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Home / Equine Research Bank / Anim Cogn / How does the expressiveness of leaders affect followership i...
Animal cognition2020; 23(3); 559-569; doi: 10.1007/s10071-020-01361-8

How does the expressiveness of leaders affect followership in domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus)?

Abstract: In collective movements, some individuals are more effective and attractive leaders than others. Parameters such as social network, personality, and physiologic needs failed to explain why group members follow one leader more than another. In this study in the domestic horse, we propose to focus on the leader's attitude and its impact to the followers' recruitment during two conditions: spontaneous group departures or experimentally induced departures. We postulate that the expressiveness of the leader could enhance its attractiveness and thus produce a successful followership. We found that a high expressiveness level is associated with a high curiosity score and with a low social status. This propensity to initiate while being expressive was higher in the experimental condition than in the spontaneous condition which was expected, since the experimental procedure sought to increase the motivation of initiators with a highly appetent reward. Moreover, the more intense the leader's expressiveness is, the faster the followers will join the movement regardless of the condition. This positive and dynamic attitude can be perceived as an attractive feature by the followers. Finally, we evidenced collective arousal in followers initiated by the leader that could be essential for group cohesion. The present study is the first to investigate the expressiveness level in animals, and provides new insights into the emergence of leadership.
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Publication Date: 2020-02-17 PubMed ID: 32065307PubMed Central: 4444174DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01361-8Google 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.

The research article investigates how the expressiveness of a leader horse affects the followership behavior in a group of domestic horses. The study finds that expressive leader horses tend to be more attractive to followers thereby facilitating group cohesion.

Objective of the Research

  • The study revolves around understanding why certain individuals in collective movements, specifically domestic horses, are perceived as better leaders than others. The aim is to delve deep into the leader’s expressiveness and its influence over followers’ recruitment power.

Methodology and Conditions of the Experiment

  • The experiment was conducted under two conditions; spontaneous group departures and experimentally induced departures. These two conditions were chosen to draw a comparison between natural and induced leadership dynamics.
  • The study postulates that the expressiveness of the leader might be the factor driving successful followership.

Findings

  • The results showed that leaders with a high level of expressiveness tend to have high curiosity scores and low social status within the group.
  • In the experimental condition where a reward increased the initiator’s motivation, the leader’s expressiveness had a stronger impact compared to the spontaneous condition, suggesting that expressiveness can indeed enhance attractiveness to followers.
  • Interestingly, researchers observed that the intensity of the leader’s expressiveness influences the speed of followers joining the movement, regardless of the condition. This implies that a positive and dynamic attitude in a leader might be an attractive feature for followers.

Overall Impact

  • The research observed collective arousal among the followers, triggered by the expressiveness of the leader; a factor which may be key to group cohesion.
  • This research brings new insights into how leadership emerges in animals, taking the study of expressiveness in animals a step further.

Cite This Article

APA
Gérard C, Valenchon M, Poulin N, Petit O. (2020). How does the expressiveness of leaders affect followership in domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus)? Anim Cogn, 23(3), 559-569. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01361-8

Publication

Animal cognition
ISSN: 1435-9456
NlmUniqueID: 9814573
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 23
Issue: 3
Pages: 559-569

Researcher Affiliations

Gérard, Caroline
  • Cognitive and Social Ethology Group, CNRS, UMR 7247 Physiologie de La Reproduction Et Des Comportements, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
  • UMR 7206 Eco-Anthropologie, MNHN, Musée de l'Homme, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116, Paris, France.
Valenchon, Mathilde
  • Cognitive and Social Ethology Group, CNRS, UMR 7247 Physiologie de La Reproduction Et Des Comportements, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
  • School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol, BS40 5DU, UK.
Poulin, Nicolas
  • CeStatS, Institut de Recherche Mathématique Avancée, UMR 7501, University of Strasbourg-CNRS, 67000, Strasbourg, France.
Petit, Odile
  • Cognitive and Social Ethology Group, CNRS, UMR 7247 Physiologie de La Reproduction Et Des Comportements, 37380, Nouzilly, France. odile.petit@cnrs.fr.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Arousal
  • Horses
  • Leadership
  • Motivation
  • Personality

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
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