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Voluntary wheel running: a review and novel interpretation
1Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol
Animal Behaviour
|December 16, 1998
Summary
Animal voluntary wheel running is a common behavior, but its causes and functions remain debated. This review suggests it may be an artifact of captivity, performed for its own sake, rather than having a specific evolutionary purpose.
Area of Science:
- Ethology
- Animal Behavior
- Comparative Psychology
Background:
- Voluntary wheel running is a frequently observed behavior in diverse animal species.
- Despite extensive study for nearly a century, consensus on its causality and function is lacking.
- Disparities in factual and theoretical development hinder understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and critically analyze existing research on the causality and function of voluntary wheel running in animals.
- To highlight inconsistencies and lack of consensus in current theories.
- To propose a novel behavior-based interpretation of wheel running.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and critical analysis of published studies on animal wheel running.
- Examination of internal and external factors influencing the behavior.
- Evaluation of proposed functions and motivational studies.
Main Results:
- Significant disagreement exists among findings regarding the causality and function of wheel running.
- Proposed theories often lack generality and are potentially simplistic.
- Wheel running may be an artifact of captive environments or the running wheel itself, possibly due to feedback dysfunction.
Conclusions:
- A single, universally applicable theory for wheel running is unlikely.
- Wheel running is often self-reinforcing and perceived as important by animals.
- The behavior, while potentially an artifact, is of significant interest to behavioral science due to its ubiquity, intensity, plasticity, and maladaptiveness.