Dr. Katrina Merkies and graduate student Haley Belliveau, from the Department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph, are conducting a research study titled “Human Distinction Between Positive and Negative Horse Vocalizations” (REB17-04-019).

The purpose of this survey-based study is to determine whether humans can make accurate distinctions between horse vocalizations produced in both positive (eg. horses greeting each other) and negative (eg. horse separated from its companions) contexts.

Participation in this study is on the voluntary basis. It involves answering a few questions about yourself, listening to 32 short audio clips and deciding whether the vocalization was generated in a negative or positive context. The survey will only take 15-20 minutes of your time, but your answers are very important to the research. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

Click here to take the survey.