Abstract
Attention 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.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the director (Laurence Wimel) and staff of the ‘Station expérimentale des Haras nationaux’, Chamberet, France. We also wish to thank Dr. C. Fureix and Pr. H. Cousillas for their help with the methodology, Dr. A. Cloarec for improving the English and H. Hotte for technical help on the figure. We are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments. This work was supported by a doctoral grant from the French Research Department (to CR), a grant from the Institut Français du Cheval et de l’Equitation (IFCE) and funding from the ‘Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique’ (CNRS). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analyses, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.
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All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted. This study was approved by the French National Ethics Committee (Animal utilisation protocol number: 33, 12-2013-12). Experiments complied with the current French laws related to animal experimentation and were in accordance to the European directive 2013/118/CEE. The study only involved behavioural observations and non-invasive interactions with horses. Animal husbandry and care were under the management of the staff of the experimental station (SEHN - Chamberet, France). The horses used in this experiment were not research animals.
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Communicated by: Sven Thatje
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Rochais, C., Sébilleau, M., Houdebine, M. et al. A novel test for evaluating horses’ spontaneous visual attention is predictive of attention in operant learning tasks. Sci Nat 104, 61 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-017-1480-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-017-1480-6