Behavior analysis and farm animal welfare.
Use preference tests and demand curves to measure what animals will work for—without that data, welfare claims are just marketing.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Martin et al. (1997) wrote a think-piece, not an experiment.
They asked: can we treat a chicken, pig, or cow like a client who can’t speak?
The paper maps three ABA tools—preference tests, demand curves, and detection training—onto farm animal welfare questions.
What they found
The paper does not give new data.
It argues that until we know what an animal will work for, we can’t call any pen, feed, or handling “humane.”
In short: show me the demand curve, then we’ll talk welfare.
How this fits with other research
Fernandez et al. (2023) extends the same logic to zoo animals and adds single-case designs you can run today.
Howard et al. (2023) throws cold water on all ABA assessments—preference tests included—by showing many lack solid reliability data.
That looks like a clash: M et al. say “use these tools,” while L et al. warn “they might not be valid.” The gap is species and evidence level—farm papers were theory; human reviews found weak psychometrics.
Furrebøe et al. (2017) and McGeown et al. (2013) back the demand-curve method, calling it the missing link between behavior analysis and policy economics.
Why it matters
If you assess reinforcers for clients, you already have the skills to rate animal welfare.
Next time you see “cage-free” labels, ask for the demand curve that proves the birds actually worked to reach that space.
Push suppliers for data, not slogans—ABA gives you the vocabulary to do it.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This article demonstrates that there is a role for behavior-analytic techniques in the area of farm animal welfare and provides examples of the kinds of work that can be done. Behavior-analytic procedures, specifically those used in the study of psychophysics, preference, and demand, can provide answers to three questions people concerned with the welfare of farm animals are likely to ask: What can the animals detect? What do they like and dislike? What will they work to attain or preserve? Such information certainly is necessary for making reasonable decisions about animal welfare, although it is not sufficient in and of itself.
The Behavior analyst, 1997 · doi:10.1007/BF03392766