Dog Movie Stars And Dog Breed Popularity: A Case Study In Media Influence On Choice,
2014
Brooklyn College
Dog Movie Stars And Dog Breed Popularity: A Case Study In Media Influence On Choice, Stefano Ghirlanda, Alberto Acerbi, Harold A. Herzog
Entertainment Collection
Fashions and fads are important phenomena that influence many individual choices. They are ubiquitous in human societies, and have recently been used as a source of data to test models of cultural dynamics. Although a few statistical regularities have been observed in fashion cycles, their empirical characterization is still incomplete. Here we consider the impact of mass media on popular culture, showing that the release of movies featuring dogs is often associated with an increase in the popularity of featured breeds, for up to 10 years after movie release. We also find that a movie’s impact on breed popularity correlates …
The Dog Movie Star Effect: Is It Real?,
2014
Animal Studies Repository
The Dog Movie Star Effect: Is It Real?, Harold Herzog
'Animals and Us' Blog Posts
You think that Disney movies affect dog popularity -- but is it really true?
Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2012,
2014
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2012, Leah English, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller
AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins
This report is the ninth in a series of reports examining agriculture’s economic contribution on the Arkansas economy. Utilizing data from the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and IMPLAN Group, LLC , the economic contribution of agriculture on the Arkansas economy was estimated for the most recent year available, 2012.
Anthropomorphism, Anthropectomy, And The Null Hypothesis,
2014
York University
Anthropomorphism, Anthropectomy, And The Null Hypothesis, Kristin Andrews, Brian Huss
Experimentation Collection
We examine the claim that the methodology of psychology leads to a bias in animal cognition research against attributing ‘‘anthropomorphic’’ properties to animals (Sober in Thinking with animals: new perspectives on anthropomorphism. Columbia University Press, New York, pp 85–99, 2005; de Waal in Philos Top 27:225–280, 1999). This charge is examined in light of a debate on the role of folk psychology between primatologists who emphasize similarities between humans and other apes, and those who emphasize differences. Weargue that while in practice there is sometimes bias, either in the formulation of the null hypothesis or in the preference of Type-II …
Laterality Influences Cognitive Performance In Rainbowfish Melanotaenia Duboulayi,
2014
Macquarie University
Laterality Influences Cognitive Performance In Rainbowfish Melanotaenia Duboulayi, Anne-Laurence Bibost, Culum Brown
Sentience Collection
Cerebral lateralization has been suggested to convey a selective advantage to individuals by enhancing their cognitive abilities. Few, however, have explicitly compared the cognitive ability of animals with strongly contrasting laterality. Here, we examined the influence of laterality on learning performance in the crimson spotted rainbowfish, Melanotaenia duboulayi, using a classical conditioning paradigm. We also compared the learning ability of wild caught and captive-reared fish to examine the influence of rearing environment on cognitive performance. Laterality was established by observing which eye fish preferred to use while viewing their mirror image. Subjects were then conditioned to associate the appearance of …
A Comparison Of Spatial Learning And Memory Capabilities In Intertidal Gobies,
2014
Macquarie University
A Comparison Of Spatial Learning And Memory Capabilities In Intertidal Gobies, Gemma E. White, Culum Brown
Sentience Collection
For the majority of animals, the ability to orient in familiar locations is a fundamental part of life, and spatial memory allows individuals to remember key locations such as food patches, shelter, mating sites or areas regularly occupied by predators. This study determined if gobies collected from rocky platforms and sandy beaches differ in their ability to learn and memorise the locations of tide pools in a simulated rocky intertidal zone. Intertidal rock pool gobies show acute homing abilities and, therefore, should be expected to display superior learning and memory capabilities. In contrast, it is unlikely that natural selection would …
Socialising Piglets In Lactation Positively Affects Their Post-Weaning Behaviour,
2014
Murdoch University
Socialising Piglets In Lactation Positively Affects Their Post-Weaning Behaviour, Talia Morgan, John Pluske, David Miller, Teresa Collins, Anne L. Barnes, Françoise Wemelsfelder, Patricia A. Fleming
Sentience Collection
Although commercial farrowing sheds keep individual litters separated, previous studies have suggested that housing systems that allow socialisation of piglets pre-weaning can reduce aggression after weaning. This study tested whether pigs socialised with non-littermates pre-weaning would show less aggression during mixing at weaning (when piglets are taken from their sows and mixed in group housing), and whether socialisation influenced the time budgets or behavioural expression of piglets at weaning. In total, 353 piglets were followed from birth through to one week after weaning. Piglets from 24 sows were allowed to socialise in groups of four litters (‘socialised’ treatment group) from …
Behaviour Of Horses In A Judgment Bias Test Associated With Positive Or Negative Reinforcement,
2014
Agroscope - Swiss National Stud Farm
Behaviour Of Horses In A Judgment Bias Test Associated With Positive Or Negative Reinforcement, Sabrina Briefer Freymond, Elodie F. Briefer, Anja Zollinger, Yveline Gindrat-Von Allmen, Christa Wyss, Iris Bachmann
Ethology Collection
Moods can influence our judgment of ambiguous stimuli as positive or negative. Measuring judgment bias in animals is a promising method to objectively assess their emotional states. Our study aimed to develop a cognitive bias test in horses, in order to assess the effect of training using positive reinforcement (PR) or negative reinforcement (NR) on their emotional states. We trained 12 mares to discriminate between a rewarded and a non-rewarded location situated on each side of a paddock. The mares were then trained during five days to perform several exercises using PR (n = 6) for one group, and NR …
Emotional Engagements Predict And Enhance Social Cognition In Young Chimpanzees,
2014
University of Portsmouth
Emotional Engagements Predict And Enhance Social Cognition In Young Chimpanzees, Kim A. Bard, Roger Bakeman, Sarah T. Boysen, David A. Leavens
Sentience Collection
Social cognition in infancy is evident in coordinated triadic engagements, that is, infants attending jointly with social partners and objects. Current evolutionary theories of primate social cognition tend to highlight species differences in cognition based on human-unique cooperative motives. We consider a developmental model in which engagement experiences produce differential outcomes. We conducted a 10-year-long study in which two groups of laboratory-raised chimpanzee infants were given quantifiably different engagement experiences. Joint attention, cooperativeness, affect, and different levels of cognition were measured in 5- to 12-month-old chimpanzees, and compared to outcomes derived from a normative human database. We found that joint …
Ecological Agriculture. Integrating Low Input, High Productive Farming With Wildlife Conservation. Results From The Experimental Farm La Combe, Drome France,
2014
Centre d'Eco-Etho Recherche et Education
Ecological Agriculture. Integrating Low Input, High Productive Farming With Wildlife Conservation. Results From The Experimental Farm La Combe, Drome France, Marthe Kiley-Worthington
Ecological Impacts of Animal Agriculture Collection
Wildlife conservation must be integrated with energy and resource efficient agriculture for the human population to survive. Modern high input energy and resource inefficient agriculture does not address these problems. An efficient food producing system which marries wildlife conservation with resource and energy efficient human food production is needed. This is Ecological Agriculture, modelled on how natural ecosystems work. It is defined as: The establishment and maintenance of a diversified, self-sustaining low input farming system managed to maximize net production without causing large or long term changes to the environment. It must be economically viable, and ethically and aesthetically acceptable …
Environmental Factors Associated With Success Rates Of Australian Stock Herding Dogs,
2014
University of Sydney
Environmental Factors Associated With Success Rates Of Australian Stock Herding Dogs, Elizabeth R. Arnott, Jonathan B. Early, Claire M. Wade, Paul D. Mcgreevy
Sport and Working Animal Welfare Collection
This study investigated the current management practices associated with stock herding dogs on Australian farms. A parallel goal was to determine whether these practices and the characteristics of the dog handlers were associated with success rates. Success rate refers to the proportion of dogs acquired by the farmer that were retained as working dogs. Data on a total of 4,027 dogs were obtained through The Farm Dog Survey which gathered information from 812 herding dog owners around Australia. Using logistic regression, significant associations were identified between success rate and seven variables: dog breed, housing method, trial participation, age of the …
Who's Lying About Not Eating Meat?,
2014
Animal Studies Repository
Who's Lying About Not Eating Meat?, Harold Herzog
'Animals and Us' Blog Posts
New research says some of us eat more meat than we claim. Find out who.
What Enables Size-Selective Trophy Hunting Of Wildlife?,
2014
University of Victoria
What Enables Size-Selective Trophy Hunting Of Wildlife?, Chris T. Darimont, K. Rosie Child
Big-Game and Trophy Hunting Collection
Although rarely considered predators, wildlife hunters can function as important ecological and evolutionary agents. In part, their influence relates to targeting of large reproductive adults within prey populations. Despite known impacts of sizeselective harvests, however, we know little about what enables hunters to kill these older, rarer, and presumably more wary individuals. In other mammalian predators, predatory performance varies with knowledge and physical condition, which accumulates and declines, respectively, with age. Moreover, some species evolved camouflage as a physical trait to aid in predatory performance. In this work, we tested whether knowledge-based faculty (use of a hunting guide with accumulated …
Mother Convict Cichlids Inflict More Bites Upon An Intruder In Hot Temperatures,
2014
Sac State
Mother Convict Cichlids Inflict More Bites Upon An Intruder In Hot Temperatures, Jesse L. Heckendorf
STAR Program Research Presentations
Convict cichlids (Archocentrus nigrofasciatus) have developed to be extremely good parents by protecting their brood. Parental care leads to aggressive biting, chasing, and gill flaring to intimidate known predators. In this experiment, we show that environmental factors, such as the changing of temperature in this case, affect a female convict cichlid’s aggression toward caring for her offspring when an intruder is introduced. Females attack more in warmer water.
Attitudes Of Canadian Pig Producers Toward Animal Welfare,
2014
University of British Columbia
Attitudes Of Canadian Pig Producers Toward Animal Welfare, Jeffrey M. Spooner, Catherine A. Schuppli, David Fraser
Farm Animal Welfare Collection
As part of a larger study eliciting Canadian producer and non-producer views about animal welfare, open-ended, semi-structured interviews were used to explore opinions about animal welfare of 20 Canadian pig producers, most of whom were involved in confinement-based systems. With the exception of the one organic producer, who emphasized the importance of a ‘‘natural’’ life, participants attached overriding importance to biological health and functioning. They saw their efforts as providing pigs with dry, thermally regulated, indoor environments where animals received abundant feed, careful monitoring and where prospective disease outbreaks could be minimized and controlled. Emphasis was also placed on low-stress …
Infrared Thermal Image For Assessing Animal Health And Welfare,
2014
Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD)
Infrared Thermal Image For Assessing Animal Health And Welfare, Irenilza Alencar Nääs, Rodrigo Garófallo Garcia, Fabiana Ribeiro Caldara
Assessment of Animal Welfare Collection
Infrared thermal imaging is a non-destructive testing technology that can be used to determine the superficial temperature of objects. This technology has an increasing use in detecting diseases and distress in animal husbandry within the poultry, pig and dairy production. The process can identify changes in peripheral blood flow from the resulting changes in heat loss and; therefore, have been a useful tool for evaluating the presence of disease, edema, and stress in animals. This paper reviews the current literature related to the use of infrared technology and discusses their results and implications in animal welfare issues, poultry, pig and …
Indigenous Knowledge And Science Unite To Reveal Spatial And Temporal Dimensions Of Distributional Shift In Wildlife Of Conservation Concern,
2014
University of Victoria
Indigenous Knowledge And Science Unite To Reveal Spatial And Temporal Dimensions Of Distributional Shift In Wildlife Of Conservation Concern, Christina N. Service, Megan S. Adams, Kyle A. Artelle, Paul C. Paquet, Laura V. Grant, Chris T. Darimont
Population Distribution and Habitat Collection
Range shifts among wildlife can occur rapidly and impose cascading ecological, economic, and cultural consequences. However, occurrence data used to define distributional limits derived from scientific approaches are often outdated for wide ranging and elusive species, especially in remote environments. Accordingly, our aim was to amalgamate indigenous and western scientific evidence of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) records and detail a potential range shift on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. In addition, we test the hypothesis that data from each method yield similar results, as well as illustrate the complementary nature of this coupled approach. Combining information from …
Should Pets Be Banished From The Bedroom?,
2014
Animal Studies Repository
Should Pets Be Banished From The Bedroom?, Harold Herzog
'Animals and Us' Blog Posts
Is it OK to sleep with your pets?
Long-Term Health Effects Of Neutering Dogs: Comparison Of Labrador Retrievers With Golden Retrievers,
2014
University of California, Davis
Long-Term Health Effects Of Neutering Dogs: Comparison Of Labrador Retrievers With Golden Retrievers, Benjamin L. Hart, Lynette A. Hart, Abigail P. Thigpen, Neil H. Willits
Endocrinology Collection
Our recent study on the effects of neutering (including spaying) in Golden Retrievers in markedly increasing the incidence of two joint disorders and three cancers prompted this study and a comparison of Golden and Labrador Retrievers. Veterinary hospital records were examined over a 13-year period for the effects of neutering during specified age ranges: before 6 mo., and during 6–11 mo., year 1 or years 2 through 8. The joint disorders examined were hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear and elbow dysplasia. The cancers examined were lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumor, and mammary cancer. The results for the Golden Retriever …
Artificial Neural Network Approach For Revealing Individuality, Group Membership And Age Information In Goat Kid Contact Calls,
2014
University of Torino
Artificial Neural Network Approach For Revealing Individuality, Group Membership And Age Information In Goat Kid Contact Calls, Livio Favaro, Elodie F. Briefer, Alan G. Mcelligott
Sentience Collection
Machine learning techniques are becoming an important tool for studying animal vocal communication. The goat (Capra hircus) is a very social species, in which vocal communication and recognition are important. We tested the reliability of a Multi-Layer Perceptron (feed-forward Artificial Neural Network, ANN) to automate the process of classification of calls according to individual identity, group membership and maturation in this species. Vocalisations were obtained from 10 half-sibling (same father but different mothers) goat kids, belonging to 3 distinct social groups. We recorded 157 contact calls emitted during first week, and 164 additional calls recorded from the same individuals at …
