Where are we in the study of animal emotions?

Abstract

The study of emotion is rife with debate over issues as fundamental as how to define emotion, and such disputes are particularly common in the nonhuman animal emotion literature. Here, we seek to address some of these issues, especially in terms of how they relate to animal research. Definitional issues are prevalent; clear definitions are often not given of crucial terms, including 'emotion,' and even where provided, such terms may be used inconsistently throughout a single paper. Further disagreement over the structure of emotions, and the nature of conscious experiences involved, leads to consistent differences in authors' criteria for emotions. We concur with those who believe that animals experience emotions and believe that animal emotions should be studied in their own right, not only as they compare to those of humans. We also propose several avenues for future research that we believe will further our understanding of animal emotions. First, the use of multiple measurement methods to assess emotional responses is most likely to provide the information necessary to distinguish between various states and opens the field to more research in harder-to-study species, such as marine mammals. Second, researchers should also endeavor to increase the range of emotions studied, particularly positive ones, in order to move toward a more balanced range of studied states. Finally, we believe that several aspects of personality research would prove beneficial to the study of animal emotions, particularly the distinction between trait and state emotion and the use of the rating method. WIREs Cogn Sci 2016, 7:354-362. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1399 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

What is animal happiness?

“…We do not describe these behavioral, cognitive, or physiological methods in detail here as these are reviewed elsewhere. 6,9,12,104,105 We do, however, point to how these methods can be applied to our concept of animal happiness. Moreover, as in humans, there has been much research into markers of chronic stress [112][113][114] and depression 115,116 in animals, usually in laboratory animals used to study human pathologies, but we once again will focus on measures that have been found to tap into the positive range of affective happiness.…”

“…3,6 The increased focus on the positive has been paralleled by an increased interest in the emotional lives, or affective states, of animals, from a conceptual and practical point of view. [8][9][10] As with definitions of animal welfare, definitions of affect, whether in relation to animals or humans, are diverse. It is generally agreed that affect is a subjective experience that varies in pleasantness or unpleasantness (valence) as well as activation (arousal).…”

“…12 These methodologies involve the measurement of physiological, behavioral, or cognitive variables thought to vary with, or be an inherent part of, affective experiences. 9 Questions With a growing interest in promoting positive experiences and the call for a good life, the concept of animal happiness requires exploration. Although a number of articles addressing animal welfare mention the term animal happiness, this term is either not defined 3,[13][14][15][16][17] or defined inconsistently, with authors sometimes referring to a personality trait, 6…”

Peer Review #2 of "The influence of pharmacologically-induced affective states on attention bias in sheep (v0.1)"

“…Although the interpretation of responses changed between test methods, each study demonstrated that an attention bias test could be used to assess and differentiate contrasting affective states in sheep, thus providing a new approach for researchers to better understand the affective states of livestock. While many animal studies have focused on reducing the occurrence of negative affective states, the presence of positive affective states also comprises an important, but relatively understudied component of animal well-being (de Vere & Kuczaj, 2016). A number of human studies have demonstrated attention biases towards rewarding stimuli in subjects experiencing positive moods (e.g.…”

A Pilot Study on Evaluation The Far Position of Some Daily Activity of Cows

“…28 Bunun yanı sıra, ineklerin yanak ve boyun bölgelerine dokunularak yapılan çalışmalarda ineklerin sakinleştiği, kalp atış hızı ve kortizol düzeylerinde azalma meydana geldiği tespit edilmiştir. 29 Bu çalışma, süt ineklerinde farklı rutin aktiviteler esnasında kulak duruşlarındaki değişimleri tespit etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu şekilde, hayvan refahının değerlendirilmesinde duygusal durumun bir ölçüsü olarak kulak pozisyonlarının da dikkate alınması ve ileride bu yönde yapılacak olan çalışmalara ışık tutması hedeflenmektedir.…”