Browsing by Subject "emotions"
Now showing items 1-2 of 2
-
(2023)Good understanding of animal emotions is vital for improvement of animal welfare. Emotions are affective states that are defined by positive or negative valence depending on the pleasantness of the situation, as well as the state of arousal or excitement. As subjective experiences, emotions are hard to measure directly. Lateralization, a phenomenon in which emotion processing is done asymmetrically in different hemispheres of the brain, has been used to study changes in valence. The state of arousal is known to cause changes in the activation of the autonomic nervous system, which lead to changes in peripheral blood circulation. These neurologically mediated changes in blood flow can lead to changes in surface temperature that can be detected by infrared thermography (IRT). IRT is a technology that’s based on converting infrared radiation to images. From these images, the surface temperature of an animal can be quantitatively measured. Previous studies have focused mostly on negative emotions, which are known to affect surface temperatures. Positive and neutral affective states are in need of more research, as they have been studied less. Lateralization is also still a fairly new area of research. In this thesis I investigated if there would be detectable surface temperature patterns in riding horses at Cypis-talli, Espoo, that could be linked with mainly positive and neutral emotional states. I also explored the possibility of finding lateralization effects related to emotional states in horses. Additionally, I wanted to know if these changes in surface temperature would be situational or dependent on individual variation. We used naturally occurring situations in the horses’ lives to observe them in three situations: one where the horses got fed, one where they were taken outside to the paddocks after feeding, and one where the horses were momentarily separated from their paddocking buddies. During all situations the horses’ eyes and nasal region were measured with a thermal camera. Numerical data was collected from the images and analysed with linear mixed models and post-hoc pairwise comparisons. I found that there were significant changes in surface temperature in the eyes and nasal region of the horse that were likely related to changes in arousal. The surface temperature of the eyes and nasal region dropped when the horses got their feed, got taken outside to the paddocks and when they were separated and reunited with another familiar horse. Another finding was that there appeared to be a lateralization effect in the eyes and nasal region on the nasal cavities. There seemed to be a lot of individual variation in temperature throughout. An interesting finding was that the health condition of the horse significantly affected the temperature changes in many cases. My results suggest that surface temperature effects that have been previously seen in other species via IRT can also be detected in horses, and that the changes in temperature are most likely related to the emotional state and health status of the animal. Nasal temperature could be useful for measurement in future studies, but further research to validate its use in detection of emotional or health related states is required.
-
(2023)Stories matter for climate change, as they help us make sense of the complexity, uncertainty and abstract nature of the phenomenon as well as imagine alternative, potentially better futures and process our emotions. In this thesis I look at how the most culturally relevant stories about climate change relate to those of climate activists. To study the culturally relevant climate change stories, a literary review is conducted. Based on the review, an analytical framework is created. In the framework, the different cultural perspectives on climate change are grouped under six categories called climate change tropes. The tropes are i) Climate Change Apocalypse, ii) Techno-optimism, iii) Business-as-usual, iv) Romantic Ecotopia v) Sustainable Growth and vi) Systemic Change. The stories in each trope share a similar plot and/or setting, a guiding emotion and an approach to solutions. To gather empirical data, two climate change storytelling workshops are hosted for climate activists. The participants are Finnish climate activists predominately from the group Elokapina (Extinction Rebellion of Finland). The workshops consist of two creative writing exercises and a semi-structured focus-group interview. In the first exercise, the participants are asked to write a story about climate change and in the second to write an ideal ending to this story. The interview is divided into three sections conducted before, in-between and after the writing. The stories written and the data from the interviews are analysed using a qualitive content analysis. The previously created analytical framework is used to look for similarities as well as differences in the stories the activists tell to those present in literature. In addition to the storylines, the emotions and the sense of authorship these activists experience in relation to the story of climate change are analysed. The stories of the activists are diverse and multifaceted. Most stories written in the first exercise relate to the trope of Climate Change Apocalypse. The activists’ emotions correspond the trope, being dominantly fear, sadness and guilt. The ideal endings relate most to the trope of Systemic Change. The emotion of radical hope associated with the trope, while not exclusively worded by the participants comes out in the action of being an activist and hoping for better futures even in the face of well-justified despair. All other tropes are also mentioned in discussion. In addition, three novel storylines emerge: misanthropy, individual change and climate changed living. In turn, a novel emotion emerging from the data is love. These storylines’ and emotions’ relationship to the six tropes is explored in analysis. In terms of authorship, the participants express a sense of collective authorship and shared responsibility. Lastly, risks about storytelling climate change are identified. As a complex phenomenon climate change does not necessarily comply to narrative format. This may lead to over-simplification of the issue. To counter this risk, I suggest building awareness around telling stories of climate change, as well as advocating for a multitude of stories rather than a single one – as there are as many stories about climate change as there are people telling them. There is also a risk of a story lock-in, where viewing one story of climate change as truth and thus the only possible future may hinder action. Yet, community-based and creative approaches can be useful in escaping these lock-ins and imagining alternatives.
Now showing items 1-2 of 2