Unwelcome Behaviour Research Articles

The effectiveness of information signs in deterring visitor vandalism

Visitors' depreciative behavior is a problematic issue for tourist management. Management authorities often attempted to prevent these unwelcome behaviors by creating information signs. However, are these signs effective? What types of information content and color usage produce better effects? These questions have yet to be critically examined. In this study, visitors not following paved paths and treading over vegetation are recorded in five experimental settings: one control setting with no signs and four other scenarios each with different texts and colors – all with hidden cameras monitoring results. The results suggest that information signs significantly reduce visitor depreciative behavior to vegetation, and punitive warning signs are more effective than positive educational signs. In addition, "cold" signs with blue backgrounds achieved better results than "warm" signs with red backgrounds. The study also revealed that when one does not obey the signs, others will follow; younger people were more likely to commit deviant depreciative behavior. Management implications•Information signs effectively reduce visitor vandalism•Punitive warning signs produce a more favorable outcome than positive educational signs.•“Cold” signs with blue backgrounds achieved better results than “warm” signs with red backgrounds.•When one does not obey information signs, others will follow.•Younger people show the most deviant vandalism behavior.

Scientometric Analysis on the Concept of Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment is a type of illegal, unwelcome behaviour that involves the use of sexual overtones (implicit or explicit). This can include many things like – unwanted sexual gestures or looks, promises of reward for sexual favours, sexual comments or innuendos, sexually suggestive behaviour or signals, etc. The objective of this paper is to find out the publication pattern of the overall research that has taken place in the area of Sexual Harassment. To accomplish this objective, we have used Desk Research Methodology. Scopus Database has been used for retrieving the details about research and publication in the area of Sexual Harassment from 1977 to 2021. The data were analyzed concerning the type of publication, year of publication, subject area, top authors, country of research, affiliation, funding sponsors, and citation analysis. The results of the study show that 2020 has the highest number of publications in this area (739), Fitzgerald, L.F. is the top author with 45 publications, University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign is affiliated with the highest number of publications (112), and the United States of America has the highest number of publications (3604). When it comes to the subject area – Social Science tops the list (3249) followed by Medicine (2936), and the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services is the top sponsor for research in this area. Fiske, S. T. is a high-impact author who has the highest number of citations (1172). The analysis deciphers that although research about Sexual Harassment has been conducted since 1977, it is an area/topic that continues to evolve to date. Hence, there is a lot of scope to carry out multi-disciplinary research in this area.

Three years post #metoo: Sexual harassment and our youth

Though the #metoo movement focused largely on adults, as accusations were made public it became clear that the prevalence of sexual harassment has an impact on young people, particularly adolescents. Sexual harassment is defined as “unwanted and unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that interferes with the right to receive an equal educational opportunity. It is a form of sex discrimination that is prohibited by Title IX, a federal law establishing civil rights in education….” (Stein, 1997). Title IX, enacted in 1972, requires a school district to have an established process for addressing and resolving sexual harassment complaints. How prevalent is sexual harassment? As it turns out, very much so.

Perceptions and Experiences of Sexual Harassment among Educated Female in Kathmandu Nepal

Sexual harassment is widespread and common issue. It is connected with unwelcome behavior within men and women on sex. The objective of this study was to plot perceptions and experiences of sexual harassment among educated female. This study was based on Secondary Education Examination (SEE) completed female aged 16 years and above by using self-administered questionnaire in Kathmandu. Total 250 females were selected and chi-square test was used for testing the association. More than a tenth respondents who were teachers/ lecturers said that SH is extremely problematic at community, workplace and school. Overwhelming majority of women (82%) experienced at least one form of sexual harassment. Study found that respondents’ age group was significantly associated (P<0.01) with experienced at least one place of sexual harassment. Similarly, married women experienced higher rate (80%) in at least one place of sexual harassment than unmarried women (75%). Therefore, this study suggests that sexual harassment among educated female in Kathmandu valley is prevalent and online harassment is also emerging. On the other hand, they do not want to expose and perceive it as a sexual harassment. Therefore, effective programs and policies related with sexual harassment needs to be addressed.

High school policies about sexual harassment: What's on the books and what students think

AbstractSexual harassment (SH) in schools is unwanted and unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that, when severe, offensive, and pervasive, creates a hostile environment that is prohibited under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. In the current mixed methods study, using analyses of school policies and reports, and student survey and qualitative data, we examined (a) whether public high schools’ policies about SH were in compliance with Title IX guidance, (b) whether SH policies were related to alumni's knowledge and attitudes about their schools’ SH policies, and (c) whether SH policies were related to alumni's experiences with and reporting of SH. Results indicated that, of the 172 school districts within one state, only one‐fourth of the school districts had SH policies in which SH was clearly defined and in which there were noted consequences for perpetrating SH. Despite students experiencing SH, very few students ever reported SH to an adult at school. However, of the small number of students who reported SH to an adult at school, 87.5% went to a school with an explicit SH policy. Many students stated that they did not report SH because they did not trust adults to handle it fairly or effectively.

Teachers With Special Needs. De-Psychiatrization of Children in Schools.

Psychiatrization not only affects adults. Ever more children in Western countries are being diagnosed with a mental disorder of behavior, such as ADHD. Children may often be labelled with the best intentions, for example in order to be able to provide them with suitable care and guidance. However, this labelling can have exclusionary effects and often entails the consequence that important discussion about contextual factors that give rise to (the perception of) unwelcome behavior or academic underperformance rarely, if at all, takes place. In this article we contend that although children are of central concern to schools and the design of pupils’ education, it is important not to make pupils the sole owner of problems that arise. It is therefore high time that a far more critical normative stance towards inclusive education is taken, in which the presently widespread biomedical approach is met with a school community response that focuses not on the nature of individual disorders but on the special need for additional capacity that schools and teachers have in meeting (perceived) deviant behaviors and emotions and/or academic underperformance. We argue that teaching should not set out to remedy individual diagnoses, but that teachers should be supported to extend their professional competence to the benefit of all pupils.

Associations between Owners' Reports of Unwanted Ridden Behaviour and In-Hand Behaviour in Horses.

Simple SummaryDangerous ridden behaviour in horses, such as bolting, rearing and bucking, are common and may reflect various aspects of the horses’ immediate experience, history and health. They can have a major impact on human safety and horse welfare because of the common misunderstandings of unwelcome behaviour in horses and popular treatments for so-called problem horses. The current study aimed to identify any in-hand behaviours associated with these dangerous ridden behaviours evaluated based on responses (n = 1584) to the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ). Declining reports of bolting were associated with decreasing problems loading horses onto transporters, increasing social confidence with other horses and other animals, improved leading behaviour and increased tolerance of restraint. Declining reports of rearing were associated with decreasing loading problems, increasing social confidence with other animals and increasing tolerance of restraint. Declining reports of bucking were associated with decreasing loading problems and increasing social confidence with horses and other animals, improved leading behaviour, increasing tolerance of restraint and increasing tolerance of head handling (when bridling/haltering). Findings from the current study could help riders and trainers predict dangerous ridden behaviour before they manifest fully, allowing for remediation that avoids the escalation of force in the training of misunderstood horses and thus improving safety and welfare for both horses and riders.An evidence-based understanding of dangerous or unwelcome behaviour in horses would greatly benefit both horses and humans who interact with them. Using owner-reported data from the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ), the current study investigated in-hand behaviours associated with dangerous or unwelcome ridden behaviours, notably bolting, rearing and bucking. Respondents (n = 1584) to the ridden horse section of the E-BARQ answered 42 demographic questions, followed by 268 behavioural items. Parallel analysis was conducted to group individual behaviours into rotated components to create independent and dependent indices. Multivariable general linear modelling and ordinal logistic regression were used to identify behaviours associated with bolting, rearing and bucking. Results revealed that safety-from-bolt increased as social confidence with horses (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.06; 95% confidence interval (cf = 1.02–1.09) and other animals (OR = 1.08; cf = 1.03–1.12), compliance in-hand (OR = 1.10; cf = 1.06–1.16) and tolerance of restraint (OR = 1.05; cf = 1.0–1.11) increased; and decreased as loading problems (OR = 0.95; cf = 0.92–0.99) increased. Safety-from-rear increased as tolerance of restraint (OR = 1.07; cf = 1.02–1.12) and social confidence with other animals (OR = 1.05; cf = 1.01–1.09) increased; and decreased as loading problems (OR = 0.94; cf = 0.91–0.98) increased. Safety-from-buck increased as social confidence with horses (b-value = 0.011, p < 0.001) and other animals (b-value = 0.010, p = 0.002), compliance in-hand (b-value = 0.015, p < 0.001), tolerance of restraint (b-value = 0.009, p = 0.027) and tolerance of haltering/bridling (b-value = 0.016, p = 0.010) increased, and it decreased as loading problems increased (b-value = −0.011, p < 0.001). By revealing, for the first time, that specific behaviours on the ground are associated with particular responses in the same horses when ridden, this study advances equitation science considerably. Identification of risk factors for dangerous behaviour while under saddle can improve safety for horses and riders and highlights the importance of effective and humane in-hand training.

The fenomenal of adolescent deviant behavior students in school at Genteng City Distric Banyuwangi East Java

Adolescence is a time of transition between childhood to adulthood which is marked by a change of their, psychological and psychosocial. Adaptation can lead to difficulty holding tension, confusion, anxiety, inner conflict, as a result they develop a pattern of deviant behavior (devian) from the general norm. This distortion can lead to the undesired social problem ot desired. The purposes of the study are 1) how the public perception of adolescent deviant behavior, 2) the forms of deviant behavior of adolescent, 3) factors driving adolescent deviant behavior, 4) the impact of deviant behavior of adolescents, 5) preventive measures, repressive and curative made in reducing adolescent deviant behavior. This study uses the qualitative approach and the techniques of data collection of snowball sampling. The results suggested that aberrant behavior is unwelcome behavior of society. Behavioral deviations can still be accepted by the community include ditching school. Factors causing deviations consist of internal factors as the driving factors and external factors as the advantage factor. Impacts on adolescents include being expelled from school, depression, and criminal. Parents feel embarrassed, frustrated and guilty. The efforts made so far include preventive measures, repressive and curative.

Gender disparity and sexual harassment in vascular surgery practices

BackgroundSexual harassment is defined as unwelcome behaviors or obscene remarks that affect an individual’s work performance or create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. It is known to be more pervasive in male-dominated workplaces and flourishes in a climate of tolerance and culture of silence. We sought to examine its prevalence in faculty of vascular surgery training programs, to identify factors associated with occurrence, to determine reporting barriers, and to identify any gender bias that exists. MethodsAn anonymous survey consisting of questions on gender bias and sexual harassment was e-mailed to vascular surgery faculty members at 52 training sites in the United States. The survey asked about type, perpetrators, and locations; why and how the practice occurs; reporting mechanisms and barriers to reporting; and demographic information. Descriptive and univariate analyses were performed. ResultsOf 346 invitations sent, 149 recipients (43%) completed the survey. Of respondents, 48 of 149 (32%) thought harassment occurred more commonly in surgical specialties with historical male dominance, citing ignoring of behavior and hierarchy/power dynamics as the most common reasons for its occurrence; 61 of 149 (41%) reported having experienced workplace harassment, with unwanted sexually explicit comments or questions and jokes, being called a sexist slur or nickname, or being paid unwanted flirtation as the most common behaviors. Harassment was high in both men and women, although women had a higher likelihood of being harassed (67% of women respondents vs 34% of men respondents; P = .001) and on average had experienced 2.6 (of 11) types of harassment. The majority of harassment came from hospital staff, although women were more likely to receive harassment from other faculty. Despite that 84% of respondents acknowledged known institutional reporting mechanisms, only 7.2% of the harassing behaviors were reported. The most common reasons for not reporting included feeling that the behavior was “harmless” (67%) or “nothing positive would come of it” (28%). Of the respondents, 30% feared repercussions or felt uncomfortable identifying as a target of sexual harassment, and only 59% would feel comfortable discussing the harassment with departmental or divisional leadership. In examining workplace gender disparity, female surgeon responses differed significantly from male surgeon responses in regard to perceptions of gender differences. ConclusionsA significant number of faculty of vascular surgery training programs have experienced workplace sexual harassment. Whereas most are aware of institutional reporting mechanisms, very few events are reported and <60% of respondents feel comfortable reporting to departmental or divisional leadership. Female vascular surgeons believe gender influences hiring, promotion, compensation, and assumptions of life goals. Further work is necessary to identify methods of reducing workplace sexual harassment and to optimize gender disparity in vascular surgery practice.

The mass production of learning: positive behaviour in a datafied education system

ABSTRACTSchool-wide positive behaviour support, SWPBS for short, is the collective term for whole-school intervention schemes that aim at redirecting unwelcome behaviour towards learning. SWPBS developed in response to what is thought to be a rising tide of social problems caused by youth. During the last decade, in particular, SWPBS schemes have become mainstream, also in Scandinavian countries. Using a social epistemological lens, this study critically reviews the present popularity of SWPBS in light of a contrary finding: namely, that there is no clear evidence of a reduction in youth-related social problems in SWPBS studies. Studies instead reflect significant epistemic drift in what SWPBS is thought to be an answer to, away from social problems and towards school effectiveness. The discussion highlights a general consequence to this epistemic drift. SWPBS generally commits schools to increased levels of data production and strict loyalty to intervention routines. In effect, learning drifts towards a technology. The text concludes with reflection issues that apply to a technologizing system of education.

Authoritative school climate and sexual harassment: A cross-sectional multilevel analysis of student self-reports.

School sexual harassment (SH) is defined as unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that interferes with a student's ability to learn. There is an important need for schools to assess the prevalence of SH and its relation to school climate to guide intervention efforts. This study investigated 3 research questions: (a) Is there psychometric support for a 4-item multilevel measure of SH? (b) What is the prevalence of SH in a statewide high school sample, and how does SH vary across gender, grade level, race-ethnicity, and socioeconomic status? (c) Is an authoritative school climate-characterized by strict but fair discipline and supportive teacher-student relationships-associated with lower levels of SH for students? A statewide sample of high school students (N = 62,679) completed a school climate survey that included a new 4-item measure of SH. Results of a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit for a single SH factor at both student and school levels. A multiway analysis of variance demonstrated the high prevalence of SH and variations across demographic groups. Multilevel hierarchical regression analyses indicated that an authoritative school climate accounted for 5.7% of the student-level variance and 38.3% of the school-level variance in SH scores. Routine assessment of SH can help school psychologists bring attention to this underrecognized problem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Sexual Harassment in Vascular Surgery Training Programs

Sexual harassment is any unwelcome behavior or obscene remark that affects an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. We sought to examine its presence in vascular surgery training programs, identify factors associated with occurrence, and determine reporting barriers. An anonymous survey consisting of questions on frequency of sexual harassment including type/perpetrators/locations; why/how the practice occurs; reporting mechanisms/barriers to reporting; and demographic information was emailed to all vascular surgery trainees in the United States. Descriptive and univariate analysis was performed. Of 498 invitations sent, 133 (27%) completed the survey. Fifty of 133 (38%) thought harassment occurred more commonly in surgical specialties with hierarchy/power dynamics, historical male dominance in field, and ignoring of behavior, being the most common reasons cited that it still occurs. Of 133, 81 (61%) respondents have either experienced (63/133, 47%) or witnessed (18/133, 14%) other trainees being harassed, with calling a sexist slur/intimate nickname being the most common behavior. Those affected were more commonly women (P=0.0006), with the most common perpetrator being a surgical attending and the most common area of occurrence being the operating room. Reasons for not reporting included believing the behavior was harmless in intent (33/63, 52%) and feeling nothing would come of it if reported (28/63, 44%), but 15/63 (24%) feared repercussions and 15/63 (24%) feeling uncomfortable are identified as a target of sexual harassment. Of 133, 46 respondents were not aware of institutional mechanisms for reporting harassment, with only 70/133 (53%) feeling comfortable reporting to their departmental leadership. A significant number of vascular surgery trainees have experienced sexual harassment during their training. Over a third of respondents do not know institutional mechanisms for reporting, and almost half do not feel comfortable reporting to departmental leadership. Increasing education on harassment and reporting mechanisms may be necessary in vascular surgery training programs.

Prevention and management of unprofessional behaviour among adults in the workplace: A scoping review.

BackgroundUnprofessional behaviour is a challenge in academic medicine. Given that faculty are role models for trainees, it is critical to identify strategies to manage these behaviours. A scoping review was conducted to identify interventions to prevent and manage unprofessional behaviour in any workplace or professional setting.MethodsA search of 14 electronic databases was conducted in March 2016, reference lists of relevant systematic reviews were scanned, and grey literature was searched to identify relevant studies. Experimental and quasi-experimental studies that reported on interventions to prevent or manage unprofessional behaviours were included. Studies that reported impact on any outcome were eligible. Two reviewers independently screened articles and completed data abstraction. Qualitative analysis of the definitions of unprofessional behaviour was conducted. Data were charted to describe the study, participant, intervention and outcome characteristics.Results12,482 citations were retrieved; 23 studies with 11,025 participants were included. The studies were 12 uncontrolled before and after studies, 6 controlled before and after studies, 2 cluster-randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 1 RCT, 1 non-randomised controlled trial and 1 quasi-RCT. Four constructs were identified in the definitions of unprofessional behaviour: verbal and/or non-verbal acts, repeated acts, power imbalance, and unwelcome behaviour. Interventions most commonly targeted individuals (22 studies, 95.7%) rather than organisations (4 studies, 17.4%). Most studies (21 studies, 91.3%) focused on increasing awareness. The most frequently targeted behaviour change was sexual harassment (4 of 7 studies).DiscussionSeveral interventions appear promising in addressing unprofessional behaviour. Most of the studies included single component, in-person education sessions targeting individuals and increasing awareness of unprofessional behaviour. Fewer studies targeted the institutional culture or addressed behaviour change.

Istraživanje pobačaja u zadarskoj županiji od 1997. do 2000.

Articulating within their research project abortion as a social phenomenon, the authors discuss its manifold aspects and the many contentious issues pertaining to rights and obligations, good and evil, welcome and unwelcome behavior. This research theme is burdened with powerful emotions and passions which limit rational discussion or the possibility of cultural consensus. Because of these reasons the authors undertook a longitudinal empirical research project comparative in nature whose subject matter was abortion. The text describes the research results gathered during the period between 1997 and 2000. Within the Zadar county 580 pregnant women were covered by the investigation who during the time of the research were less then three months pregnant and who had undergone so-called artificial termination of pregnancy or abortion during the time the research project was being carried out. Although Croatia is one of the liberal countries declaring a regulated right to abortion Ibis phenomenon, within the social reality, manifests itself as complex and contradictory. The project confirmed the hypothesis that there were three basic reasons for the large number of terminated pregnancies. The first is a low level of education concerning prevention of pregnancy, the second is ignorance about contraception and the third is a significant lack of responsibility in regards to family planning. The research showed that most of the women covered were satisfied with their marriages. They mostly resorted to abortion because of social indications, only afterwards came eugenic considerations while medical and psychic indications were of less import. The authors conclude that, heedless of this, every mother (women or girl) had the freedom to make a decision about the life or death of their child. They believe it is necessary to apply more adequate social measures alongside more precise and original explanations of rules and laws. Interdisciplinary discussions affirming ethical codes of behavior cannot be avoided in the future. All of this can be implemented in more democratic social relations.

English

The practice of modern medicine would be impossible without the tests performed in the clinical laboratory. In today’s era of rapidly evolving medical research and application, medical laboratory technology plays an integral role in the health care system. In spite of this, the propensity of giving less value to the profession by certain health practitioners might reduce the health team mobilization which eventually could affect health service for patients. The aim of the present study was to describe the stance of health professionals towards medical laboratory technology. An institutional based cross-sectional survey was carried out among health professionals working in Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH) and Training Health Centers (THCs), between February, 2014 and March, 2014. Anonymous self-administered structured questionnaire was used to generate data on: socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and their attitude towards medical laboratory technology. Participants were asked to rate their response using 3-5 point Likert scale in order of importance. Out of 135 questionnaires that were distributed, 108 were completed and returned giving an overall response rate of 80%. The study revealed that 81 (75%) of the respondents showed favorable attitude towards medical laboratory technology. Specifically, 85.7, 81.3 and 72% of physicians, health officers and nurses, respectively, demonstrated favorable attitude. On top of this, 68.5% of subjects believed that medical professionals’ laboratory contribution to better patient management was ‘very important’. However, 12 (11.1%) of the respondents had unfavorable attitude and have indicated some unwelcome behaviors. Although, majority of the study subjects had a favorable attitude towards medical laboratory technology, the observed unfavorable response may affect team spirit and quality care received by patients. Promotion of team training may enhance team sprit among the health care members which ultimately improves the quality of patient care. Key words: Attitude, medical laboratory technology, health professionals, Ethiopia.

Where's the Joke? The Meaning Behind Sexual Humor

To laugh or not to laugh? That seems to be the question. With every article on workplace stress comesanother recommendation for including more humor on the job. However, there is corresponding researchshowing that office humor may lead to such negative repercussions as sexual harassment charges. In 1980the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published the guidelines that define sexualharassment as "Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physicalconduct of a sexual nature" (Rutter, 1997, p. 10). These guidelines also define harassment as the creationof a hostile or intimidating working environment; it is such an environment that serves as the basis fornumerous work-related lawsuits. The EEOC classifies unwelcome behavior into seven forms, andaccording to a U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board study, the most frequent form cited includes "sexualteasing, jokes, remarks, or questions" (Rutter, 1997, p. 11).

Economic Levers for Mitigating Interest Flooding Attack in Named Data Networking

As a kind of unwelcome, unavoidable, and malicious behavior, distributed denial of service (DDoS) is an ongoing issue in today’s Internet as well as in some newly conceived future Internet architectures. Recently, a first step was made towards assessing DDoS attacks in Named Data Networking (NDN)—one of the promising Internet architectures in the upcoming big data era. Among them, interest flooding attack (IFA) becomes one of the main serious problems. Enlightened by the extensive study on the possibility of mitigating DDoS in today’s Internet by employing micropayments, in this paper we address the possibility of introducing economic levers, say, dynamic pricing mechanism, and so forth, for regulating IFA in NDN.

Intention to Quit and the Demand Control Model: A Case of Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor Status Companies

In the fast paced global economy where trades are being conducted everywhere and at any time, the focus of organizations has shifted from the traditional view of producing what they think are needed by the market to a new paradigm whereby they are now to produce products or services that the markets desire literally. One requirement of surviving in such challenging business environment is to be able to retain performing employees whereby employee loyalty has been a thing of the past. This study will look into three critical factors that are often associated with unwelcome behaviors in the organizations such as low motivation, low organizational commitment, less satisfaction which in turn will lead to lower productivity, creativity and innovations and may result in employees quitting. The main objectives of this particular study are to explore the degree of intention to quit, examine relationships between job demands; job control; social support with turnover intention; also to examine the ability of the demand control variables (Karasek, 1979) in explaining turnover intention among IT executives. The sector which is being investigated is the small and medium companies which operate in the IT related businesses particularly Small and Medium companies in Malaysia. Results showed that only job demand and job control have significant associations with turnover intention and subsequently the demand control model is unable to explain the variances in turnover intention. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n2p217

Publish and be damned: New media publics and neoliberal risk

The public sphere is increasingly being depicted as a site of inadequately assessed risk when American undergraduates post blogs, videos, and Facebook updates that become viral, prompting others to mutter ‘don’t they know better than to press send?’ In this article, I offer an analytical frame for such posting that does not re-inscribe US tendencies to attribute ignorance or misguided selfishness to unwelcome behavior. In the United States, there are multiple and mutually defining understandings of how publics are constituted. Historically, these ideas often change when Americans respond to the ways new technologies alter how communication is made public or private. This is an ethnographic account of one way that multiple publics are seen to co-exist uneasily as people negotiate the newness of new media. Grounded in my ethnographic research, I explore how cautionary stories about ‘pressing send’ reflect neoliberal concerns about allocating risk and responsibility among individual choice-makers.

The X files: Xenophon re-examined through the lens of equitation science

Abstract This article reviews, through the lens of equitation science, one of the oldest known texts on horsemanship, written by Xenophon, general and horsemaster from ancient Greece. It identifies many instances in which Xenophon's recommendations align with current knowledge about equine ethology and learning theory, although, as one might expect, the explanations for their effectiveness are sometimes lacking. Xenophon counsels against disciplining a horse in anger and the use of relentless rein tension but makes a series of flawed assumptions about contiguity in instrumental conditioning. Because he is held up as the classical master and, therefore, somehow beyond reproach, it is important to understand how Xenophon's work exemplifies many of the pitfalls in thinking that persist in contemporary training. For example, his treatise imbues horses with powers of reasoning that have yet to be demonstrated in any empirical studies. In doing so, it encourages the reader to regard unwelcome behavior as disobedience and, predictably, goes on to justify punishment. The review explores how Xenophon aligns with and counters the recently published principles of ethical horse training. As such, it offers a framework for critiquing all horse-training dogmas.