Murphy Jack, Arkins Sean
Department of Life Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Behav Processes. 2007 Sep;76(1):1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2006.06.009. Epub 2007 Mar 4.
Scientists and equestrians continually seek to achieve a clearer understanding of equine learning behaviour and its implications for training. Behavioural and learning processes in the horse are likely to influence not only equine athletic success but also the usefulness of the horse as a domesticated species. However given the status and commercial importance of the animal, equine learning behaviour has received only limited investigation. Indeed most experimental studies on equine cognitive function to date have addressed behaviour, learning and conceptualization processes at a moderately basic cognitive level compared to studies in other species. It is however, likely that the horses with the greatest ability to learn and form/understand concepts are those, which are better equipped to succeed in terms of the human-horse relationship and the contemporary training environment. Within equitation generally, interpretation of the behavioural processes and training of the desired responses in the horse are normally attempted using negative reinforcement strategies. On the other hand, experimental designs to actually induce and/or measure equine learning rely almost exclusively on primary positive reinforcement regimes. Employing two such different approaches may complicate interpretation and lead to difficulties in identifying problematic or undesirable behaviours in the horse. The visual system provides the horse with direct access to immediate environmental stimuli that affect behaviour but vision in the horse is of yet not fully investigated or understood. Further investigations of the equine visual system will benefit our understanding of equine perception, cognitive function and the subsequent link with learning and training. More detailed comparative investigations of feral or free-ranging and domestic horses may provide useful evidence of attention, stress and motivational issues affecting behavioural and learning processes in the horse. The challenge for scientists is, as always, to design and commission experiments that will investigate and provide insight into these processes in a manner that withstands scientific scrutiny.
科学家和骑手们不断寻求更清晰地理解马的学习行为及其对训练的影响。马的行为和学习过程不仅可能影响其运动成绩，还可能影响其作为家养动物的用途。然而，鉴于这种动物的地位和商业重要性，马的学习行为仅受到了有限的研究。事实上，与其他物种的研究相比，迄今为止，大多数关于马认知功能的实验研究都在适度基础的认知水平上探讨行为、学习和概念形成过程。然而，很可能学习和形成/理解概念能力最强的马，是那些在人马关系和当代训练环境中更有能力取得成功的马。在马术领域，通常尝试使用负强化策略来解释马的行为过程并训练其做出期望的反应。另一方面，实际诱导和/或测量马学习的实验设计几乎完全依赖于主要的正强化机制。采用两种如此不同的方法可能会使解释变得复杂，并导致难以识别马的问题行为或不良行为。视觉系统为马提供了直接接触影响行为的即时环境刺激的途径，但马的视觉尚未得到充分研究或理解。对马视觉系统的进一步研究将有助于我们理解马的感知、认知功能以及随后与学习和训练的联系。对野生或自由放养马与家养马进行更详细的比较研究，可能会为影响马行为和学习过程的注意力、压力和动机问题提供有用的证据。一如既往，科学家面临的挑战是设计并开展实验，以经得起科学审查的方式研究并深入了解这些过程。
