© 2011 Michele Wan, Columbia University, Department of Psychology, 1190 Amsterdam Ave., MC5501, New York, NY 10027
If you have questions, please contact Michele Wan, PhD, at (203) 293-6462 or mwan@psych.columbia.edu.
Methods
Study on Human Perception of Emotion in Dogs
To investigate the role of experience in the human perception of emotion
in dogs, humans with various levels of dog experience provided their
interpretations of dog behavior using the dogs’ visual signals (body
language).
First, a panel of behavioral experts pre-screened a set of 30 short videos of dogs, providing their interpretations of emotion in the depicted dogs. The panel included eight behavior professionals (e.g. certified applied animal behaviorists, veterinary behaviorists, certified pet dog trainers) with a mean of 20 years of experience. Based on their ratings, a subset of 16 videos was selected for inclusion in a web survey made available to the general public (Wan & Champagne, 2011).
The wide range of dog experience found within the final sample of 2,163 participants allowed for various means of assessing the effect of dog experience on perceptions of emotion in dogs. Responses were analyzed according to broad experience categories (never owned a dog, dog owner, dog professional for less than ten years, dog professional for ten or more years), as well as experience-related variables among the dog owners.
Reference:
Wan, M., & Champagne, F. (2011). Agreement among experts in ratings of emotion in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 6, 64. (pdf)
First, a panel of behavioral experts pre-screened a set of 30 short videos of dogs, providing their interpretations of emotion in the depicted dogs. The panel included eight behavior professionals (e.g. certified applied animal behaviorists, veterinary behaviorists, certified pet dog trainers) with a mean of 20 years of experience. Based on their ratings, a subset of 16 videos was selected for inclusion in a web survey made available to the general public (Wan & Champagne, 2011).
The wide range of dog experience found within the final sample of 2,163 participants allowed for various means of assessing the effect of dog experience on perceptions of emotion in dogs. Responses were analyzed according to broad experience categories (never owned a dog, dog owner, dog professional for less than ten years, dog professional for ten or more years), as well as experience-related variables among the dog owners.
Reference:
Wan, M., & Champagne, F. (2011). Agreement among experts in ratings of emotion in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 6, 64. (pdf)