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Operant Studies on the Behavior of Pigs and Sheep in Relation to the Physical Environment

Agricultural Research Council, Institute of Animal Physiology, Babraham, Cambridge, England

Abstract

An outline is given of the use of operant conditioning techniques in the study of the behavior of farm animals. Using operant methods, pigs and sheep placed in cold environments have been trained to perform simple responses in order to obtain radiant heat. Factors which influence this behavior such as level of nutrition, ambient temperature and the intensity of the radiant heat have been examined. The effect of warming or cooling the hypothalamus on the motivation to work for heat production has been studied. Experiments are also described in which, using operant methods, an attempt has been made to determine the illumination preferences of pigs and ruminants.