It has been suggested that when an animal’s own actions result in a reward, the animal shows signs of excitement and pleasure. Therefore, the expectation of a reward might be just as exciting as the realization that they themselves have contributed to the delivery of the reward. Information about this phenomenon would provide more insight into animal self-awareness. The current study involved a yoked control experiment involving the acquisition of an operant task. The aim was to distinguish between the reactions of animals that had learned on their own versus those that just received a food reward. Heifers were studied in pairs, each pair had a control and experimental animal. Experimental heifers were conditioned for 14 days to open a gate by pressing a panel, which gave them access to a food reward. For control heifers the gate opened after a delay equal to their matched partner’s latency to open it. Improvements in learning by the experimental heifers resulted in higher heart rates and more vigorous movements towards the food reward than the control heifers. There is some indication that a cow’s own learning improvement may result in an emotional reaction.