More animal psychology

EQD · 11-03-2009, 09:56 AM

I have this 'brain' app on iPhone thats teaching me the numerous parts of the human brain, their functions, and what can be associated with its distortion or damage should it occur.

This is all making me reflect back on animals like horses and dogs.
I read somewhere that a horses Limbic system is comparable to a humans despite the fact that the equine brain is only half the size.

The limbic system and the parts within it like the amygdala deal with basically learning, emotions, reward processing, fear processing, and the flight or fight response.
Follow me here...
They are also located right on the tips of something called a 'Ventrical' whos purpose is to protect the brain, now in human cases enlarged ventrical areas are associated with bi-polar and schizophrenia. Anyway...

What i'm getting at is this, what if horses and dogs, and other animals with a similar brain makeup HAVE these disorders through trauma and other factors...
I'm interested in the psychology of these animals, because they arent JUST animals. They are like us....
I guess some people may find it hilarious when they hear 'that dogs schizophrenic' or 'that horse is retarded' but really its all science.. . they can actually BE that...

The Wernicks system and the temporal lobes particularly deal with an animals ability to be trained by a human, it deals with speech and noise recognition.
If defective they could even have 'auditory hallucinations' just like people can. If damaged then they can become impaired to training.

This could determine the aptitude of every animal specifically as an individual.
Wouldnt it be neat if we could scan your pets head and tell you what its aptitude was? or tell you why it cant learn this or that... ??

*ponders*

I must learn more, but let me hear your thoughts

EQD · 11-03-2009, 10:09 AM

and oh my god.... schizophrenia which is associated with pretty much every system around the ventricals, basal ganglia, and Thalamus... i listened to a nurses explination of her experience in a mental institution and it reminded me of how horses reacted to people's dispositions.
That if a person approached a patient and was upset then the patient would immediately become distraught and concerned.

Thats what some horses do and some horses dont do. How much of this is cognitive and how much of this is biological i wonder?????
There are horses who are uneffected by this and make great first horses for frightened riders and the mentally and physically disabled, then there are those who go berzerk with riders like that! What if this is primarily neurological?

whhhoooaaaa this is getting really cool!!!

Victoria66 · 11-03-2009, 10:13 AM

I find all aspects psychology interesting human or otherwise. Physiology, biology, genetics, everything. I could listen to watch or read that stuff forever. We are not as different from the animal kingdom as we like to think.

EQD · 11-03-2009, 10:18 AM

thats what i mean victoria, why shouldnt people start to see animals as less than animals and more like people because of this?
its so obvious, yet we treat them like they can only come in a few different ways. we dont pay any attention to their minds because we think they are automatically lesser than us or otherwise unable to resemble us.

My question is are there studies being conducted now to help us better understand the psychology of animals in relation to neurology?

Victoria66 · 11-03-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EQD

thats what i mean victoria, why shouldnt people start to see animals as less than animals and more like people because of this?
its so obvious, yet we treat them like they can only come in a few different ways. we dont pay any attention to their minds because we think they are automatically lesser than us or otherwise unable to resemble us.

My question is are there studies being conducted now to help us better understand the psychology of animals in relation to neurology?

Hm, I am not sure. I think they are more done in relation to how they resmble US, rather than how to understand them for their own sake.

Greedy Toad · 11-03-2009, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EQD

My question is are there studies being conducted now to help us better understand the psychology of animals in relation to neurology?

Yes there are.

Victoria66 · 11-03-2009, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greedy Toad

Yes there are.

To help the animal more so than to understand our own? Yes, I guess there might be some.

We are a pretty egocentric animal though.

Greedy Toad · 11-03-2009, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Victoria66

To help the animal more so than to understand our own? Yes, I guess there might be some.

We are a pretty egocentric animal though.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, the studies for animal behaviour is based around the potential money earning capabilities.

An example from EQD being one. Horse racing is a massive money making business. Not only is the physical prowess of the horse paramount, but so is its "attitude" to all elements of racing from training, to handling crowds, riders, and it's determination.

It is no longer uncommon for brain scans mapping out sizes of differentiated areas in the animals brain to take place to give a trainer an insight into the "potential" of an animal including it's behaviour.

EQD · 11-03-2009, 10:32 AM

i dont think i've ever heard of a racehorse getting a brain scan, but i'd really like to see a scan on a violent or neurotic horse just to see if its cognitive or related to an injury or genetic disfunction

11-03-2009, 09:56 AM	#1
EQD Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Gender: Female Age: 22 Posts: 5,972	More animal psychology I have this 'brain' app on iPhone thats teaching me the numerous parts of the human brain, their functions, and what can be associated with its distortion or damage should it occur. This is all making me reflect back on animals like horses and dogs. I read somewhere that a horses Limbic system is comparable to a humans despite the fact that the equine brain is only half the size. The limbic system and the parts within it like the amygdala deal with basically learning, emotions, reward processing, fear processing, and the flight or fight response. Follow me here... They are also located right on the tips of something called a 'Ventrical' whos purpose is to protect the brain, now in human cases enlarged ventrical areas are associated with bi-polar and schizophrenia. Anyway... What i'm getting at is this, what if horses and dogs, and other animals with a similar brain makeup HAVE these disorders through trauma and other factors... I'm interested in the psychology of these animals, because they arent JUST animals. They are like us.... I guess some people may find it hilarious when they hear 'that dogs schizophrenic' or 'that horse is retarded' but really its all science.. . they can actually BE that... The Wernicks system and the temporal lobes particularly deal with an animals ability to be trained by a human, it deals with speech and noise recognition. If defective they could even have 'auditory hallucinations' just like people can. If damaged then they can become impaired to training. This could determine the aptitude of every animal specifically as an individual. Wouldnt it be neat if we could scan your pets head and tell you what its aptitude was? or tell you why it cant learn this or that... ?? ponders I must learn more, but let me hear your thoughts __________________ http://sumitsays.com/2009/05/29/in-your-headlights/

11-03-2009, 10:09 AM	#2
EQD Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Gender: Female Age: 22 Posts: 5,972	and oh my god.... schizophrenia which is associated with pretty much every system around the ventricals, basal ganglia, and Thalamus... i listened to a nurses explination of her experience in a mental institution and it reminded me of how horses reacted to people's dispositions. That if a person approached a patient and was upset then the patient would immediately become distraught and concerned. Thats what some horses do and some horses dont do. How much of this is cognitive and how much of this is biological i wonder????? There are horses who are uneffected by this and make great first horses for frightened riders and the mentally and physically disabled, then there are those who go berzerk with riders like that! What if this is primarily neurological? whhhoooaaaa this is getting really cool!!! __________________ http://sumitsays.com/2009/05/29/in-your-headlights/

11-03-2009, 10:13 AM	#3
Victoria66 Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: for now where the CF sends us Gender: Female Age: 43 Posts: 4,601	I find all aspects psychology interesting human or otherwise. Physiology, biology, genetics, everything. I could listen to watch or read that stuff forever. We are not as different from the animal kingdom as we like to think. __________________ ADHD= Attention Dialed into a Higher Dimension. For my Indigo son. Know how to suffer and how to laugh. Mother Teresa If you judge people you have no time to love them. Mother Teresa Run amok empath= the end of little miss nice girl. Tomorrow IS another day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EM7FaOc3Zk What Child Is This.

11-03-2009, 10:18 AM	#4
EQD Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Gender: Female Age: 22 Posts: 5,972	thats what i mean victoria, why shouldnt people start to see animals as less than animals and more like people because of this? its so obvious, yet we treat them like they can only come in a few different ways. we dont pay any attention to their minds because we think they are automatically lesser than us or otherwise unable to resemble us. My question is are there studies being conducted now to help us better understand the psychology of animals in relation to neurology? __________________ http://sumitsays.com/2009/05/29/in-your-headlights/

11-03-2009, 10:32 AM	#9
EQD Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Gender: Female Age: 22 Posts: 5,972	i dont think i've ever heard of a racehorse getting a brain scan, but i'd really like to see a scan on a violent or neurotic horse just to see if its cognitive or related to an injury or genetic disfunction __________________ http://sumitsays.com/2009/05/29/in-your-headlights/