Effects of Age on Avoidance Learning in Pigs

Kratzer, Dillard Dal

doi:10.2527/jas1969.282175x

Cited by 13 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…During the late 1960s, Kratzer (1969) studied shock-motivated avoidance learning in Duroc and Hampshire pigs, using a shuttle box. The shock was delivered via a girth around the chest if the pig did not cross a wooden barrier when an avoidance signal (buzzer) had sounded.…”

Section: Tests For Assessing Learning and Memory In Pigsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing learning and memory in pigs

2011

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In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in (mini) pigs (Sus scrofa) as species for cognitive research. A major reason for this is their physiological and anatomical similarity with humans. For example, pigs possess a well-developed, large brain. Assessment of the learning and memory functions of pigs is not only relevant to human research but also to animal welfare, given the nature of current farming practices and the demands they make on animal health and behavior. In this article, we review studies of pig cognition, focusing on the underlying processes and mechanisms, with a view to identifying. Our goal is to aid the selection of appropriate cognitive tasks for research into pig cognition. To this end, we formulated several basic criteria for pig cognition tests and then applied these criteria and knowledge about pig-specific sensorimotor abilities and behavior to evaluate the merits, drawbacks, and limitations of the different types of tests used to date. While behavioral studies using (mini) pigs have shown that this species can perform learning and memory tasks, and much has been learned about pig cognition, results have not been replicated or proven replicable because of the lack of validated, translational behavioral paradigms that are specially suited to tap specific aspects of pig cognition. We identified several promising types of tasks for use in studies of pig cognition, such as versatile spatial free-choice type tasks that allow the simultaneous measurement of several behavioral domains. The use of appropriate tasks will facilitate the collection of reliable and valid data on pig cognition.

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Section: Tests For Assessing Learning and Memory In Pigsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing learning and memory in pigs

2011

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“…The present study extends their observation to another learning situation, maze learning, and to another type of equid, grade ponies. Kratzer (1969) found that younger pigs also learned to avoid shock in fewer trials than older pigs. A similar trend has been noted in rats (Denenberg and Kline, 1958).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Learning Ability of Orphan Foals, of Normal Foals and of Their Mothers

Houpt

Parsons

Hintz

1982

Journal of Animal Science

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The maze learning ability of six pony foals that had been weaned at birth was compared to that of six foals reared normally. The foals' learning ability was also compared to their mothers' learning ability at the same task; the correct turn in a single choice point maze. The maze learning test was conducted when the foals were 6 to 8 mo old and after the mothered foals had been weaned. There was no significant difference between the ability of orphaned (weaned at birth) and mothered foals in their ability to learn to turn left (6 +/- .7 and 5.1 +/- .1 trials, respectively) or to learn the reversal, to turn right (6.7 +/- .6 and 6.2 +/- .6 trials, respectively). The orphan foals spent significantly more time in the maze in their first exposure to it than the mothered foals (184 +/- 42 vs 55 +/- 15 s. Mann Whitney U = 7, P less than .05). The mothers of the foals (n = 11) learned to turn left as rapidly as the foals (5.9 +/- .7 trials), but they were slower to learn to turn right (9.8 +/- 1.4 vs 6.4 +/- .4 trials, Mann Whitney U = 33, P less than .05), indicating that the younger horses learned more rapidly. There was no correlation between the trials to criteria of the mare and those of her foal, but there was a significant negative correlation between rank in trials to criteria and age (r = -65, P less than .05) when data from the mare and foal trials were combined. The dominance hierarchy of the mares was determined using a paired feeding test in which two horses competed for one bucket of feed. Although there was no correlation between rank in the hierarchy and maze learning ability, there was a correlation between body weight and rank in the hierarchy (r = .7, P less than .05). This may indicate either that heavier horses are likely to be dominant or that horses high in dominance gain more weight. Maternal deprivation did not appear to seriously retard learning of a simple maze by foals, although the orphans moved more slowly initially. The lack of maternal influence on learning is also reflected in the lack of correlation between the mare's learning ability and that of her foal. Young horses appear to learn more rapidly than older horses.

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The Pig as a Model Animal for Studying Cognition and Neurobehavioral Disorders

Gieling

Schuurman

Nordquist

et al. 2011

Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences

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In experimental animal research, a short phylogenetic distance, i.e., high resemblance between the model species and the species to be modeled is expected to increase the relevance and generalizability of results obtained in the model species. The (mini)pig shows multiple advantageous characteristics that have led to an increase in the use of this species in studies modeling human medical issues, including neurobehavioral (dys)functions. For example, the cerebral cortex of pigs, unlike that of mice or rats, has cerebral convolutions (gyri and sulci) similar to the human neocortex. We expect that appropriately chosen pig models will yield results of high translational value. However, this claim still needs to be substantiated by research, and the area of pig research is still in its infancy. This chapter provides an overview of the pig as a model species for studying cognitive dysfunctions and neurobehavioral disorders and their treatment, along with a discussion of the pros and cons of various tests, as an aid to researchers considering the use of pigs as model animal species in biomedical research.

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Effects of Age on Avoidance Learning in Pigs

Cited by 13 publications

References 4 publications

Assessing learning and memory in pigs

Assessing learning and memory in pigs

Learning Ability of Orphan Foals, of Normal Foals and of Their Mothers

The Pig as a Model Animal for Studying Cognition and Neurobehavioral Disorders

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