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Personality in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus): Temporal stability and methods of assessment

Rutherford, Lucy
; 
Murray, Lindsay
; 
Holmes, Lisa
; 
Williams, Ellen
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Other Contributors
Affiliation
University of Chester; Chester Zoo; Harper Adams University
EPub Date
Publication Date
2024-08-28
Submitted Date
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Psychology
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Abstract
Personality is the essence of individuality in animals, affecting individual behaviours, perceptions and lived experiences. Being able to reliably assess personality in animals holds the key to understanding individual differences, and application of this knowledge is paramount in the provision of individual-level management of animals to optimise welfare. A key aspect of the definition of animal personality is ‘consistency over time’. Yet, despite the range of studies assessing elephant personality, there is a lack of consistency within methodologies and personality is usually assessed at a single point in time. Here, we examine personality data from adult members of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) herd at Chester Zoo at five separate time points, across a ten-year period (2013−2023). Data were analysed in terms of the instruments used to measure personality (differences in questions/items across assessments, presentation of the personality assessments, raters), and changes over time in elephant personality assessment scores. Select personality traits were consistent over multiple time points. Inter-rater reliability across personality adjectives is highest when keepers are involved in scale development, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between scientists and animal caregivers in building tools for evidence-based management decisions over the lifetime of animals.
Citation
Rutherford, L., Murray, L., Holmes, L. & Williams, E. (2025). Personality in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus): Temporal stability and methods of assessment. Personality and Individual Differences, 232, 112851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2024.112851
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal
Personality and Individual Differences
Research Unit
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10034/628970
DOI
10.1016/j.paid.2024.112851
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PubMed Central ID
Type
Article
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Description
© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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ISSN
0191-8869
EISSN
ISBN
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Chester Zoo
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