Horses to run Champions Mile in Hong Kong in 2023
A team of experts from Nottingham Trent University studied and analyzed how horses reacted in a prize game.
The results showed that the participating horses intelligently managed to adjust their approach to gain the most reward while exerting the least effort.
"Previous research suggested that horses simply react to the impact at that moment, they do not actively look ahead, or think far ahead and plan their actions, while we discovered that these animals are fully aware of the consequences and results of their actions," The Guardian newspaper today, August 12, quoted research team leader Louise Evans.
The game consisted of three rounds involving 20 horses. In the first round, horses were rewarded with treats if they touched a card with their noses. In the second round, researchers started a light-on/off mechanism. Horses were rewarded with treats only if they touched the card when the light was off. Initially, the horses ignored the light and continued to touch the card with their noses in a nonchalant manner.
However, in round 3, the researchers introduced a penalty for touching the card while the light was on. The penalty was that the horse was not allowed to participate in the game for 10 seconds. The horses started touching the card at the time they received the treat and avoided the penalty period.
The instantaneous strategy change suggests that horses have a higher level of cognitive ability than previously thought. The horses involved were found to fully understand the rules of the game, but they did not feel the need to pay too much attention to playing by the rules if they did not get penalized.
When the researchers switched to punishment, the animals immediately adjusted their behavior, according to the report published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science .
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nghien-cuu-moi-loai-ngua-thong-minh-hiem-co-185240812092815247.htm
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