Emotion, Pain, & Sentience

Assessing the exploratory and anxiety-related behaviors of mice

Ample studies have shown that housing can affect the health, welfare and behavior of mice and therefore, the outcomes of certain experiments. The aim of this study was to investigate if three widely used housing systems, Open Top Cages (OTC),...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Polissidis, A., Zelelak, S., Nikita, M. et al. 2017. Assessing the exploratory and anxiety-related behaviors of mice. Do different caging systems affect the outcome of behavioral tests? Physiology & Behavior 177, 68-73.

Female rats display fewer optimistic responses in a judgment bias test in the absence of a physiological stress response

Metabolic cages are a type of housing used in biomedical research. Metabolic cage housing has been demonstrated to elicit behavioural and physiological changes in rodents housed within them. The nature of this effect has been characterized as anxiogenic. However, few...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Barker, T. H., Bobrovskaya, L., Howarth, G. S. et al. 2017. Female rats display fewer optimistic responses in a judgment bias test in the absence of a physiological stress response. Physiology & Behavior 173, 124-131.

Differences in anticipatory behaviour between rats (Rattus norvegicus) housed in standard versus semi-naturalistic laboratory environments

Laboratory rats are usually kept in relatively small cages, but research has shown that they prefer larger and more complex environments. The physiological, neurological and health effects of standard laboratory housing are well established, but fewer studies have addressed the...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Makowska, I. J., Weary, D. M. 2016. Differences in anticipatory behaviour between rats (Rattus norvegicus) housed in standard versus semi-naturalistic laboratory environments. PLOS ONE 11(1), e0147595.

A study of the rat’s behavior in a field: A contribution to method in comparative psychology

THE OPEN-FIELD (OF) TEST, originally developed by Hall (Hall & Ballachey, 1932), is one of the most widely used methods in the study of emotionality in rodents. The test is conducted in an enclosed open area in which the animal...

Year Published: 1932Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hall, C. S., Ballachey, E. L. 1932. A study of the rat's behavior in a field: A contribution to method in comparative psychology. University of California Publications in Psychology 6, 1-12.

The effects of regular handling on fear responses in the domestic chick

Regular gentle handling reduces the fear response toward people. Regular handling had no effect on approach towards an inanimate object.

Year Published: 1981Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, HandlingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Jones, R. B., Faure, J. M. 1981. The effects of regular handling on fear responses in the domestic chick. Behavioural Processes 6, 135-143.

Ethical guidelines for investigations of experimental pain in conscious animals

Investigators ... should accept a general attitude in which the animal is regarded not as an object for exploitation, but as a living individual [p. 109].

Year Published: 1983Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Zimmermann, M. 1983. Ethical guidelines for investigations of experimental pain in conscious animals. Pain 16, 109-110.

Animal boredom – A model of chronic suffering in captive animals and its consequences for environmental enrichment

Discussion of the term 'animal boredom' and of basic environmental enrichment options for rabbits.

Year Published: 1994Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General, Rabbit

Citation: Wemelsfelder, F. 1994. Animal boredom - A model of chronic suffering in captive animals and its consequences for environmental enrichment. Humane Innovations and Alternatives in Animal Experimentation 8, 587-591.

Gentled and nonhandled Wistar rats in a mildly novel open-field situation

Open-field behaviour of individually gentled and nonhandled adult male Wistar rats was studied in a mildly novel test situation. The gentled rats were more active and showed fewer signs of fear on the first trial. This difference gradually descended on...

Year Published: 1995Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hirsjärvi, P. A., Väliaho, T. 1995. Gentled and nonhandled Wistar rats in a mildly novel open-field situation. Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science 22(3), 265-269.

Fear and adaptability in poultry: insights, implications and imperatives

Environmental enrichment can reduce fear responses and feather pecking.

Year Published: 1996Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Jones, R. B. 1996. Fear and adaptability in poultry: insights, implications and imperatives. World's Poultry Science Journal 52, 131-174.

Power for captive animals – Contingencies and nature

Some of the examples provided here serve to illustrate that being able to maintain some control, even over limited aspects of their environment, is also of critical importance to nonhuman primates.

Year Published: 1998Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Markowitz, H. , Aday, C. 1998. Power for captive animals - Contingencies and nature. In: Second Nature - Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals. Shepherdson, D. H., Mellen, J. D., Hutchins, M. (eds), 47-58. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.