Robert M. Kidd

Children's Attitudes toward Their Pets

150 boys and 150 girls between the ages of 3 and 13 yr. were individually interviewed using a series of investigator-generated open-ended questions to analyze the childrens attitudes toward their pets. It was hypothesized that the cognitive elements would progress from preoperational to concrete operations at seven and to formal operations at 13, that the affective elements would progress from egocentricity to empathy and perspective-taking, and that behavioral elements would progress from dependence on situational cues to caring behavior based on realistically assessed characteristics of pets. Although the data supported the second and third hypotheses, the cognitive elements progressed only from preoperational to concrete operations. There was no evidence that the 13-yr.-olds had entered the formal operations stage. Other data indicated that 90% owned pets but 99.3% wanted pets, a significant indication of childrens over-all positive attitude toward pets. Further research was suggested.

SUCCESSFUL AND UNSUCCESSFUL PET ADOPTIONS

To investigate possible reasons why millions of cats and dogs are adopted and then rejected each year, 120 male and 223 female adopters from the San Francisco Bay Area shelters completed Georges Pet Expectations Inventory, which rates the physical, emotional, and intellectual effects of roles pets are expected to play, and the 50 fathers and 89 mothers rated the roles expected to affect their childrens lives. Six-month phone call follow-ups ascertained whether they still had the adopted pet, and if not, why not. Analysis of responses indicated that: (1) subjects who already had or previously had pets retained significantly more newly adopted pets than those who had never had pets. (2) Men rejected a significantly higher percentage of pets than did women, as did significantly more parents than nonparents. (3) Although there were no significant differences in total scores between subjects who retained and those who rejected pets either for themselves or for their children, specific role expectations differed considerably between men and women, parents and nonparents, and retainers and rejecters. Adopters held higher expectations for dogs than for cats. Present results could help shelter workers reduce the number of adopted pets abandoned and euthanized.

Seeking a theory of the human companion animal bond

AbstractWhile studies of human/animal interactions have generated much creditable research, have produced a considerable body of related experimental data, and have pointed to many fruitful future lines of inquiry, their authors have been accused of having no theoretical foundations. But studies of the human/companion animal bond (H/CAB) already undertaken have been based on animal/animal, human/human, and human/object relationships as analogous theories most likely to provide the comprehensive inductive, deductive, and functional theoretical bases needed.In order to arrive at a more encompassing theory that can be used to organize data and results, to explain obtained results, and to generate reliable predictions for data not yet obtained, the present weaknesses in each of the models need to be rigorously analyzed for likenesses and differences, and those data that do not seem to fit any of the model analogues must be pinpointed for more exacting research.

Reactions of Infants and Toddlers to Live and Toy Animals

250 infants, 25 boys and 25 girls each in the 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, and 30-mo. age groups, were individually observed with a mechanical toy dog which barked and moved realistically, a contact-comfort mechanical cat which purred and meowed when hugged and petted, and the family dog(s) and/or cat(s), presented in random order. An investigator-generated checklist of proximity-seeking and contact-promoting behaviors was used to record subject responses demonstrating whether the infants attached to pets because of tactual qualities, sounds, movement, familiarity, and/or behavioral qualities. It was hypothesized that as babies age, their responses to the live pet and toy animals would become progressively dissimilar and that older infants would show significantly more attachment behaviors and would spend significantly more time observing and interacting with live pets than with toy animals. Data support the hypotheses and indicate significant differences in the quantity of attachment behaviors toward live pets and toy animals at one year. From one year on, dogs are significantly preferred to cats by both sexes. During the first year, boys show significantly more attachment behaviors than girls; the two sexes are equal at 18 mo., and girls show significantly mote attachment behaviors than boys at 24 and 30 mo.

Relation of F-Test Scores to Rigidity.

The California F-test and an author-designed Perceptual Rigidity test were given to 100 college girls to help clarify the specific relationship between perceptual rigidity and authoritarianism and to test the hypothesis that the perceptually rigid person will score high on the F-test. A significant correlation was obtained between scores on the two tests and the factor analysis yielded two factors: Conventionality and High Defense Utilization. Devising a test which relates traditional values with perceptual rigidity seems needed to clarify the results.

RELATION OF HOLTZMAN SCORES TO RIGIDITY

The Sanford-Gough Rigidity Test, the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, a group Holtzman Inkblot Test, and an experimenter-designed Perceptual Rigidity test were given to 116 college girls to investigate determinants of responses to projective tests and to clarify the relationship between personality and perception. Significant positive correlations between the rigidity measure, the Sanford-Gough, and the Holtzman Location, Anatomy, and Hostility scales were obtained and a similarity between these results and descriptions of the authoritarian personality was noted. Significant negative correlations between the rigidity measure and the Holtzman Color and Movement scales were found. The lack of significant correlations between the rigidity measure and the Taylor and the Holtzman Anxiety scales was considered in terms of specific needs of further research into the relation of anxiety to perceptual rigidity.