In commercial settings, broiler chickens and rainbow trout are housed in barren environments under high stocking densities, due to an emphasis on production efficiency. These monotonous housing conditions do not provide broilers or trout with the ability to perform functional, highly-motivated behaviors and increase their susceptibility to excessive anxiety and fear, resulting in negative affective states and poor animal welfare. Affective state (or emotional state) is a cumulative product of short-term life experiences, ranging from positive to negative. Because affective states are largely influenced by environmental condition, determining animal affective state can provide useful information on how to improve housing conditions in order to ensure positive experiences and good animal welfare. Cognitive processes are closely associated with affective state; a "cognitive bias" occurs when affective state influences aspects of cognition, such as judgement and attention. Animals in positive affective states make optimistically-biased decisions during ambiguous situations, judging the situation as if it will produce a positive outcome, and show less bias towards a perceived threat, responding in a less anxious and calm manner. Animals in negative affective states make pessimistically-biased decisions during ambiguous situations, judging the situation as if it will result in a negative outcome. Additionally, animals in negative affective states will bias their attention towards a perceived threat rather than alternative stimuli, responding in an anxious manner. Therefore, judgement and attention bias tests can be used to determine animal affective states.

In Chapter 3, a judgement bias test was used to determine affective state of broiler chickens housed in either complex (perches, dust bath, pecking stones, and rotating enrichment objects) or barren (no enrichment) environments under either high or low stocking densities. Broilers housed in complex environments responded more optimistically during the judgement bias test than broilers from barren environments, indicating the former were in a positive affective state. Stocking density did not impact their responses in the judgement bias test, indicating that affective states were not impacted by that treatment. In Chapter 4, an attention bias test was used to determine level of anxiety and a tonic immobility test was used to determine fear in order to investigate affective state of broilers housed in the same conditions as described for Chapter 3. Broilers housed in complex environments were less anxious during the attention bias test than broilers from barren environments, indicating environmental complexity reduced anxiety in broilers. Stocking density did not impact anxiety. Broilers from high stocking density environments had shorter tonic immobility durations than broilers from low stocking density environments, suggesting the former were less fearful. Environmental complexity did not impact fearfulness. In Chapter 5, a judgement bias test was used to determine affective state of rainbow trout housed in either complex (shelter structure and artificial plants) or barren (no enrichment) tanks under either low or high stocking densities. Trout housed in high stocking density tanks responded optimistically during the judgement bias test, indicating they were in a more positive affective state compared to trout housed in low stocking density tanks. Environmental complexity did not impact their responses in the judgement bias test, indicating no effect of enrichments on affective states was found.

These results indicate a beneficial relationship of a complex environment on broiler chicken affective state, observed through an optimistic judgement bias and reduced attention bias (anxiety) towards a perceived threat. Thus, providing a complex housing environment for broilers can improve their welfare and result in a positive affective state. Rainbow trout reared at the tested high density resulted in a positive affective state, although complexity did not benefit their welfare. Our results contribute much needed information on stocking densities to ensure fish welfare. Overall, environmental complexity, not stocking density, had a positive impact on broiler chicken affective states. Rainbow trout affective states were positively impacted by stocking density, but not environmental complexity.