A study of visual and auditory cognitive functions of horses observed in human-horse interactions
2013
Kawashima, S. (Tokyo University of Agriculture (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Human Animal-Plant Relationships) | Fukumoto, R. | Uchiyama, H.
Horses as domestic animals have always played an important role in human society. In recent years, new relationships between humans and horses are developing in the field of Animal Assisted Therapy. However, only few scientific studies report cognitive functions of horses in the therapy, and reliable approaching techniques need to be established. This study was conducted with three horses to clarify the effects of visual and auditory cognitive functions in interactions between humans and horses. The behavior of each horse was examined when verbal stimulation of various human voices from unknown and known people, including a breeder and an examiner, was presented to the horses. The results showed that their ear and eye movements and approaching actions towards humans differed significantly with each voice stimulation. The ear movements indicate that the horses paid more attention to both the voice of the breeder and other known people, including the examiner, than to unknown people. Concerning the eye movements, the horses gazed at unknown people more frequently than at known people. The frequency of approaching behaviors of the horses responding to the voices of known people, including the breeder and the examiner, also demonstrated significant differences in comparison to unknown people. These results suggest that the horses discriminate and memorize humans by using their visual and auditory cognition. The horses use auditory information more frequently when recognizing known people, and they use visual information and cognitive integration for recognition of unknown people.
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