Sensitivity To Reward Loss As An Indicator Of Animal Emotion And Welfare

Main Category: Veterinary
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 02 Jun 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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How can we measure the emotional states of animals?

We have developed a new approach based on findings from human psychology that emotions affect information processing (e.g. people in negative moods show increased sensitivity to loss or failure).

We studied how rats react to the loss of an anticipated food reward and found that animals in standard cages did indeed show a stronger response than those in enriched housing (likely to be in a more positive state).

Whilst we cannot know for sure what other animals feel, our approach may provide improved methods for indirectly measuring animal emotion and welfare.

Royal Society journal Biology Letters

Biology Letters publishes short, high-quality articles from across the biological sciences. The journal is characterised by stringent peer-review, rapid publication and broad dissemination of cutting-edge research communications.

www.publishing.royalsociety.org/biologyletters

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