Expression of Emotions: Communication and Welfare Issues
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Human-Animal Interactions, Animal Behaviour and Emotion".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 15892
Special Issue Editors
Interests: ethology; social behavior; cognition; communication; primates; dogs; cattle; cats; welfare
Interests: behavioural and physiological adaptations of wild species; welfare of domestic animals; personality and stress reactions in domestic animals; human-animal relationship
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In 1872, Darwin wrote “Expressions of the emotions in man and animals.” Since then, how animals communicate has been a fundamental issue in ethology. A considerable bulk of research has been devoted to analyzing signals, how they are displayed in the context of their production and their function. Analyses of vocalizations, facial mimics and postures have been the topics of many scientific papers especially in birds and nonhuman primates. Communication is a triadic process that comprises a sender, a signal associated to a channel (visual, vocal) and a receiver.
Unsurprisingly, the sender side of the process has received the most of attention. This involves the analysis of the signals and how they are displayed as well as the context in which they are emitted, in particular the sender's demeanor. These analyses are mainly based on observational studies. How signals are received and processed has received much less attention due to the necessity of an experimental approach, e.g., play-back for studying vocalizations.
These issues have been largely overlooked in domestic animals, though they are important as they involve both intra-specific and inter-specific interactions. Little research has been devoted to analyzing vocal repertoires and the structures of visual signals. Olfactory signals still require solid data instead of unproven claims. Such works as those of Moran et al. 1981, Fox 1971, Golani 1976, and Beauchamp 1976, for example, are too often ignored or simply unfairly plundered. Moreover, in domestic animals, having a science-based knowledge of the structures and functions of signals is especially important in human-animal interactions as it allows humans to adjust to animals' motivations and emotions. Knowing how animals express their emotions, be it positive or negative, including their pain, is also of paramount importance to be able to evaluate the well-being of animals subjected to different levels of constraint.
Participants (ethologists, veterinarians) of this issue are invited to provide data related to structures of signals from whatever communicative channels (visual, vocal, olfactory, tactile), as well as to their use in interactions both intra- and inter-specific. Papers devoted to the clarification of concepts related to communicative processes and critical reviews are also welcomed. Data on how animals from a large range of domestic species express their emotions are also invited.
Dr. Bertrand L. Deputte
Prof. Caroline Gilbert
Dr. Emmanuelle Titeux
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- Animal Emotion
- Animal behavior
- Welfare
- animals express their emotions
- Communication signal
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