The role of attention, attitude, culture, and social expectancies in the human-animal bond : a biopsychosocial approach.

Abstract

The human-animal bond may positively impact human health. However, employing the human-animal bond in human health and behavioral treatments strategies faces several unresolved issues. Challenges facing human-animal bond research include accepting a theoretical model that encourages systematic organization of human-animal bond research, and investigating the human-animal bond's underlying mechanisms. Using eyetracker technology and various social measures, the goal of the current research was to investigate the role of attention, attitude, culture, and social expectancies in the human-animal bond. Participant's eye movements were monitored as they examined photographs depicting various levels of human-animal interaction. Participants also rated their impressions of the human in each photograph for several characteristics. Results showed that participants attended differently to varying levels of human-animal interactions and made more positive judgments about humans interacting with an animal versus the mere presence of an animal. Biological, psychological, and social factors may be important to how humans relate to and benefit from social interactions with animals.