Cross-modal perception of human emotion in domestic horses (Equus caballus).

ABSTRACT: Humans have domesticated many kinds of animals in their history. Dogs and horses have particularly close relationships with humans as cooperative partners. However, fewer scientific studies have been conducted on cognition in horses compared to dogs. Studies have shown that horses cross-modally distinguish human facial expressions and recognize familiar people, which suggests that they also cross-modally distinguish human emotions. In the present study, we used the expectancy violation method to investigate whether horses cross-modally perceive human emotions. Horses were shown a picture of a human facial expression on a screen, and they then heard a human voice from the speaker before the screen. The emotional values of the visual and auditory stimuli were the same in the congruent condit

SUBMITTER: Nakamura K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6013457 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature