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. 2018 Nov 5;8(1):16350.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-34281-2.

Dairy calves' personality traits predict social proximity and response to an emotional challenge

Affiliations

Dairy calves' personality traits predict social proximity and response to an emotional challenge

Benjamin Lecorps et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The assessment of individual traits requires that tests are reliable (i.e. consistency over time) and externally valid, meaning that they predict future responses in similar contexts (i.e. convergent validity) but do not predict responses to unrelated situations (i.e. discriminant validity). The aim of this study was to determine if dairy calf personality traits (Fearfulness, Sociability and Pessimism), derived from behaviours expressed in standardized tests, predict individuals' responses in related situations. The first experiment tested if the trait 'Sociability' was related to the expression of social behaviour in the home-pen, with calves assigned individual proximity scores (based on proximity to other calves) while they were in their home-pen at approximately 113 and 118 d of age. The second experiment aimed at exploring whether traits 'Fearfulness' and 'Pessimism' were related to the calves' emotional response to transportation. All calves were subjected to two 10-min transportation challenges done on two consecutive days. Emotional response was assessed using the maximum eye temperature (measured using infrared thermography) and the number of vocalizations emitted. Social proximity scores (Experiment 1), vocalizations emitted and maximum eye temperature after loading (Experiment 2) were consistent over time. In addition, the results showed good convergent validity with calves scoring higher in Sociability also having higher proximity scores in the home-pen, and animals scoring higher in Fearfulness and Pessimism showing a more intense emotional response to transportation. The results also showed good discriminant validity, as neither Fearfulness nor Pessimism were associated with the expression of social behaviours (Experiment 1) and Sociability was not associated with the animal's emotional response to transportation (Experiment 2). We conclude that the methodology used to measure personality traits shows good reliability and external validity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Consistency in individual social proximity scores of Holstein heifers (n = 19) tested twice within 1 week at approximately 115 days of age. Proximity scores were calculated using the total number of neighbours each calf had during each 48-h session, divided by the number of scans in which the calf was either lying or standing.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relationship between calf Sociability (from the personality assessment done when the animals were approximately 1 and 2 months old) and social proximity score from home-pen observations (n = 17). The proximity score was calculated by averaging measures over the 4 d of observations (at approximately 115 d old). The Sociability trait was derived from principal component analysis using responses to four standardized tests; higher values correspond to higher levels of Sociability.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Consistency across two consecutive days for (a) the number of vocalizations expressed by dairy heifers during 10 min transportation events, and (b) the maximum eye temperature of each animal measured after loading. Each point represents a calf (n = 19).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Relationship between the maximum eye temperature measured after loading and the number of vocalizations by dairy heifers during transport when they were 4 months old. Measures were averaged over the two transport sessions completed on consecutive days. Each point represents a calf (n = 19).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Relationship between the trait Pessimism (assessed when dairy heifer calves were approximately 1 and 2 months old) and the average number of vocalizations expressed (over two transportation challenges completed on consecutive days when the animals were approximately 4 months old). Each point represents a calf (n = 17).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Relationship between the trait Fearfulness (assessed when the calves were approximately 1 and 2 months old) and the change in maximum eye temperature after loading into the trailer (when calves were 4 months old). Each point represents a calf (n = 17).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Relationship between traits (a) Fearfulness and (b) Pessimism (assessed when calves were approximately 1 and 2 months old) and the average maximum eye temperature measured after loading into the trailer (assessed when calves were about 4 months old). Each point represents a calf (n = 17).

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