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Scientific reports2021; 11(1); 16184; doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-95727-8

Horses with sustained attention follow the pointing of a human who knows where food is hidden.

Abstract: When interacting with humans, domesticated species may respond to communicative gestures, such as pointing. However, it is currently unknown, except for in dogs, if species comprehend the communicative nature of such cues. Here, we investigated whether horses could follow the pointing of a human informant by evaluating the credibility of the information about the food-hiding place provided by the pointing of two informants. Using an object-choice task, we manipulated the attentional state of the two informants during food-hiding events and differentiated their knowledge about the location of the hidden food. Furthermore, we investigated the horses' visual attention levels towards human behaviour to evaluate the relationship between their motivation and their performance of the task. The result showed that horses that sustained high attention levels could evaluate the credibility of the information and followed the pointing of an informant who knew where food was hidden (Z =  - 2.281, P = 0.002, n = 36). This suggests that horses are highly sensitive to the attentional state and pointing gestures of humans, and that they perceive pointing as a communicative cue. This study also indicates that the motivation for the task should be investigated to determine the socio-cognitive abilities of animals.
© 2021. The Author(s).
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Publication Date: 2021-08-10 PubMed ID: 34376761PubMed Central: PMC8355342DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95727-8Google 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 how horses, when paying sustained attention, can follow a pointing gesture by a human who knows a hidden food location.

Introduction

In the study, the researchers explored how domesticated horses interact with humans, specifically responding to communicative gestures like pointing- a behavior previously established in dogs. The research aimed to investigate if the horses perceived these cues as communicative or otherwise, by evaluating their ability to follow the pointing by a human informant aware of a food-hiding place.

Methodology

  • The researchers employed an object-choice task, manipulating the informant’s attentional state during the process of hiding food.
  • The knowledge level of two different informants about the location of the hidden food was varied, aiming to present differed information credibility to the participating horses.
  • Sight attention towards human behaviour was observed, in an attempt to understand the correlation between the horse’s motivation towards performing the task and their ability to successfully perform it.

Results and Discussion

The results showed horses that were consistently attentive were competent at evaluating the credibility of the information given by a human pointer i.e., the informant who knew where the food was hidden. The high attention level-carrying horses managed to follow the pointing of the knowledgeable informant successfully.

Conclusion

This study indicates that horses are highly sensitive to the pointing gestures by humans when paying sustained attention, understanding the gesture as a communicative cue. The research also highlights the need for investigating the subject’s motivation when studying its socio-cognitive abilities. This could then provide a broader understanding of horse behavior or even the behavior of other domesticated animals.

Cite This Article

APA
Ringhofer M, Trösch M, Lansade L, Yamamoto S. (2021). Horses with sustained attention follow the pointing of a human who knows where food is hidden. Sci Rep, 11(1), 16184. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95727-8

Publication

Scientific reports
ISSN: 2045-2322
NlmUniqueID: 101563288
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Pages: 16184
PII: 16184

Researcher Affiliations

Ringhofer, Monamie
  • Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University, Yoshida Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 6068501, Japan. monamie.ringhofer@gmail.com.
Trösch, Miléna
  • INRAE, PRC, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
Lansade, Léa
  • INRAE, PRC, CNRS, IFCE, Université de Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
Yamamoto, Shinya
  • Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University, Yoshida Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 6068501, Japan.

MeSH Terms

  • Animal Communication
  • Animals
  • Attention / physiology
  • Choice Behavior
  • Comprehension
  • Female
  • Food
  • Gestures
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Recognition, Psychology
  • Signal Detection, Psychological
  • Social Behavior

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
  1. Liehrmann O, Cosnard C, Riihonen V, Viitanen A, Alander E, Jardat P, Koski SE, Lummaa V, Lansade L. What drives horse success at following human-given cues? An investigation of handler familiarity and living conditions. Anim Cogn 2023 Jul;26(4):1283-1294.
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  2. Gouyet C, Ringhofer M, Yamamoto S, Jardat P, Parias C, Reigner F, Calandreau L, Lansade L. Horses cross-modally recognize women and men. Sci Rep 2023 Mar 8;13(1):3864.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-30830-6pubmed: 36890162google scholar: lookup
  3. Schubert CL, Ryckewaert B, Pereira C, Matsuzawa T. Garrano Horses Perceive Letters of the Alphabet on a Touchscreen System: A Pilot Study. Animals (Basel) 2022 Dec 12;12(24).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12243514pubmed: 36552434google scholar: lookup
  4. Zeiträg C, Jensen TR, Osvath M. Gaze following: A socio-cognitive skill rooted in deep time. Front Psychol 2022;13:950935.
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  5. Maeda T, Yamamoto S. Drone Observation for the Quantitative Study of Complex Multilevel Societies. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jun 8;13(12).
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