Pinelli Claudia, Scandurra Anna, Mastellone Vincenzo, Iommelli Piera, Musco Nadia, Pero Maria Elena, Di Lucrezia Alfredo, Lotito Daria, Tudisco Raffaella, D'Aniello Biagio, Infascelli Federico, Lombardi Pietro
Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100 Caserta, Italy.
Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Feb 13;13(4):646. doi: 10.3390/ani13040646.
In this study, we explored the correlations between circulating levels of oxytocin, cortisol, and different social behaviors toward humans in 26 Italian Red Pied calves (all females, with an average age of 174 ± 24 days) using the impossible task paradigm. This paradigm has proved fruitful in highlighting the effect of socialization on the willingness to interact with humans in several domesticated species. The test consists of the violation of an expectation (recovering food from an experimental apparatus) while a caregiver and a stranger are present. Immediately after the end of the test (less than one minute), blood was collected from the coccygeal vein. Statistics were performed by the Spearman's rank correlation; significant differences were adjusted according to Bonferroni's correction. Cortisol correlates positively (ρ = 0.565; < 0.05) with the latency of behaviors directed at the caregiver, and the duration of behaviors directed at the apparatus correlates negatively with both the caregiver (ρ = -0.654; < 0.05) and a stranger (ρ = -0.644; < 0.05). Contrary to what is reported in the literature on cows, no correlations were found between oxytocin levels and direct behaviors toward the caregiver. This highlights a different behavioral strategy between calves and cows when placed in front of an impossible task.
在本研究中，我们使用不可能任务范式，探究了26头意大利红白花犊牛（均为雌性，平均年龄174±24天）体内催产素、皮质醇的循环水平与对人类的不同社交行为之间的相关性。该范式已被证明在突出社会化对几种家养动物与人类互动意愿的影响方面卓有成效。测试包括在有照料者和陌生人在场的情况下违背预期（从实验装置中取回食物）。测试结束后立即（不到1分钟）从尾静脉采集血液。采用Spearman等级相关性进行统计分析；显著差异根据Bonferroni校正进行调整。皮质醇与针对照料者的行为潜伏期呈正相关（ρ = 0.565；<0.05），针对实验装置的行为持续时间与照料者（ρ = -0.654；<0.05）和陌生人（ρ = -0.644；<0.05）均呈负相关。与关于奶牛的文献报道相反，未发现催产素水平与针对照料者的直接行为之间存在相关性。这突出了犊牛和奶牛在面对不可能任务时不同的行为策略。
