How cognitive testing in pigs is being used to assess mental state, welfare, and the effectiveness of enrichment interventions on farm.
Cognitive welfare testing has transformed understanding of pig mental life and given researchers tools to measure welfare states beyond physical health metrics. The finding that judgment bias persists after stressors are removed suggests that chronic poor welfare creates lasting psychological changes in pigs, not merely temporary behavioral shifts. This has profound implications for how quickly welfare improvements take effect and how long the legacy of poor housing conditions persists. Producers who transition to enriched systems should understand that cognitive recovery takes time alongside behavioral improvement.