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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(1); 164; doi: 10.3390/ani10010164

Social Referencing in the Domestic Horse.

Abstract: Dogs and cats use human emotional information directed to an unfamiliar situation to guide their behavior, known as social referencing. It is not clear whether other domestic species show similar socio-cognitive abilities in interacting with humans. We investigated whether horses ( = 46) use human emotional information to adjust their behavior to a novel object and whether the behavior of horses differed depending on breed type. Horses were randomly assigned to one of two groups: an experimenter positioned in the middle of a test arena directed gaze and voice towards the novel object with either (a) a positive or (b) a negative emotional expression. The duration of subjects' position to the experimenter and the object in the arena, frequency of gazing behavior, and physical interactions (with either object or experimenter) were analyzed. Horses in the positive condition spent more time between the experimenter and object compared to horses in the negative condition, indicating less avoidance behavior towards the object. Horses in the negative condition gazed more often towards the object than horses in the positive condition, indicating increased vigilance behavior. Breed types differed in their behavior: thoroughbreds showed less human-directed behavior than warmbloods and ponies. Our results provide evidence that horses use emotional cues from humans to guide their behavior towards novel objects.
Publication Date: 2020-01-18 PubMed ID: 31963699PubMed Central: PMC7022515DOI: 10.3390/ani10010164Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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This research article explores whether horses, much like dogs and cats, use human emotional cues to guide their behavior in unfamiliar situations. The study reveals that horses do indeed exhibit socio-cognitive abilities in interacting with humans, using emotional cues to respond to a new object, with differences in behavior observed among various breed types.

Objective and Methodology of the Study

Firstly, the study aimed to ascertain if horses deploy social referencing – a behavior where they use human emotional information to guide their reaction towards an unfamiliar object. In order to investigate this, the researchers adopted an empirical approach where horses were subjected to an experiment involving humans and a novel object.

  • A total of 46 horses were randomly assigned to two groups for the experiment.
  • The experiment involved a human experimenter positioned in the middle of a test arena with a novel object, displaying either positive or negative emotional expressions towards the object while maintaining eye and verbal contact.

Results and Analysis

The researchers studied different aspects of the horses’ behavior including the time the horses spent near the experimenter and the object, the frequency of their gaze towards the object or human, and their physical interactions.

  • Horses exposed to positive human emotional cues spent more time between the object and the experimenter compared to those that encountered negative cues, indicating less avoidance of the object in the positive scenario.
  • Horses confronted with negative human cues looked at the object more frequently, reflecting an increase in their alertness or vigilance behaviour.
  • Observations also noted differences in breed types; Thoroughbreds exhibited less human-directed behavior compared to Warmbloods and Ponies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the authors suggest that horses, akin to dogs and cats, utilize human emotional cues to guide their behavior in unfamiliar scenarios. The results highlight the intelligence of horses and their sensitivity toward human emotions, introducing potential considerations for human-horse interactions in various contexts. Furthermore, the distinctions between breed types could be indicative of differing socio-cognitive abilities among horse breeds.

Cite This Article

APA
Schrimpf A, Single MS, Nawroth C. (2020). Social Referencing in the Domestic Horse. Animals (Basel), 10(1), 164. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10010164

Publication

ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
PII: 164

Researcher Affiliations

Schrimpf, Anne
  • Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neurology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Single, Marie-Sophie
  • Physiology Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany.
Nawroth, Christian
  • Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany.

Grant Funding

  • LA 1187/6-1 / Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
  • Open Access Fund / Leibniz-Gemeinschaft

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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