How accurate are we at assessing others’ well-being? The example of welfare assessment in horses.
Abstract: Healthcare practitioners such as physicians or nurses often underestimate patients' well-being impairment (e.g., pain, anxiety) which may lead to undesirable consequences on treatment decisions. Lack of recognition/identification of signals and over-exposure are two reasons invoked, but a combination of factors may be involved. Studying human decoding of animals' expressions of emotions showed that "identification" to the subject was necessary to decode the other's internal state. In the present study we wanted to compare caretakers' reports on the prevalence of stereotypic or abnormal repetitive behaviors, to ethological observations performed by an experienced observer on the same horses in order to test the impact of these different factors. On the first hand, a questionnaire was given hand to hand to the caretakers. On the other hand, the experienced observer spent 18 h observing the horses in each stable. Here we show that caretakers strongly underestimate horses' expressions of well-being impairment. The caretakers who had a strong concern about their horses' well-being were also those who reported the more accurately SB/ARB's prevalence, showing that "identification" to the subject is a primary factor of bad-being signal's detection. Over-exposure also appeared to be involved as no SB/ARB was reported in stables where most of the horses were performing these abnormal behaviors. Being surrounded by a large population of individuals expressing clear signals of bad-being may change professionals' perceptions of what are behaviors or expressions of well being. These findings are of primary importance as (1) they illustrate the interest of using human-animal relationships to evaluate humans' abilities to decode others' states; (2) they put limitations on questionnaire-based studies of welfare.
Publication Date: 2014-01-24 PubMed ID: 24478748PubMed Central: PMC3900850DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00021Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article highlights the discrepancies between caregivers’ perception of horses’ well-being and the actual state of the animals, as observed by an experienced professional. The study suggests that caregivers often underestimate the extent of well-being impairment in horses and that factors, such as the caregiver’s emotional identification with their horses, play a role in this assessment.
Objective and Methods of the Study
- The research aimed to compare the subjective assessments of horse caretakers regarding the horses’ well-being and an experienced observer’s objective evaluation. The idea was to reveal whether animal caretakers fail to recognize signs of distress in their animals due to over-exposure or lack of adequate identification with them.
- A two-pronged approach was adopted to collect data. Caretakers were given questionnaires to assess their perspectives, while the observer spent a total of 18 hours observing the horses in their stables to gather a more objective understanding of their wellbeing.
Findings of the Study
- The study found that caretakers grossly underestimate signals of well-being impairment in their horses. Such underestimation may be due to several factors such as over-exposure to the horses’ normal and abnormal behaviors and a lack of recognition of the animals’ signals expressing distress.
- The research also discovered that caretakers who demonstrated a strong concern about their horses’ well-being were often more accurate in reporting incidents of stereotypic or abnormal repetitive behaviors (SB/ARB). This situation indicates that emotional identification with the animals plays a significant role in correctly recognizing signals of distress.
- Another crucial observation was that the prevalence of SB/ARB was not reported in stables where most horses were performing these behaviors. This finding indicates that experiencing an environment saturated with negative signals could affect professional caretakers’ perception of normalcy, leading them to ignore or downplay more serious signs of distress.
Significance of the Research
- This study helps to understand human capability and limitations in accurately assessing another’s emotional states, using human-animal relationships as a model. The findings put light on the role of emotional identification and exposure level in this assessment.
- The research asserts the inherent limitations of questionnaire-based studies that often rely on subjective reports, underlining the importance of incorporating objective observations or metrics for a more holistic and accurate understanding of animal welfare.
Cite This Article
APA
Lesimple C, Hausberger M.
(2014).
How accurate are we at assessing others’ well-being? The example of welfare assessment in horses.
Front Psychol, 5, 21.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00021 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Laboratoire d'Éthologie Animale et Humaine EthoS, UMR CNRS 6552, Université de Rennes 1 Rennes Cedex, France.
- Laboratoire d'Éthologie Animale et Humaine EthoS, UMR CNRS 6552, Université de Rennes 1 Rennes Cedex, France.
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