Hanggi Evelyn B, Ingersoll Jerry F
Equine Research Foundation, P.O. Box 1900, Aptos, CA 95001, USA.
Behav Processes. 2012 Sep;91(1):70-6. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2012.05.009. Epub 2012 Jun 12.
This study investigated lateral vision in horses (Equus caballus) for the first time from a behavioral point of view. Three horses were tested using a novel experimental design to determine the range of their lateral and caudolateral vision with respect to stimulus detection and discrimination. Real-life stimuli were presented along a curvilinear wall in one of four different positions (A, B, C, D) and one of two height locations (Top, Bottom) on both sides of the horse. To test for stimulus detection, the correct stimulus was paired against a control; for stimulus discrimination, the correct stimulus was paired against another object. To indicate that the correct stimulus was detected or discriminated, the horses pushed one of two paddles. All horses scored significantly above chance on stimulus detection trials regardless of stimulus position or location. They also accurately discriminated between stimuli when objects appeared in positions A, B, and C for the top or bottom locations; however, they failed to discriminate these stimuli at position D. This study supports physiological descriptions of the equine eye and provides new behavioral data showing that horses can detect the appearance of objects within an almost fully encompassing circle and are able to identify objects within most but not all of their panoramic field of view.
本研究首次从行为学角度对马（家马）的周边视觉进行了调查。使用一种新颖的实验设计对三匹马进行测试，以确定它们在刺激检测和辨别方面的侧向和后外侧视觉范围。在马的两侧，沿着曲线形墙壁在四个不同位置（A、B、C、D）之一以及两个高度位置（顶部、底部）之一呈现真实生活中的刺激物。为了测试刺激检测，将正确的刺激物与一个对照物配对；为了测试刺激辨别，将正确的刺激物与另一个物体配对。为了表明检测到或辨别出了正确的刺激物，马会推动两个踏板中的一个。在刺激检测试验中，无论刺激物的位置或高度如何，所有马的得分都显著高于随机水平。当物体出现在顶部或底部位置的A、B和C位置时，它们也能准确地区分刺激物；然而，当物体出现在D位置时，它们无法区分这些刺激物。本研究支持了对马眼的生理学描述，并提供了新的行为学数据，表明马能够在几乎完全环绕的圆圈内检测到物体外观，并且能够在其大部分但并非全部全景视野内识别物体。
