this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2024
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Team hopes findings will help improve equine welfare after showing cognitive abilities include being ‘goal-directed’

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[–] NegativeInf 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If they are goal directed they are more sapient than I am.

[–] lolrightythen 5 points 1 month ago

I was just thinking something similar. Perhaps envy.

Stupid horses knowing what they want and working towards it.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Everything is goal directed right up to the...

REEEEEEEEEE! HOLY FUCK WHAT WAS THAT LITTLE NOISE OR MOVEMENT? RUNAWAY! RUNAWAY! RUNAWAY!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

You fool! You absolute buffoon! That horse has been twelve steps ahead of you the entire time! The freakout was staged and part of its master plan!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Goddamit!

Tricksy horsesses!

[–] Maalus 1 points 1 month ago

The master plan being to kick you in the balls

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

To be fair, that describes me having a panic attack when my plans fall apart.

[–] ohwhatfollyisman 10 points 1 month ago

but, famously, they never proceed directly towards their goal. they always take one step to the side after two steps forward.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How did you conduct this study? Play chess with a horse?

[–] Noodle07 16 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Horse did a en passant and the researcher got mad

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It then farted while running away, kicking.

[–] Tabula_stercore 2 points 1 month ago

Then, when it slowed down to a pace, it ate a chick

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So a horse could plan and act out a murder?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

No, but they could plan and act out a greater European conflict.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

it looks like somebody in this story doesn't understand the difference between strategy and tactics, which definitely seems like quite an important distinction in this case

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Why is that important? If you want to separate the two, the strategy is obvious.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

thinking tactically is short term, thinking strategically is long-term, especially with the "plan ahead" in the title

nothing about the test described in the article implies that horses are capable of doing that though