Abstract
Operant conditioning methods, in which animals learn to alter some aspect of their physical environment, can be used to study environmental preferences in farm animals. Operant techniques have been used to study temperature and illumination preferences in pigs and ruminants and to investigate the ability of sheep and calves to discriminate between similar shapes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baldwin, B.A. 1975. The effect of intra-ruminal loading with cold water on thermoregulatory behaviour in sheep. J. Physiol., 249, 139–152.
Baldwin, B.A. 1979. Operant studies on the behaviour of pigs and sheep in relation to the physical environment. J. Anim. Sci., 49, 1125–1134.
Baldwin, B.A. 1981. Shape discrimination in sheep and calves. Anim. Behav., 29, 830–834.
Baldwin, B.A. and Ingram, D.L. 1967. Behavioural thermoregulation in pigs. Physiol. & Behav., 2, 15–21.
Baldwin, B.A. and Meese, G.B. 1977. Sensory reinforcement and illumination preference in the domesticated pig. Anim. Behav., 25, 497–507.
Baldwin, B.A. and Start, I. B. 1981. Sensory reinforcement and illumination preference in sheep and calves. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B., 211, 513–526.
Dawkins, M.S. 1977. Do hens suffer in battery cages? Environmental preferences and welfare. Anim. Behav., 25, 1034–1046.
Dawkins, M.S. 1980. Animal Suffering: The Science of Animal Welfare. London. Chapman & Hall.
Duncan, I.J.H. 1978. The interpretation of preference tests on animal behaviour. Applied Anim. Ethol., 4, 197.
Hughes, B.O. 1976. Preference decisions of domestic hens for wire or litter floors. Applied Anim. Ethol., 2, 155–165.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1983 ECSC, EEC, EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Baldwin, B.A. (1983). Operant Conditioning in Farm Animals and its Relevance to Welfare. In: Smidt, D. (eds) Indicators Relevant to Farm Animal Welfare. Current Topics in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6738-0_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6738-0_15
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-009-6740-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-6738-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive