Attention Bias Test Measures Negative But Not Positive Affect in Sheep: A Replication Study

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior
• Affective neuroscience
• Veterinary science

Background:

• Attention bias tests are used to measure affective states.
• Previous studies on sheep attention bias for positive affect were inconclusive.
• This study aimed to validate the test under controlled conditions with younger sheep.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if an attention bias test can assess positive affective states in sheep.
• To replicate and improve upon previous inconclusive findings.
• To investigate the test's efficacy in a younger animal population.

Main Methods:

• Sheep received pharmacological treatments to induce anxious, calm, or happy states.
• An attention bias test was administered, measuring vigilance and attention to stimuli.
• Data were analyzed using linear mixed effects models.

Main Results:

• Anxious sheep exhibited significantly higher vigilance compared to control animals.
• No significant differences in vigilance or looking behaviors were found for positive affect groups.
• Pharmacological treatments did not significantly affect looking behaviors.

Conclusions:

• The attention bias test can distinguish negative affective states (anxiety) in sheep.
• The current test paradigm is not effective for assessing positive affective states in sheep.
• Modifications to the test's ethogram or stimuli may be necessary to detect positive affect.