Posters
Location
Memorial Ballroom
Access Type
Event
Event Website
http://www.lynchburg.edu/academics/red-letter-day/student-scholar-showcase/
Start Date
4-6-2016 12:00 PM
End Date
4-6-2016 1:00 PM
Abstract
Equus ferus caballus, commonly known as the domestic horse, is a non-territorial social animal that lives in herds. Herds have a dominance hierarchy, and social bonds between E. f. caballus contribute to herd stability and are reflected in behavior. E. f. caballus can display both aggressive and relaxed behaviors. In this experiment, behaviors of E. f. caballus were assessed in the subjects’ original social environment, and then again in a novel social environment to determine if this change altered their behaviors. I used scan-sampling to record the behaviors of the observed horses each minute for thirty minutes. When placed into a novel social environment the total number of aggressive behaviors between all observed horses rose, while the total number of relaxed behaviors fell. In the chi-square test, the p-value was less than 0.05, meaning there was statistically significant difference between behaviors in the original social environment versus a novel social environment. It can be concluded that horses respond to a change in social environment by becoming more aggressive.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. John D. Styrsky and Dr. Jennifer N. Styrsky
How Social Setting Impacts a Horse''s Behavior: A Behavioral Analysis of Horses Through Scan-Sampling
Memorial Ballroom
Equus ferus caballus, commonly known as the domestic horse, is a non-territorial social animal that lives in herds. Herds have a dominance hierarchy, and social bonds between E. f. caballus contribute to herd stability and are reflected in behavior. E. f. caballus can display both aggressive and relaxed behaviors. In this experiment, behaviors of E. f. caballus were assessed in the subjects’ original social environment, and then again in a novel social environment to determine if this change altered their behaviors. I used scan-sampling to record the behaviors of the observed horses each minute for thirty minutes. When placed into a novel social environment the total number of aggressive behaviors between all observed horses rose, while the total number of relaxed behaviors fell. In the chi-square test, the p-value was less than 0.05, meaning there was statistically significant difference between behaviors in the original social environment versus a novel social environment. It can be concluded that horses respond to a change in social environment by becoming more aggressive.
https://digitalshowcase.lynchburg.edu/studentshowcase/2016/Posters/12