Award details

The experimental assessment of animal welfare: Validating the use of microeconomics techniques to measure motivational priorities

Reference	S12890
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Georgia Mason
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	University of Oxford
Department	Zoology
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	143,732
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/08/2000
End date	31/12/2003
Duration	41 months

Abstract

Microeconomics techniques are commonly recommended for assessing motivational priorities in order to evaluate animal welfare in captivity. However, if animals follow the behavioural decision-making rules used by human consumers, their priorities will be flexible; and affected by specific aspects of local context in a predictable manner. Here, we test hypotheses concerning how the nature and costs of local resources affect demand for a test resource. We also investigate whether these changes in demand are mirrored by changes in the physiological stress response shown when the test resource is denied. This work will increase the fundamental understanding of how animals partition their time and energy across competing activities, and in doing so, provide much-needed definitive guidelines for applying consumer demand techniques to animal welfare problems so as to produce data with real external validity.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

I accept the terms and conditions of use (opens in new window)

export PDF file

back to list new search