Threshold Test & Cognitive Bias Test

Question 1

What are the 5 formal tests of decision making?

Answer 1

Preference test
Consumer demand test
Conditioned place test
Threshold test
Cognitive bias test

Question 2

Explain what a threshold test is?

Answer 2

A threshold test is where an animal is subjected to a stimulus which is slowly increased in intensity/application until the animal reacts
You would then measure at what threshold (intensity of stimulus) the animal starts to perceive the stimulus and respond to it

Question 3

Give 5 examples of a pain threshold test?

Answer 3

Von Frey Filaments 
Durometer
Cold Pressor Task
Hot Plate Test
Tail Flick Test

Question 4

Explain how Von Frey Filaments and Durometers work

Answer 4

First you get a thin filament or Durometer at the end of an apparatus and push it onto the animal to make it bend
This process is repeated with increasingly thicker filaments or Durometers until the animal can notice the filament and move away before it bends

Question 5

Explain how the Cold Pressor Task works

Answer 5

This is where you measure how long you can keep your hand/paw in icy water for
If the individual has a lower pain threshold they’ll only keep their hand/paw in the icy water for a shorter period of time

This test was first developed in human psychology but later applied to animals

Question 6

How does the Hot Plate Test and Tail Flick Test work?

Answer 6

In the experiment you start of with a cold/neutral temperature and then slowly increase the temperature until the animal moves away
In the hot plate test the animal will move off the plate
In the tail flick test the animal will flick away its tail from a hot beam
You will then measure the temperature at which the animal moves away from the hot area

Question 7

In pain threshold tests what does withdrawing from the stimulus earlier mean?

Answer 7

In pain threshold tests the animals that decide to withdraw earlier from the stimulus may perceive more pain, at least in that body part

Question 8

True or false
The pain thresholds in an individual may follow a pattern
Also give an example of this

Answer 8

True
For example emotional state may affect pain threshold
Happy = higher pain threshold
Sad = lower pain threshold

Question 9

What are 3 things are pain threshold tests used in:

Answer 9

1) Veterinary medicine to detect painful areas on an animals body
2) Pharmacology to test analgesics
3) Research to understand influences on subjective pain perception

Question 10

Name an example of a fear threshold test

Answer 10

Human avoidance test

Question 11

How does a human avoidance test work?

Answer 11

In a human avoidance test a human will approach an animal in a very standardised way
You would then measure at what distance the animal decides to move away on its own
The distance at which the animal decides to move away is called the flight distance
You would then repeat this in different directions around the animal to get the animals flight zone
It can be argued that animals with a small flight zone are less afraid of humans than animals with large flight zones

Question 12

How does a human approach test work?

Answer 12

Human approach tests involve the human staying still at a specified distance away from the animal and the animal approaches the human of their of volition
You would then measure:
The latency for the animal to start moving towards the human
The latency for the animal to touch the human

Question 13

What do human approach tests measure?

Answer 13

The human approach tests are used to measure either all or 1 of the following:

     - Attraction to humans
     - General boldness
     - Fear

Question 14

Explain how an emergence test threshold test works

Answer 14

This is where you place an animal in a shelter with either:
- a new environment
- a known environment with a perceived threat
You will then measure how long it takes for the animal to leave the shelter
More fearful, shyer animals have a longer latency to emerge from a safe place and explore

Question 15

What do threshold tests measure?

Answer 15

Fear or pain

Question 16

What must you be aware of when using a threshold test to measure fear or pain?

Answer 16

Threshold tests measure fear/pain but should avoid causing much fear/pain as the animal should be in control
Ideally the animal can withdraw themselves before any harm is caused
Some tests do force the animal into painful situations which raises ethical issues if the same information can be gathered through a voluntary interaction test

Question 17

Where does cognitive bias tests originate from?

Answer 17

The cognitive bias concept comes from human psychology

Question 18

In human psychology what does cognitive bias mean?

Answer 18

In human psychology cognitive bias is a broad term which refers to any bias in perception that causes someone’s subjective view to differ from reality

Question 19

What are the 3 psychological uses of cognitive bias for human psychology and explain what they are?

Answer 19

1) The sunk costs fallacy
This is where you put a lot of time and/or energy into something but no longer want it but carry on doing it/working towards it due to the effort already put into it

2) Confirmation bias
This is where we’re more likely to believe something if it supports our beliefs and vice versa

3) Hindsight
This is when you do something and then looking back you think you should’ve known how it would turn out and should’ve done the other option instead

Question 20

In animal welfare science cognitive bias only refers to which 1 type of cognitive bias?

Answer 20

Optimism/pessimism bias

Question 21

What is optimism/pessimism bias in human psychology?

Answer 21

In human psychology optimism/pessimism bias is a complex bias that:

   - refers to extreme personality traits that are affected by the particular situation and by mood
   - is conceptualised as extremes relative to the norm

People with an optimism bias are usually happier but take risks and ignore advice
This can lead to health problems that can affect their quality of life
People with pessimism bias are usually less happy, more anxious, and feel worse off than others
They can suffer from anxiety
People are only labelled as being one or the other if it’s part of their personality and very extreme

Question 22

What is optimism/pessimism bias in animal welfare science?

Answer 22

In animal welfare science we usually conceptualise optimism/pessimism bias as an indicator of mood
We look to see if the animal is feeling in an optimistic mood or a pessimistic mood in a given context
It is not looked at as being part of the animals personality

Question 23

How does a cognitive bias test work?

Answer 23

Within optimism/pessimism bias tests your aiming to test for the valence of a mood not just arousal
You need valence and arousal to be able to determine an animals welfare

Optimism/pessimism bias tests are used as an animal welfare indicator by using the concept that “humans in negative moods are more pessimistic” and apply it to animals

Question 24

Why do cognitive bias tests have the potential to identify positive welfare as well as negative welfare?

Answer 24

Due to the concept behind cognitive bias tests they may be measuring valence and arousal

Question 25

Depending on the paradigm used to test an animals cognitive bias there are some limitations to using cognitive bias as a welfare indicator. What are the 2 limitations of cognitive bias?

Answer 25

1) Most paradigms used to test animal welfare are usually responses in the context of go/no go or do/don’t do
- If the experiment is designed to measure whether or not the animal does something then it could confuse valence with arousal

2) The test is usually out of context of what you’re interested in and could be a separate experience to what you thought it would be for the animal
- This could be due to not fully understanding how the animal perceives reality
- These situations may alter the animals mood to a different mood you are not trying to test for

Question 26

What are some future uses of cognitive bias tests?

Answer 26

Cognitive bias tests have been widely used to investigate the benefits of environmental enrichment

Effects of chronic or traumatic disease
Breed related quality of life
Personality research
Tests of sentience