Attention Bias Test Measures Negative But Not Positive Affect in Sheep: A Replication Study.

ABSTRACT: An attention bias test has been developed as a measure of negative affective states in sheep. The test measures an individual's allocation of attention between a threatening (previous location of a dog) and positive (conspecific photo) stimulus over a 3 min period. This study replicated a previously inconclusive study, to determine whether the test could assess positive affective states under more controlled conditions and with a younger population of animals. Pharmacological treatments were used to induce anxious, calm, happy, and control affective states prior to entering the attention bias test arena (n = 20/treatment). We hypothesized that sheep in positive and negative affective states could be differentiated using key measures of attention during testing, including vigilance (head at

SUBMITTER: Monk JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7460280 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature