Can rabbits tell humans apart?: Discrimination of individual humans and its implications for animal research

Comp Med. 2000 Oct;50(5):483-5.

Abstract

To predict when food reward was available, 12 New Zealand White rabbits were trained to discriminate between two humans. All subjects had significantly higher response rates and greater behavioral arousal in the presence of the positive stimulus person. The ability to discriminate between individual humans sets the stage for unanticipated Pavlovian conditioning, which may have considerable implications for animal research in behavioral and biomedical settings.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Conditioning, Psychological / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Pilot Projects
  • Rabbits / physiology
  • Rabbits / psychology*
  • Random Allocation
  • Rosales
  • Videotape Recording