SATS Kayce Cover food versus tool communication

Can we develop a way to talk with our animals that's simple enough to use on the
job? - Learn More: http://synalia.com - Can the animal really grasp concepts and master enough vocabulary that the
exchange of information is useful?

What would we gain if we could accomplish this with the exotic & domestic animals we keep &
manage?

At synalia.com,

... video of a horse making a series of discriminations as to whether
items are foods or tools. She chooses 11 of 13 items correctly,
corrects her two mistakes, and does this by toggling between a thumb
and finger choice (thumb is assigned one meaning, finger another).

Related video, an Irish Setter learning body parts, a cat learning to
relax and go through an x-ray, a border collie learning simple
behaviors which are put together into more complex behavior, a Gypsy
pony learning a few words in real time at a public fair, (more)...

I'll be presenting the technique supporting this at the IAABC
conference, Sat April 25th, 2009, Houston, Texas, with a two-day
seminar on details Mon/Tue April 27/28.

The horse has a demonstrated understanding of hundreds of words. We
do the same thing with dogs and other animals, including exotics.11 of 13 trials correct, corrected the 2 incorrect in the second trials for each; shows mastery of a concept. All these items are known by individual name and class (either food or tool). This is the first time for this test, and is in real time with the exception that a bit of conversation was removed. Finger is assigned to one choice, thumb to another. Horse makes choice by touching either finger or thumb.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• SATS
• Kayce
• Cover
• horse
• dog
• train
• communication
• bridge
• target

[PrometheansFire]

I see a little bit of Clever Hans here, so its hard to say if the animal really understand the concept. Based on other animal experiments, it is plausible.

This is why when people do this in the lab we usually have two people and a static board to prevent unintentional clues.

Ideally someone else is holding the option and doesn't know the answer to the question.

[seraphicsynergism]

Could be! But, in real conversation, there is always feedback and interchange. We cue one another constantly. So! Test it for yourself. There is a double blind presentation here as well, with my assistant.  Let me know what you think about it.

[seraphicsynergism]

You don't. I could be influencing her choice with facial cues etc.

My goal here is to get people thinking about whether two-way communication with animals can be practical. I'm not worried about proving anything. I would rather everyone try it for themselves and then decide for themselves. 1 thing I've learned, people who know this horse generally just accept her answers, as they do with people they know.

We have come to believe she knows what she is saying.

[cracklinggreen]

I can clearly see the food choices, but not the tool choices. How do we know she is choosing herself?

[seraphicsynergism]

It may not be clear on the video, but it is in person, because she actually touches the hand to indicate her choice. No touch, no choice. I don't usually have someone available to operate the camera, so the shot can be a bit off sometimes. Thanks for commenting!

[annetschen]

I love this video....

its wonderful that she is making the connection right there without any force. And i think its cool that she had one wrong, because that really shows for me that she knows the concept, and the person is not cuing the horse. WOW!!!

[seraphicsynergism]

Thanks for your comment. Her success rate in this sequence is about 85%. All work is voluntary. She hits the target hand in the middle and slides out to the choice finger or thumb, which appears to be easier than landing straight onto either finger or thumb, which may be fairly small detail for a horse. I'm using the finger/thumb toggle because I want a system that I always have with me, that doesn't require equipment..

Thanks again!

[seraphicsynergism]

Thanks very much. This horse really likes doing this work and is really a pleasure to work with.  Thanks for your kind words, and for visiting.

[RAVENNME]

this is awesome