Pigs show potential for ‘remarkable’ level of behavioral and mental flexibility in new study

Pigs will likely never be able to fly, but new research shows that some species of the genus Sus can possess remarkable levels of behavioral and mental flexibility. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology tested the ability of four pigs to play a single joystick video game. Each animal demonstrated some conceptual understanding despite limited dexterity over the tasks normally assigned to non-human primates to analyze intelligence.

The study involved two Yorkshire pigs named Hamlet and Omelette, and two Panepinto micro-pigs, Ebony and Ivory. All four animals were trained to approach and manipulate a joystick with their snouts in front of a computer screen during the first phase of the experiment. They then learned to play a video game in which the goal was to move a cursor using the joystick to up to four target walls on the screen.

Each pig performed the tasks well above chance, indicating that the animal understood that the movement of the joystick was related to the cursor on the computer screen. The fact that these clairvoyant animals without opposable thumbs can succeed in this task is “remarkable,” according to the researchers.

“It is no small task for an animal to grasp the concept that the behavior it exercises has an effect elsewhere. The fact that pigs can do this to any degree should prompt us to think about what they are capable of learning and how this learning can impact them, ”said lead author Dr Candace Croney, professor at Purdue University and director of the Purdue Center for Animal Welfare Science. Sarah T. Boysen, known for her work on chimpanzee cognition, co-authored the study.

Scientists already know that pigs are capable of various types of learning, from the same type of basic obedience commands taught to dogs such as “come” and “sit” to more complex behaviors that require them to change their minds. behavior when the rules of the game change. One study even showed that pigs can use mirrors to find food hidden in a pen, Croney noted.

In the current study, the team used food to teach and reinforce behaviors, but also found that social contact can strongly influence their persistence. For example, when the treat vending machine was not running, the pigs continued to make correct responses using only verbal and tactile cues. And only verbal encouragement seemed to help the animals with the more difficult tasks.

“This type of study is important because, like any sentient being, the way we interact with pigs and what we do to them has an impact and is important to them,” Croney said. “So we have an ethical obligation to understand how pigs acquire information and what they are able to learn and remember, because this ultimately has implications for how they perceive their interactions with us and their environment.

While the pigs could not match the skill level of non-human primates on the video task and did not meet the criteria used for primates to demonstrate full mastery of the concept, the researchers said the shortcomings could be partially explained by the nature of the experience. , designed for dexterous, visually oriented mammals.

The study ended before researchers could investigate a more ambitious goal: whether such a computer interface using symbols could be used to communicate more directly with pigs, as has been done with non-human primates.

“Informing management practices and improving the welfare of pigs was and still is a major goal, but in reality this is secondary to a better appreciation of the uniqueness of pigs apart from any benefit we may derive from it”, Croney said.