Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Positive animal emotion (affect) is a key component of good animal welfare [1] and plays an important role in stress-coping and resilience [2]. Methods for reliably inducing and measuring positive affect are critical, but both have been limited in availability. In rats, one promising way of inducing positive affective states is by human-simulated rough and tumble play or 'tickling' [3,4]. However, in humans tickling induces both pleasure and displeasure, and neither an established non-verbal indicator of positive affect, the Duchenne smile, nor laughter detects this variation [5,6]. Rats also show individual differences in response to tickling [7], and this variation needs to be readily quantified if we are to ensure that tickling is only implemented where it generates positive affect. Here, we use a validated and objective measure of affective valence, the affective bias test [8], to show that 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations provide a quantifiable and graded measure of positive affect that accurately reflects the positive state induced by this human-rat interaction.
Source: Current Biology
Institution: University of Bristol
Language: English
Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,200
Funders: Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Wellcome Trust, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK Government, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, Home Office, University of Bristol, Medical Research Council, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W3087483375