Mengoli Manuel, Pageat Patrick, Lafont-Lecuelle Céline, Monneret Philippe, Giacalone Aline, Sighieri Claudio, Cozzi Alessandro
IRSEA - Institut de Recherche en Sémiochimie et Ethologie Appliquée, Le Rieu Neuf, 84 490 Saint Saturnin Les Apt, France.
IRSEA - Institut de Recherche en Sémiochimie et Ethologie Appliquée, Le Rieu Neuf, 84 490 Saint Saturnin Les Apt, France.
Behav Processes. 2014 Jul;106:141-50. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.05.004. Epub 2014 May 27.
Modern day horse-human relationships entail different types of sport and riding activities, which all require learning. In evaluating the interaction between learning and emotions, studying normal coping strategies or adaptive responses to the surroundings is critical. 34 horses were involved in a cognitive test, in the absence of physical effort, to analyze performance, as well as physiological and behavioral responses related to learning, memorization and recall, associated to the capacity to reverse a learned model. Synthetic Equine Appeasing Pheromone (EAP) was used in 17 horses in order to modulate their emotional state and evaluate differences in cognitive-emotional response during cognitive effort in comparison to the control group (placebo group). Both groups showed statistically significant changes in heart rate during the test, indicating emotional and physio-cognitive activation. The EAP group produced fewer errors and made more correct choices, showing behaviors related to increased attention, with less influence from environmental stimuli. The capacity to learn to learn, as shown in the bibliography, allows animals to establish conceptual learning, when a normal or positive emotional state (in this case modulated by semiochemicals) is used to control limbic system activation and, consequently, decrease stressful/fearful reactions, resulting in better learning capacities during the cognitive test.
现代社会中马与人类的关系涉及不同类型的运动和骑行活动，而这些都需要学习。在评估学习与情绪之间的相互作用时，研究正常的应对策略或对周围环境的适应性反应至关重要。34匹马参与了一项认知测试，测试过程中没有体力消耗，旨在分析与学习、记忆和回忆相关的表现，以及与逆转所学模式能力相关的生理和行为反应。17匹马被使用了合成马安抚信息素（EAP），以调节它们的情绪状态，并与对照组（安慰剂组）相比，评估在认知努力过程中认知 - 情绪反应的差异。两组在测试过程中心率均出现了具有统计学意义的变化，表明情绪和生理 - 认知激活。EAP组产生的错误更少，做出的正确选择更多，表现出与注意力增强相关的行为，受环境刺激的影响更小。正如文献中所示，学习能力使动物能够建立概念性学习，当正常或积极的情绪状态（在这种情况下由信息化学物质调节）用于控制边缘系统激活，从而减少压力/恐惧反应时，在认知测试中会产生更好的学习能力。
