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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Melissa BatesonORCiD
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Choice tests are commonly used to measure animals' preferences, and the results of such tests are used to make recommendations regarding animal husbandry. An implicit assumption underlying the majority of choice tests is that the preferences obtained are independent of the set of options available in the test. This follows from two assumptions about the mechanisms of choice: first that animals use absolute evaluation mechanisms to assign value to options, and second, that the probability of choosing an option is proportional to the ratio between the value of that option and the sum of the values of the other options available. However, if either of these assumptions is incorrect then preferences can differ depending on the composition of the choice set. In support of this concern, evidence from foraging animals shows that preferences can change when a third, less preferred option is added to a binary choice. These findings have implications for the design and interpretation of choice tests.
Author(s): Bateson M
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Animal Welfare
Year: 2004
Volume: 13
Issue: supplement 1
Pages: S115-S120
ISSN (print): 0962-7286
ISSN (electronic):
Publisher: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ufaw/aw/2004/00000013/A00101s1/art00016
Notes: UFAW International Symposium on Science in the Service of Animal Welfare. Edinburgh, Scotland, April 2-4, 2003.
