Attention and performance in sport horses

International audienceIn humans and animals, attention is considered to be underlying a variety of cognitive processes, such as learning or memory. Attention is usually described as the ability to process selectively one aspect of the environment over others and in relationship with higher performances in human daily tasks (e.g. at school). The rare studies on animal attention are limited because the paradigms used were adapted from human attention studies; they involve extensive training and imply a laboratory context that is not adapted to field studies. We chose to characterize horses’ attention by designing a novel visual attention test (VAT) that does not require extensive training and that is easy to apply in the field. This test was inspired by an ethological approach based on spontaneous attention behaviour towards a visual moving stimulus without involving operant conditioning: it consisted in projecting for 5 minutes a green light from a laser pointer on the stall door of the horse (with repeated circular clockwise and 50-cm long vertical and horizontal movements). The study was conducted on seventeen horses, including 7 females and 10 geldings, aged from 7 to 12 years ( ±ES = 8.1±1.6), from French Saddlebred (n=13) and Anglo- Arabian (n=4) breeds and were ridden for either jumping (n=10) or eventing (n=7) competitions. Each horse was tested with the VAT once a day for two consecutive days (i.e. day 1 and day 2) and its competition performance index was collected. By measuring all horses’ gazes towards the stimulus, our VAT revealed different patterns of attention that can indicate a horse’s attention level: overall visual attention when the horse merely gazed at the stimulus, and “fixed” attention characterized by fixity and orientation of at least the visual and auditory organs towards the stimulus. Our results also revealed that the sequences of attention were very short (3.7 seconds on average) and fragmented, suggesting frequent refocusing of attention. Overall, the more horses’ attention was fragmented, the higher the index of performance was (Spearman’s correlation test, N=17, rs=0.47, p=0.05) in particular for eventing horses (Spearman’s correlation test, N=7, rs=0.73, p=0.05). This novel test seems a promising tool to study the attentional characteristics and skills in horses. Horses’ attention characteristics such as attention fragmentation during the VAT can be predictive of equine performances in competition. Previous studies revealed altered attention towards environment stimuli in horses in a poor welfare state (i.e. chronic back pain, depression-like state). This novel attention test could help to better identify factors inducing variation of attention, including intrinsic (e.g. welfare state, age…) but also environmental factors (e.g. riding practice), and ultimately to understand how to promote attention in horses

Caractérisation de l'attention chez le cheval domestique : liens avec un contexte de travail

National audienceBien qu'il soit admis que l'attention au travail varie d'un cheval à l'autre, nous ne disposions d'aucune mesure objective de cette capacité. Notre étude a donc consisté à développer un test d'attention visuelle. Afin de développer et valider notre test, une première étude a été réalisée sur 12 juments ayant été testées 2 fois à 6 mois d'intervalle. Les résultats indiquent des différences d'attention très marquées entre individus et stables dans le temps. Une deuxième série d'études a consisté à tester si les caractéristiques individuelles d'attention en contexte expérimental étaient prédictives d'attention et de performances au travail. Trois populations ont été étudiées et dans les trois cas, une corrélation positive a été identifiée entre les performances au travail et les caractéristiques attentionnelles lors du test d'attention. Les chevaux présentant une attention importante et fractionnée lors du test d'attention visuelle, obéissent mieux aux ordres lors d'un entrainement en longe, sont évalués comme étant plus concentrés au travail par leurs utilisateurs et sont plus performants en compétition. Le test développé apparaît donc comme un outil prometteur, permettant de confirmer l'existence de variations individuelles stables au cours du temps et prédictives de l'attention au travail

Peut-on caractériser les capacités d’attention du cheval ? Une approche méthodologique

National audienceL’attention peut être définie comme la capacité à sélectionner des informations pertinentes dans l’environnement. Chez le cheval, l’état attentionnel a peu été exploré alors que c’est un élément clé des processus d’apprentissage et de mémorisation, nécessaire lors de l’entraînement du cheval, mais aussi lors d’interactions sociales. Notre étude vise à caractériser la structure de l’attention chez le cheval et identifier la présence ou non de caractéristiques individuelles et leur stabilité au cours du temps. Pour ce faire, nous avons développé un test où un stimulus visuel mobile (pointeur laser) était diffusé à 12 juments (5 à 17 ans, X±ES=8.9±1.1) pendant 5 minutes et ce pendant 3 jours consécutifs. Ce test était réalisé deux fois à 6 mois d’intervalle. La latence et la durée de regard vers le stimulus ont été mesurées comme indicateurs de l’attention ainsi que le nombre de séquences de regard et leur durée moyenne afin de caractériser la structure de l’attention. Des corrélations entre les différents indicateurs de l’attention au sein d’un même test ont permis d’identifier des différences interindividuelles claires, qui restent stables au cours du temps. Ainsi nous avons identifié des profils d’attention (e.g. certains chevaux ont des durées d’attention moindre que d’autres) au sein de notre population. Notre étude permet de s’interroger sur la structure de l’attention chez le cheval et l’adaptation des séances d’entrainement. Cette étude propose donc une nouvelle méthodologie permettant de tester ensuite l’impact de facteurs intrinsèques (i.e. âge, race) et extrinsèques (i.e. conditions de vie) sur les capacités attentionnelles du cheval

Horses’ attentional characteristics differ according to the type of work

International audienceAttention is a central process of cognition and influences the execution of daily tasks. In humans, different types of work require different attentional skills and sport performance is associated with the ability to attention shift. Attention towards humans varies in dogs used for different types of work. Whether this variation is due to the recruitment of individuals suitable for specific types of work, or to the characteristics of the work, remains unclear. In the present study, we hypothesized that domestic horses (Equus caballus) trained for different types of work would also demonstrate different attentional characteristics but we also explored other possible factors of influence such as age, sex and breed. We exposed more than sixty horses, working in 4 different disciplines, and living in two types of housing conditions, to a visual attention test (VAT) performed in the home environment. Individual attentional characteristics in the test were not significantly influenced by age, sex, breed or conditions of life but were strongly related to the type of work. Riding school horses showed longer sequences and less fragmented attention than all other horses, including sport horses living in the same conditions. Interestingly, sport performance was correlated with attention fragmentation during the test in eventing horses, which may need more attention shifting during the competitions. Working conditions may influence attention characteristics indirectly through welfare, or directly through selection and training. Our study opens new lines of thought on the determinants of animal cognition and its plasticity and constitutes a further step towards understanding the interrelationship between working conditions and cognition

A novel test for evaluating horses’ spontaneous visual attention is predictive of attention in operant learning tasks

International audienceAttention is described as the ability to process selectively one aspect of the environment over others. In this study, we characterized horses’ spontaneous attention by designing a novel visual attention test (VAT) that is easy to apply in the animal’s home environment. The test was repeated over three consecutive days and repeated again 6 months later in order to assess inter-individual variations and intra-individual stability. Different patterns of attention have been revealed: ‘overall’ attention when the horse merely gazed at the stimulus and ‘fixed’ attention characterized by fixity and orientation of at least the visual and auditory organs towards the stimulus. The individual attention characteristics remained consistent over time (after 6 months, Spearman correlation test, P < 0.05). The validity of this novel test as a predictor of individual attentional skills was assessed by comparing the results, for the same horses, with those obtained in both a ‘classical’ experimental attention test the ‘five-choice serial reaction time task’ (5-CSRTT) and a work situation (lunge working context). Our results revealed that (i) individual variations remained consistent across tests and (ii) the VAT attention measures were not only predictive of attentional skills but also of learning abilities. Differences appeared however between the first day of testing and the following test days: attention structure on the second day was predictive of learning abilities, attention performances in the 5-CSRRT and at work. The VAT appears as a promising easy-to-use tool to assess animals’ attention characteristics and the impact of different factors of variation on attention

Horses’ attentional characteristics differ according to the type of work

Attention is a central process of cognition and influences the execution of daily tasks. In humans, different types of work require different attentional skills and sport performance is associated with the ability to attention shift. Attention towards humans varies in dogs used for different types of work. Whether this variation is due to the recruitment of individuals suitable for specific types of work, or to the characteristics of the work, remains unclear. In the present study, we hypothesized that domestic horses (Equus caballus) trained for different types of work would also demonstrate different attentional characteristics but we also explored other possible factors of influence such as age, sex and breed. We exposed more than sixty horses, working in 4 different disciplines, and living in two types of housing conditions, to a visual attention test (VAT) performed in the home environment. Individual attentional characteristics in the test were not significantly influenced by age, sex, breed or conditions of life but were strongly related to the type of work. Riding school horses showed longer sequences and less fragmented attention than all other horses, including sport horses living in the same conditions. Interestingly, sport performance was correlated with attention fragmentation during the test in eventing horses, which may need more attention shifting during the competitions. Working conditions may influence attention characteristics indirectly through welfare, or directly through selection and training. Our study opens new lines of thought on the determinants of animal cognition and its plasticity and constitutes a further step towards understanding the interrelationship between working conditions and cognition

Caractérisation de l’attention chez le cheval domestique (Equus caballus)

National audienceL’attention peut être définie comme la capacité à se focaliser sur un stimulus donné tout en filtrant les stimulations non pertinentes de l’environnement. Chez l’homme comme chez l’animal, l’attention se traduit par des variations comportementales et posturales (e.g. orientation des organes sensoriels vers le stimulus) mais aussi physiologiques (e.g. variations du rythme cardiaque). Notre étude vise à caractériser l’attention visuelle chez le cheval domestique et identifier les facteurs de variation de cette attention. Elle s’appuie sur des observations, des tests expérimentaux et des mesures physiologiques effectués sur des chevaux adultes de différentes populations. Des mesures temporelles (i.e. latence et durée d’orientation des organes sensoriels vers le stimulus) et la structure de l’attention (i.e. nombre de séquences d’attention, la fréquence et la durée moyenne de ces séquences) ont été relevées. Les résultats montrent des différences individuelles stables au cours du temps, mais aussi des différences entre populations qui reflètent l’importance de facteurs extrinsèques comme le mode vie. L’intérêt du test d’attention visuelle développé pour identifier des profils d’attention et évaluer l’impact de facteurs intrinsèques (e.g. âge, sexe) et extrinsèques (i.e. conditions de vie) sera discuté. Les résultats seront mis en perspective des recherches sur la cognition ainsi que des applications éventuelles pour l’utilisation et la gestion des chevaux

A novel test for evaluating horses’ spontaneous visual attention

International audienceAttention is described as the ability to process selectively one aspect of the environment over others. In the present study, we chose to characterize horses’ attention by designing a novel visual attention test (VAT) that is easy to apply in the animal’s home environment. This test was based on spontaneous attention behaviour. Twelve mares aged from 5 to 17 year old (± SE=8.9±1.1) were tested. During the test a light from a laser pointer was projected for 5 minutes. The test was repeated over three consecutive days and repeated again 6 months later in order to assess inter-individual variations and intra-individual stability. By measuring all horses’ gazes towards the stimulus, our VAT revealed different patterns of attention: ‘overall’ attention (i.e. the horse merely gazed at the stimulus), and ‘fixed’ attention (i.e. fixity and orientation of at least the visual and auditory organs). The individual attention characteristics remained consistent over time (after 6 months, Spearman correlation test P<0.05). The validity of this test as a predictor of attentional skills was assessed by comparing the results, for the same horses, with those obtained in both a ‘classical’ experimental attention test the ‘five-choice serial reaction-time task’ (5-CSRTT) and a work situation (lunge working context). The 5-CSRTT was especially adapted to horses for the first time in this study. Our results revealed that i) individual variations remained consistent across tests, ii) the VAT attention measures were not only predictive of attentional skills, but also of learning abilities. Differences appeared however between the first testing and the following tests days: attention structure on the second day was predictive of learning abilities, attention performances in the 5-CSRRT and at work. The VAT appears as a promising easy-to-use tool to assess animals’ attention characteristics and the impact of different factors of variation on attention

Captive Bottlenose Dolphins Do Discriminate Human-Made Sounds Both Underwater and in the Air

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) spontaneously emit individual acoustic signals that identify them to group members. We tested whether these cetaceans could learn artificial individual sound cues played underwater and whether they would generalize this learning to airborne sounds. Dolphins are thought to perceive only underwater sounds and their training depends largely on visual signals. We investigated the behavioral responses of seven dolphins in a group to learned human-made individual sound cues, played underwater and in the air. Dolphins recognized their own sound cue after hearing it underwater as they immediately moved toward the source, whereas when it was airborne they gazed more at the source of their own sound cue but did not approach it. We hypothesize that they perhaps detected modifications of the sound induced by air or were confused by the novelty of the situation, but nevertheless recognized they were being “targeted.” They did not respond when hearing another group member’s cue in either situation. This study provides further evidence that dolphins respond to individual-specific sounds and that these marine mammals possess some capacity for processing airborne acoustic signals

Calling dolphins by name: captive bottlenose dolphins recognize their own human-made sound label both underwater and in the air

International audienceBottlenose dolphins are, with human and a few species of birds, amongst the rare species that have been shown to use spontaneously individual-specific labels that signal individual identity to group members. It has even been proposed that they are able to “name” social partners. Human trainers do address dolphins individually using learned gesture signals, but to our knowledge, there have been no trials to generate learned individual sound labels on cetaceans. One reason may be that dolphins are thought to perceive only underwater sounds. In the present study, we measured the behavioural response of 7 individuals to 7 individual learned sound labels, broadcasted first underwater, and then in the air. Movements and gazes, as well as their directions, were observed within 10 seconds of each test. The individuals clearly discriminated their own label by moving immediately towards the sound source in 90% of trials when hearing it in water. In air, they gazed more at it but did not move to the sound source. We hypothesize that they may have been surprised by the sound modifications induced by air or by the situation, but nevertheless recognized their “name”. This study evidences for the first time the ability of bottlenose dolphins to recognize a human-made individual sound label played underwater and transposed to aerial environment. The results constitutes a further evidence of the ability of dolphins to associate sound labels with individual identity (“names”) and that they would have some concept of own identity