10/17/17 

Professor Morton put a flock of 7 Welsh Mountain Sheep through a test where she used a yellow and blue colored bucket to see how long it would take the animals to learn to find food in the same colored bucket each time. To her surprise, the sheep learned this in about the same time it took for monkeys to figure out the test, approximately 7 trials.  

Independent Study Update  

This past week I replicated this study with the sheep on the farm. I presented the sheep with 2 different colored buckets, one orange and one white. The orange bucket contained the food and the white did not. On the first trail of the experiment I put both buckets down at the same time and let the sheep look into each bucket to see where the food was. After they all realized it was in the orange bucket, I moved to a different location on the field and set both buckets down again at the same time. About half the sheep went to the orange bucket while the other half went to the white one. I did not move the buckets until all the sheep realized which one the food was in. For the third trail, I moved to another location on the pasture and placed both buckets on the ground again. This time, all the sheep went towards the orange bucket right away. Therefore, demonstrating that by receiving the reward of food, the sheep were able learn where their food would be by distinguishing the different colored buckets. 

           Thoughts on the experiment: I did not think that the sheep would learn to discriminate between the different colored buckets as quickly as they did. I personally was expecting it to take about 5 trials. Although sheep are considered to be less intelligent, In my experiment they have proved to have to capability to learn through operant conditioning rather quickly. To assure accuracy, I will replicate this experiment the next time I visit the farm to see how the sheep preform a second time, and if they may have retained the information they learned.  

10/8/17  

Independent Study Update 

Classical conditioning is not the only type of learning. Another method I would like to experiment with is operant conditioning. 

For the past few weeks of my study, I have been testing the abilities of the sheep to learn through a classical conditioning method. I started off with sheep as my first group of animals to focus on because they have a false stigma of being labeled as "dumb." This perception of sheep may have developed due to their strong flocking instinct. Sheep evolved this instinct to increase their chance of survival and help protect them from predators, basically, safety in numbers.  

Classical conditioning is not the only type of learning. Another method I would like to experiment with is operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behavior is controlled by consequences. The key concept in operant conditioning is positive reinforcement. 

While researching animal intelligence I came across a study on sheep intelligence by Jenny Morton, a neuroscientist from the University of Cambridge. Sheep intelligence was being studied in hope that they may be a useful animal model for Huntington's Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to dementia and affects muscle control. Sheep were especially considered because their brains are not only larger than rodents, but they also have the complex folds that are seen in primate brains. In addition, their brains also have basal ganglia similar to humans. The basal ganglia, along with the cerebral cortex, are responsible for important functions such as decision-making, learning and habit formation. Huntington's disease greatly effects those two areas of the brain.  

Professor Morton put a flock of 7 Welsh Mountain Sheep through a test where she used a yellow and blue colored bucket to see how long it would take the animals to learn to find food in the same colored bucket each time. To her surprise, the sheep learned this in about the same time it took for monkeys to figure out the test, approximately 7 tries. When she swapped the food into different colored buckets, the sheep then adapted again in the same amount of time it took the monkeys and rodents to.  

I plan on replicating this study with the sheep on the farm. I will present the sheep with 2 different colored buckets, one orange and one white. Both white and orange fall into sheep's visional range. The orange bucket will contain food and the white one will not. Both buckets will be presented to the sheep at the same time. Eventually the sheep will realize which one of the buckets contain the food. Once the sheep learn the task, with food still in the orange bucket, I will then switch the positions of the buckets and see which one they go over to first. I will do this for as many times it takes for them to learn to go straight to the orange bucket with the food.  

Picture: Welsh Mountain Sheep; Breed of sheep Professor Morton used in her study.

SOURCES:  

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/8335465/Sheep-are-far-smarter-than-previously-thought.html  

http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/counting-on-sheep  

9/27/2017  

The first task will be testing the animals' ability to learn. Through the process of classical conditioning, I will test the learning capabilities of the chosen animals. In order to compare the results, I will replicate my experiment exactly with each group. 

   Independent Study Update   

             I started the process of classical condition on September 19th with the ewes (female sheep). The ewes already know to associate the bucket with food. In my experiment, the neutral stimulus I added was a bell noise. The unconditioned stimulus is their food bucket. Each time I go out I ring the bell just before I pour some food on the ground for them. I continue to ring it until they finish eating.  My goal is for the animals to associate the bell noise with getting their food. Eventually with the ring of the bell, they will learn to expect food without having to see the bucket first. 

The first day I performed this process, these ewes were very cautious around me. It was the first time I had been in their presence and some of them were skeptical of who I was.  Two of the ewes came to the bucket while another two kept their distance and waited a few minutes before coming to get food. None of them looked up to acknowledge me, or the bell noise. They quickly ate their food and left. The second time I completed this task, all four of the ewes willingly came over. A few of the ewes would pick up their heads, and stare at me for a few seconds and continue eating. They could possibly be showing signs of acknowledging the bell noise. It will be interesting to see if the ewes will learn to associate the bell noise with food overtime, and if so, how long it will take.  

       

9/18/2017 

There is much debate surrounding the topic of animal intelligence and how it compares to human intelligence.  To what extent can we compare human and animal intelligence? We are two different species, but how similar are we? The purpose of my independent study is to explore these questions in depth through conducting behavioral experiments with our farm animals on Home Winds.  

Independent Study Update   

This past Monday, I visited home winds where Mr. Rabel showed me what was new on the farm this year. Last year in animal science my classmates and I worked with the cows, ducks, chickens, 3 donkeys, and 6 goats. During the summer the farm had many new additions including 9 Jacob Sheep, 4 Ewes, and 5 Lambs. I reunited with the original animals, and met all the news ones.  

  

The first task will be testing the animals' ability to learn.  Through the process of classical conditioning, I will test the learning capabilities of the chosen animals. In order to compare the results, I will replicate my experiment with each group.  

For this part of my study, I will be using the sheep, ewes, lambs, goats, and donkeys. I saw last year that the cows had already demonstrated their ability to learn. They learned that every time a bucket of grain was shook, it meant mealtime. So, each time they heard the stimulus, they would go over to the feeder right away. I will not be using the ducks and chickens. I will only be using the four legged mammals.  

My experiment will be a close replication of Pavlov's with his dog. The goal of Pavlov's experiment was to see if his dog would learn to associate an unconditioned stimulus (in this scenario food) with a new conditioned stimulus (a bell). The dog would already salivate when food was presented. So, Pavlov began ringing a bell each time he was about to give his dog food. Sure enough, the dog learned to associate the stimuli, and when it only heard the sound of the bell, it still salivated, expecting food.  

In my experiment my neutral stimulus will be a bell noise. The unconditioned stimulus will be their food. Each time I present food to the animals, I will ring the bell. My goal is for the animals to associate the bell noise with getting their food. So, when I ring the bell, they will learn to expect food. I am curious to see if one particular group learns faster than another.  

Neutral stimulus – bell  

Unconditioned stimulus – food  

Unconditioned response – them approaching the food  

Conditioned stimulus – food  

Conditioned response – approaching the bell 

An important note: While I am testing the animals' ability to learn, I will make additional visits to the animals without food. This is to assure that, if anything, they will learn to associate the bell with the food and not me.