Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Dogs Can Enhance Social Perceptions: The Influence of Dogs on Women’s Perceptions of Safety in Emotional Contexts

Dogs Can Enhance Social Perceptions: The Influence of Dogs on Women’s Perceptions of Safety in... Research shows that dogs enhance safety-related social attributes of the individuals whom they accompany. We aimed to expand previous results by examining, in a sample of undergraduate women, the ability of dogs to improve people’s social image in various emotional contexts. Participants (n = 281) assessed the safety-related attributes of a man and a woman depicted alone or accompanied by a dog in threatening and safe contexts. Using semantic differential scales, they were assessed in safety-related attributes that have been shown to be affected by threatening situations and modulated by the presence of a dog: aggressive–nonaggressive, untrustworthy–trustworthy, unfriendly–friendly, and dangerous–harmless. The results indicated that the man (i.e., high-aversive scenes) and woman (i.e., low-aversive scenes) in threatening scenes benefitted from the presence of a dog; they were perceived as less aggressive, more trustworthy, friendly, and harmless when walking with a dog compared with the alone condition. In safe contexts, the man (i.e., low-positive scenes) was also perceived more favorably by the participants when portrayed with a dog (vs. alone); however, the woman (i.e., high-positive scenes) was similarly perceived when alone and when accompanied by a dog, according to the results for the majority of the social perception scales, which indicates a ceiling effect. Overall, the results show that the presence of a dog affects the perception that women have of the owner’s safety-related image in aversive and low-positive contexts; however, dogs do not enhance the already favorable perceptions of owners in high-positive scenes. These findings indicate that the effect of the presence of a dog on individuals’ social image is affected by the emotionality of the context in which they are portrayed. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Anthrozoös Taylor & Francis

Dogs Can Enhance Social Perceptions: The Influence of Dogs on Women’s Perceptions of Safety in Emotional Contexts

Download PDF
16 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/taylor-francis/dogs-can-enhance-social-perceptions-the-influence-of-dogs-on-women-s-2ogJRY6vJO

References

References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.

Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2022 International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ)
ISSN
1753-0377
eISSN
0892-7936
DOI
10.1080/08927936.2022.2141968
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Research shows that dogs enhance safety-related social attributes of the individuals whom they accompany. We aimed to expand previous results by examining, in a sample of undergraduate women, the ability of dogs to improve people’s social image in various emotional contexts. Participants (n = 281) assessed the safety-related attributes of a man and a woman depicted alone or accompanied by a dog in threatening and safe contexts. Using semantic differential scales, they were assessed in safety-related attributes that have been shown to be affected by threatening situations and modulated by the presence of a dog: aggressive–nonaggressive, untrustworthy–trustworthy, unfriendly–friendly, and dangerous–harmless. The results indicated that the man (i.e., high-aversive scenes) and woman (i.e., low-aversive scenes) in threatening scenes benefitted from the presence of a dog; they were perceived as less aggressive, more trustworthy, friendly, and harmless when walking with a dog compared with the alone condition. In safe contexts, the man (i.e., low-positive scenes) was also perceived more favorably by the participants when portrayed with a dog (vs. alone); however, the woman (i.e., high-positive scenes) was similarly perceived when alone and when accompanied by a dog, according to the results for the majority of the social perception scales, which indicates a ceiling effect. Overall, the results show that the presence of a dog affects the perception that women have of the owner’s safety-related image in aversive and low-positive contexts; however, dogs do not enhance the already favorable perceptions of owners in high-positive scenes. These findings indicate that the effect of the presence of a dog on individuals’ social image is affected by the emotionality of the context in which they are portrayed.

Journal

Anthrozoös – Taylor & Francis

Published: May 4, 2023

Keywords: Dog; human–animal interaction; safety-related characteristics; social perception; urban public spaces

References

  • Variations in perceptions of danger, fear and preference in a simulated natural environment
  • Perceived danger in urban public space: The impacts of physical features and personal factors
  • Fear and the city: Role of mobile services in harnessing safety and security in urban use contexts
  • Feeling safe in the dark: Examining the effect of entrapment, lighting levels, and gender on feelings of safety and lighting policy acceptability
  • Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases
  • “More people talk to you when you have a dog”– Dogs as catalysts for social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities
  • Measuring emotion: The self-assessment manikin and the semantic differential
  • Sentinels of safety: Service dogs ensure safety and enhance freedom and well-being for families with autistic children
  • The association between dog walking, physical activity and owner’s perceptions of safety: Cross-sectional evidence from the US and Australia
  • Hiking alone: Understanding fear, negotiation strategies and leisure experience
  • The influence of interactions with dogs on affect, anxiety, and arousal in children
  • The influence of dog ownership on objective measures of free-living physical activity and sedentary behaviour in community-dwelling older adults: A longitudinal case-controlled study
  • The role of dogs in modulating human affective reactivity and sense of safety in emotional urban public spaces
  • Understanding dog–human companionship
  • The effects of service dogs on social acknowledgments of people in wheelchairs
  • Companion animals and human health: Benefits, challenges, and the road ahead for human–animal interaction
  • Perception of animals and cardiovascular responses during verbalization with an animal present
  • Pet’s presence and owner’s blood pressures during the daily lives of pet owners with pre- to mild hypertension
  • Dogs’ features strongly affect people’s feelings and behavior toward them
  • Influence of animals on perceived likability of people
  • Domestic dogs as facilitators in social interaction: An evaluation of helping and courtship behaviors
  • Socializing effects of service dogs for people with disabilities
  • The effects of a companion animal on distress in children undergoing dental procedures
  • Seeing dogs: Human preferences for dog physical attributes
  • Fear as a constraint to active lifestyles for females
  • Gender differences in human–animal interactions: A review
  • Brief measures of the Animal Attitude Scale
  • The human face as a dynamic tool for social communication
  • In the company of wolves: The physical, social, and psychological benefits of dog ownership
  • The correlation of social approachability, social interaction, and tolerance levels depending on the presence of a dog
  • Effect of a companion dog on depression and anxiety levels of elderly residents in a long-term care facility
  • Dogs as catalysts for social interactions: Robustness of the effect
  • Pet ownership and human health: A brief review of evidence and issues
  • Pets as social facilitators
  • Affective pictures and the Open Library of Affective Foods (OLAF): Tools to investigate emotions toward food in adults
  • Meet OLAF, a good friend of the IAPS! The Open Library of Affective Foods: A tool to investigate the emotional impact of food in adolescents
  • Adaptación española del “International Affective Picture System” (IAPS). Tercera parte [Spanish adaptation of International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Third part]
  • Psychopy2: Experiments in behavior made easy
  • Companion dog acquisition and mental well-being: A community-based three-arm controlled study
  • Does a dog’s presence make a person appear more likable? Two studies
  • How much physical activity is enough to prevent unhealthy weight gain? Outcome of the IASO 1st Stock Conference and consensus statement
  • How dogs influence the evaluation of psychotherapists
  • Dog ownership and adolescent physical activity
  • Adaptation and psychometric properties of the Animal Attitude Scale and the Speciesism Scale
  • Dog ownership increases attractiveness and attenuates perceptions of short-term mating strategy in cadlike men
  • Women’s fear and the design of public space
  • El sistema internacional de imágenes afectivas (IAPS): Adaptación española. Segunda parte [International affective picture system (IAPS): Spanish adaptation. Second part]
  • The facilitation of social interactions by domestic dogs
  • Pets go to college: The influence of pets on students’ perceptions of faculty and their offices
  • The pet factor – Companion animals as a conduit for getting to know people, friendship formation and social support