experiments were conducted on adult Welsh mares, each using different groups of horses.
  • Experiment 1: The horses’ understanding of visible displacement was tested using two tasks adapted from the Uzgiris and Hunt scale 1. Invisible displacement was tested using a transposition task, where food was hidden in one of two containers which were then switched around.
  • Experiment 2: Further investigation into the horses’ understanding of visible and invisible displacements was conducted using a simplified procedure designed to minimize potential confounding factors.

Results

  • The horses successfully completed visible displacement tasks in both experiments, even when there were two or three potential hiding spots for the objects.
  • However, horses were unsuccessful in the transposition tasks in both experiments, indicating that they may not possess the cognitive ability to track the displacement of an object that is not directly visible or perceptible.

Conclusion

  • This research provides new insights into the understanding of object permanence in horses and furthers our knowledge of how horses interact with and represent their physical world.
  • Despite successfully completing tasks involving visible displacements, the inability of the horses to process invisible displacements highlights certain limitations in their cognitive abilities.

Cite This Article

APA
Trösch M, Flamand A, Chasles M, Nowak R, Calandreau L, Lansade L. (2020). Horses Solve Visible but Not Invisible Displacement Tasks in an Object Permanence Paradigm. Front Psychol, 11, 562989. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.562989

Publication

Frontiers in psychology
ISSN: 1664-1078
NlmUniqueID: 101550902
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Pages: 562989
PII: 562989

Researcher Affiliations

Trösch, Miléna
  • UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportement (PRC), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation (IFCE), Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France.
Flamand, Anna
  • UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportement (PRC), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation (IFCE), Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France.
Chasles, Manon
  • UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportement (PRC), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation (IFCE), Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France.
Nowak, Raymond
  • UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportement (PRC), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation (IFCE), Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France.
Calandreau, Ludovic
  • UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportement (PRC), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation (IFCE), Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France.
Lansade, Léa
  • UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportement (PRC), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation (IFCE), Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
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