Psychology Commons^™

The Question Of Animal Awareness, Francoise Wemelsfelder

Sentience Collection

The problem of animal awareness lies at the interface of science and philosophy. As a starting point for the study of phenomena such as awareness, mind, consciousness, etc., we hardly have any reference other than our own human experience and in the context of a nondualistic ontology this can be justified. In philosophy and psychology it appears to be very difficult to give direct operational definitions of terms such as consciousness, etc. So we might expect this to be even more difficult in the study of animals. A detailed knowledge of animals and their behaviour is necessary in order to …

The Effects Of Ethostasis On Farm Animal Behavior: A Theoretical Overview, A. F. Fraser, M. W. Fox

Ethology Collection

The solution of animal problems that occur on the farm requires a holistic and multidisciplinary orientation and analysis, as well as the acquisition of new investigatory tools by both veterinarians and animal scientists. Field studies may be modeled under more controlled laboratory conditions, but the most relevant investigations must take place on the farm, and the first level of analysis should be ethological. Domestic animal behavior can be monitored and quantified like any other factor in the animals' environment; yet it has been virtually ignored in the development of new livestock husbandry systems.

The relationships between husbandry systems, disease problems, …

Urban-Rural Differences In Social Interest And Altruistic Behavior, P. N. Dixon, Richard A. Stevick

Psychology Educator Scholarship

Research on altruism has often focused on the effects of altruistic vs.selfish modeling on 5 altruism.' Hansson, Slade, and Slade found that urban Ss were more likely than were rural Ss to respond selfishly in the presence of a selfish model, and to act altruistically when presented with an altruistic model. The authors explain their results in terms of Milgram's urban-overload theory. In complex urban societies individuals behave on the basis of economy rather than more complicated considerations such as social interest. The present research is a partial replication of the Hansson et al.study with both behavioral and attitudinal measures …

Equine Behavior Problems In Relation To Humane Management, Katherine A. Houpt

Equines Collection

The behavior problems of horses are frequently related to management practices. Behaviors that are termed stall vices appear to be either stereotyped behaviors that occur in reaction to stress, or patterns that emerge when natural behaviors such as grazing are prevented. The behavior cases presented to the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, were tabulated: 27% were stall vices and 27% were some form of aggression. The stall vices were circling, digging, kicking the stall, chewing wood, swallowing air or self-mutilation. Management of horses on pasture rather than in stalls prevents the development of many of these …

On Justifying Enforced Requirements: A Reply To Baier, David B. Lyons

Faculty Scholarship

There are limits to the possible subjects of justification. Typically, it concerns human behavior and things that human intervention can affect. Failing special circumstances, it makes no sense to speak of justifying the weather. There may be other limits to the class of possible subjects for justification; for example, it is sometimes said that a thing cannot be justified unless it has been indicted, though it is not clear how this claim should be taken. For there simply may be no point in bothering to justify something that is not suspect in some way, and the relevant condition can generally …