Articles tagged with Animal Psychology
A new study by Oregon State University found that a cat-training program for children with developmental disabilities fosters healthy child behaviors and strengthens relationships between children and their family cats. The program also improves cats' social behavior, making them more confident and socially active.
Elephants released from human care successfully reintegrate into the wild, exhibiting behaviors comparable to those of their wild neighbors. While some individuals show age- and sex-related differences, overall, rewilded elephants adapt well, with most stress levels within normal ranges.
Researchers found that hummingbird hawkmoths prefer one side when extending their proboscis while inspecting flowers. The strength of this preference varies among individuals, but the alignment between the eye and proboscis is maintained even when part of the eye is occluded.
A new paper highlights how canine science has focused on the Western world, neglecting diverse experiences and populations. Researchers argue that a globally collaborative approach can help overcome this bias and improve generalizability in comparative psychology.
Researchers at Göttingen University found that virtual fences lead to a more even distribution of animals across the pasture and reduced movement near edges. Virtual fences also elicit similar behavior from cattle as conventional electric fences.
A study on coyote attacks in Stanley Park revealed that habituation and food conditioning contribute to aggressive behavior. To coexist with coyotes, people should not feed them, avoid approaching them, and be aware of their presence during certain times and locations.
A study reveals that the rhythmic structure of laughter has remained constant in all living great apes, including humans, for at least 15 million years. This finding offers unexpected clues to the evolution of human speech, suggesting that sophisticated vocal control is a fundamental building block.
Researchers studied 48 great apes across four species, revealing substantial individual differences in cognitive performance and stable traits. The study's findings suggest a complex structure to ape cognition, with some tasks related to social cues and others to reasoning and executive function.
A new study suggests that migratory predators can act as evolutionary messengers, carrying avoidance behaviors across continents and linking the fates of species separated by thousands of kilometers. This challenges a longstanding assumption in mimicry theory, opening up a hidden world of long-distance evolutionary relationships.
A new study found that horse owners' psychological characteristics, including attachment styles and personality traits, shape how frequently they ride, train, and spend quality time with their horses. Owners who spent more time with their horses tended to be more emotionally connected, while those with higher avoidant attachment styles...
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg found that horses in a children's zoo showed no significant increase in heart rate when petted by children, despite other sounds like barking dogs having no effect. However, they did exhibit increased stress when exposed to noise from an excavator.
Tiny warty birch caterpillars can distinguish between the approaching footsteps of deathly ladybeetles and invading caterpillars. When threatened, they make a lot of noise to scare off the attacker, but when faced with an intruding ladybug larva, they become silent before deciding to evacuate or throw themselves off the leaf.
Researchers found that octopuses can use mirrors to find food out of sight, displaying spatial cognitive abilities. The study shows that octopuses traveled to the correct side approximately 73% of the time when searching for a reward.
The EVApeCognition Dataset is the largest and most comprehensive collection of experimental studies of great apes' cognition and behavior available globally. Researchers compiled over 262 experimental datasets from 150 publications, enabling unprecedented examination of how great apes think, learn, and understand their environment.
A study shows how a kea parrot with a missing upper beak uses innovative fighting techniques to dominate his group and gain social status. He achieves this through 'beak jousting,' which proves more effective than other methods, leading to improved health benefits and social recognition.
Researchers at the University of Bristol found that gentle human interactions trigger positive emotions in young chickens. The study's results suggest that early-life handling can shape animals' affective experiences and improve their welfare.
Wild grey squirrels show a preference for almonds over pumpkin seeds, even when they require a longer climb to reach. This suggests that animals may benefit from waiting or working harder for a better outcome in natural decision-making scenarios.
A new international survey reveals distinct differences in how veterinarians and animal welfare scientists in Japan and the UK perceive animal welfare, particularly animal behavior. The study found that cultural values, such as Japan's interdependence-oriented culture and the UK's individualistic society, influence attitudes towards an...
A UBC study finds raccoons continue to solve puzzles even after food rewards are removed, suggesting intrinsic motivation and a desire for information. The raccoons' flexible problem-solving and exploration-exploitation trade-offs may contribute to their success in urban environments.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University demonstrate that apes can use their imagination and play pretend, challenging long-held assumptions about animal cognition. The findings suggest that the capacity to understand pretend objects is within the cognitive potential of enculturated apes.
A study by Dutch police dog handlers revealed that confident, persistent, and resilient dogs with no insecurities are most suited for professional deployment. The research aimed to explore the ideal characteristics of scent detection dogs for successful police work.
Research finds a correlation between dog behavioral traits and salivary hormone cortisol and neurotransmitter serotonin levels. Well-behaved dogs tend to have lower cortisol levels and higher serotonin levels, suggesting a link between canine temperament and physiological concentrations of hormones and neurotransmitters.
A study found that dogs experience changes in balance when hearing angry or happy human voices. Angry voices were most strongly associated with destabilization, while happy voices led to both stabilization and destabilization in some cases. The research suggests that emotional arousal may play a role in the dogs' responses.
In experiments, horses demonstrated a strong response to sweat from scared humans, exhibiting increased fear and avoidance behaviors. The study found that horses can smell human emotional odors, influencing their behavior and physiology
When their nest is disturbed, bumblebees respond by preparing to defend the nest, searching for the threat, warning potential intruders to stay away, and finally recovering from stress. They maintain heightened vigilance for around 4 minutes after the disturbance.
A recent study in a semi-captive facility in Lao PDR showed that male Asian elephants can coexist peacefully if introduced slowly. The research with 8 unrelated males demonstrated successful socialization without significant stress, providing new insights into elephant behavior and social interaction.
Madagascar hissing cockroaches gather in groups to conserve water when the air is dry, a behavior that helps them retain moisture. This strategy, previously observed in small insects and larvae, may become more common as climate change alters humidity patterns.
Simple items like hay feeders and giant rubber activity balls can improve horse behavior and reduce health issues such as ulcers and fragile leg bones. Researchers found that stabled horses displayed increased movement and reduced frustration behaviors when provided with enrichment tools.
A new study by Anglia Ruskin University found that firework displays trigger erratic flight patterns, abandoned roosting sites, and gathered in unusual locations among corvids. The study highlights the prolonged stress and disruption caused by firework noise and light pollution.
A framework was introduced to test animal signals for their alerting function, applied to rock hyraxes' introductory notes. Wails were found to meet several criteria for an alerting component, including stability over medium distances and association with increased response rates.
Researchers warn that advances in AI and neurotechnology are outpacing our understanding of consciousness, with potential serious ethical consequences. A better understanding of consciousness could have major implications for AI, prenatal policy, animal welfare, medicine, mental health, law, and emerging neurotechnologies.
Research discovered that meerkat's social group membership has the greatest influence on their gut microbiome, even more than age, sex, or environmental conditions. The study found that social interactions lead to the sharing of beneficial gut bacteria, which is vital for an animal's immunity and overall fitness.
Researchers Prof Axel Cleeremans, Prof Anil Seth, and Prof Liad Mudrik warn that advances in AI and neurotechnology are outpacing our understanding of consciousness. They emphasize the need for theory-driven research and innovative methods to advance consciousness science.
A new study found that sniffer dogs' performance in real-world scenarios is highly variable and dependent on factors like region, day, and explosive type. The research suggests that limited access to explosive training materials is a primary challenge for teams, highlighting the need for wider access to improve detection performance
A global study has discovered that birds' fear of novelty is strongly linked to their dietary specialization and migratory behavior. The research found that species with narrower diets and those that migrate may exhibit higher levels of neophobia, or fear of new things.
A study of 105 dogs found that 33 exhibited compulsive engagement with toys despite negative consequences. Dogs showed excessive fixation on their toy, lack of interest in alternatives, and inability to calm down after toy removal.
Researchers found that songbird juveniles rely heavily on their siblings and other adults for learning life skills when parental care is limited. In contrast, only about 25% of young birds learned to solve feeding puzzles from their parents.
Researchers assessed the impact of reactivity in red brocket deer on training efficiency, finding that calm individuals can learn commands like 'Come'. In contrast, more restless individuals had difficulty learning and following instructions.
A new study at Bournemouth University found that people with horse experience were more accurate at recognizing pain in horse faces, while those with social anxiety were better at detecting pain in human faces. The findings aim to improve animal welfare by helping owners recognize changes indicating pain in horses.
A study by researchers at Kyoto University found that Asian elephants understand the importance of visual attention for effective communication. The elephants gestured most when both the experimenter's body and face were oriented towards them, suggesting they use a combination of cues to recognize human visual attention.
Young orangutans develop nighttime nest building skills via observational social learning by closely watching their mothers build nests. They practice these complex constructions to become skilled nest builders, with a strong emphasis on active watching and learning from mistakes.
A series of hide-and-seek experiments with a bonobo named Kanzi shows that apes can mentally keep track of multiple familiar humans at once. Kanzi could recognize caregivers from their voices alone, an ability never before tested on bonobos.
Research shows that bold and curious individuals dominate goose flocks, leading with protection and exploration while followers identify new opportunities. The study shifts focus to the cognitive abilities of followers, opening new pathways for understanding collective decision-making in geese and beyond.
Researchers found that cockatoos display a wide repertoire of dance moves, with at least 10 out of 21 species exhibiting this behavior. The study reveals that dancing may have originated as courtship behavior redirected towards owners, and playing music to parrots could improve their welfare.
Research suggests that great-tailed grackles, a species expanding its range across the US, possess high levels of behavioral flexibility. This trait enables them to adjust their foraging behaviors and exploit human-provided resources. However, sociability and habitat use were not strongly correlated with flexibility.
A recent study by researchers at Kyoto University found that dogs across all age groups did not exhibit preferences for generous or selfish individuals, despite their ability to eavesdrop on another dog's interactions. This suggests that reputation formation may be more complex than previously thought in animals like dogs.
Wild elephants closer to farms exhibit higher levels of neophilia, attracting them to unfamiliar objects and increasing the risk of encounters with humans. This behavior may provide an edge in finding food resources but also contributes to conflicts with local communities.
Researchers found that freshwater fish species preferred varying levels of complexity in artificial root-inspired panels, with bluegill and banded killifish showing strong affinity. The study suggests these structures can enhance shoreline biodiversity and water quality by providing hiding places and surfaces for filter-feeding organisms.
Long-tailed macaques in a new study showed preference for videos featuring aggression and familiar faces, similar to human behavior. The research, led by Elisabeth H.M. Sterck, found that lower-ranking and less aggressive monkeys paid more attention to videos, highlighting the importance of social information gathering.
Researchers studied pigeons' gaze following behavior in groups, finding they do indeed follow collective cues. The experiment revealed that group size plays a role in the effect, but there is no specific minimum number of pigeons required to produce the result.
A study by City University of Hong Kong found that public attitudes toward feral buffalo in Hong Kong fall into four categories: appreciation, concern, conservation value, and individual perceptions. The survey collected responses from 657 participants, showing a mix of positive, negative, and neutral views towards the buffaloes' prese...
A new study found that hermit crabs with more sensory hairs on their claws recover faster from a startle response, indicating they are bolder. The research suggests a link between sensory ability and behavior, proposing a hypothesis called sensory investment syndrome.
Researchers have developed an open-access catalog of animal traditions to explore the role of social learning in shaping animal behavior. The Animal Culture Database features vocal communications, mating displays, play, and other social behaviors observed in dozens of species from around the world.
Researchers found social integration, urban living, formal education, and religion impact how people view animals. This affects their willingness to engage with conservation programs.
Researchers found that harbour seals can determine their heading from optic flow fields, even in cloudy or opaque water. The team created a gaming challenge for the seals, using particle simulations to show them which direction they were moving in, and found that they consistently chose the correct direction.
Iain Couzin's research on animal collectives and collective intelligence has made significant breakthroughs, earning him a prestigious Fellowship. His work combines cutting-edge technologies with behavioural research to decipher the rules governing coordinated behaviour in animals.
In a study published in PLOS, gelada monkeys demonstrated an understanding of complex vocal exchanges involving distress calls and prosocial comforting responses. The monkeys exhibited surprise when such vocal exchanges were manipulated to violate their expectations.
A study by University College London anthropologists found that macaque mothers experience a short period of physical restlessness after the death of an infant, but do not exhibit typical human signs of grief. In contrast to human bereavement, macaque mothers spent less time resting in the first two weeks after their infants' deaths.
Researchers at Penn State developed a new method to analyze bird songs, revealing context dependence and underlying neurobiology. The study suggests that auditory feedback plays a key role in creating context dependence, and may hold insights into the neural mechanisms of human language.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that apes can intuit another's ignorance and communicate unknown information in the name of teamwork. The study demonstrates the rich mental foundations shared by humans and other apes, suggesting that these abilities evolved millions of years ago in common ancestors.