Abstract
Can we recognize emotions of tigers, monkeys and goats?
Laura Hiisivuori1, Anssi Vainio1, Emma Vitikainen1, Sonja E. Koski1,2
1. Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki
2. Department of Biology, University of Turku
Introduction: Human ability to recognize animal emotions appears limited, but as research on emotion recognition is still scarce, the factors influencing it are poorly understood. Studies thus far have mainly tested the recognition of domestic animals. We studied people’s ability to recognize the emotions of three zoo animal species (Barbary macaque, tiger and markhor). We assessed separately recognition of arousal and valence of the emotions to scrutinize emotion recognition in more detail. We hypothesized that recognition is influenced by the species’ phylogenetic closeness to humans and that arousal is better recognized than valence.
Methodology: The material consisted of short clips of a tiger, a barbary macaque, and a markhor goat (5 of each, 15 in total) presenting emotions of high, medium, and low arousal and of positive, neutral and negative valence. Of these, we composed three video collections, each including five clips and each of the three species. The respondents evaluated the arousal and valence in the clips in 7-step Likert scales. Results: We obtained answers from N=1127 respondents. We found that, as predicted, people recognized the emotions of Barbary macaques better than those of tigers and markhors (F=148.9 df=2, p< 0.001). We also found that valence was less accurately recognized overall than arousal (t= 8.91, df= 10941, p< 0.0001), which also varied among the species. Species also differed in which emotions were better recognized than others.
Conclusions: Recognition of the three species’ emotions was overall rather poor, but varied according to the species, valence, and degree of arousal. Understanding the factors influencing animal emotion recognition needs more research, as improved recognition is highly relevant for animal welfare in a wide range of contexts and in improving human-animal relationships.
Laura Hiisivuori1, Anssi Vainio1, Emma Vitikainen1, Sonja E. Koski1,2
1. Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki
2. Department of Biology, University of Turku
Introduction: Human ability to recognize animal emotions appears limited, but as research on emotion recognition is still scarce, the factors influencing it are poorly understood. Studies thus far have mainly tested the recognition of domestic animals. We studied people’s ability to recognize the emotions of three zoo animal species (Barbary macaque, tiger and markhor). We assessed separately recognition of arousal and valence of the emotions to scrutinize emotion recognition in more detail. We hypothesized that recognition is influenced by the species’ phylogenetic closeness to humans and that arousal is better recognized than valence.
Methodology: The material consisted of short clips of a tiger, a barbary macaque, and a markhor goat (5 of each, 15 in total) presenting emotions of high, medium, and low arousal and of positive, neutral and negative valence. Of these, we composed three video collections, each including five clips and each of the three species. The respondents evaluated the arousal and valence in the clips in 7-step Likert scales. Results: We obtained answers from N=1127 respondents. We found that, as predicted, people recognized the emotions of Barbary macaques better than those of tigers and markhors (F=148.9 df=2, p< 0.001). We also found that valence was less accurately recognized overall than arousal (t= 8.91, df= 10941, p< 0.0001), which also varied among the species. Species also differed in which emotions were better recognized than others.
Conclusions: Recognition of the three species’ emotions was overall rather poor, but varied according to the species, valence, and degree of arousal. Understanding the factors influencing animal emotion recognition needs more research, as improved recognition is highly relevant for animal welfare in a wide range of contexts and in improving human-animal relationships.
| Translated title of the contribution | Osaammeko tunnistaa tiikerin, apinan ja vuohen tunteita? |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jun 2023 |
| MoE publication type | Not Eligible |
| Event | 32nd International Society for Anthrozoology Conference (ISAZ): The Spectrum of Human-Animal Interactions and Relationships - University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Duration: 15 Jun 2023 → 18 Jun 2023 https://admmanager.wixsite.com/website-2 |
Conference
| Conference | 32nd International Society for Anthrozoology Conference (ISAZ): The Spectrum of Human-Animal Interactions and Relationships |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Edinburgh |
| Period | 15/06/2023 → 18/06/2023 |
| Internet address |
Fields of Science
- 1181 Ecology, evolutionary biology
- anthrozoology
- 515 Psychology