:: HAPPY TAILS ::A STUDY OF EMPATHY IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Monday, June 16, 2008

OL/CC 233

Research Project

Sarah AtfieldNatasha Crompton-DunnLauren HughesAmanda Shine

Introduction

• Empathy:– Where does this come from?  – Why are some more empathetic than

others?  – What makes a person empathetic?  – Is it our upbringing?  – Does our family pet have anything to

do with it?

Introduction

• Regular trips to the local dog park have left us thinking– Does learning at an early age how to

be empathetic toward a family pet, allow us to learn how to become an understanding, compassionate person as an adult? 

Introduction

Research Question

“Do people who own dogs as children have more empathy towards others as adults?”

Introduction

• Investigate:– people who own dogs as children

show more empathy than people who do not own dogs. 

– if being empathetic toward an animal or pet, specifically a dog, can cause someone to become more empathetic toward a human being.   

Literature Review

• Research of Poresky and two studies by Daly & Morton.

Literature Review

• Poresky Study (1990):– children’s empathy scores were

correlated with their ages & social development

– empathy in children was positively correlated with empathy for pets.

– children with strong pet bonds had higher scores on empathy toward their peers than young children without pets

Literature Review

• Daly & Morton Study (2003):– 137 children, surveyed– pet ownership and the link between human-

animal bond and empathy. – contrary to predictions, there is no

difference in empathy between pet owner and non-owners.

– fine-grained examination revealed:• differences with respect to the type of animal

owned, in the pet owning group. • higher empathy - dog ownership in relation to

other pets. • correlation cat ownership with lower empathy

Literature Review

• Daly & Morton Follow-Up Study (2006):– 155 elementary students– survey - ownership, preference, attachment, and

attitude, in order to further explore connection between human-animal interactions and empathy.

– dogs and cats, and other animals – children who preferred and owned both cats and

dogs were more empathetic than those who preferred cats or dogs exclusively.

– highly attached to their pets were more empathetic than those who were less attached.

– empathy and positive attitude toward pets revealed a significant positive correlation.

– a notable finding: empathy appears to be positively associated with individuals who prefer/own both a dog and cat.

Methodology - Design

• Questionnaires– twenty five questions– various styles: closed, open and

Likert scale.Example Questions:Did you own a dog as a child?

□ Yes□ No

How likely are you to shovel snow for your elderly neighbour?

□ Very Likely

□ Likely

□ Not Sure

□ Unlikely

□ Very Unlikely

Methodology – Design Questionnaires (cont’d)• This method will be effective:

– easy to implement, – cost effective– reach a large sample in a short amount of time.

• Limitations:– only obtain direct answers to the questions asked– generally leave no room for explanation or

exploration of other topics– social desirability

• participants tend to answer behavioural questions based on how they think they should act or how they would like to act rather than their actual behaviour.

Methodology - Design

• Semi-Structured Interviews– one-on-one environment– distraction free conference room– audio recorded – transcribed– flexible format – encourage conversational style answers– Interviewers - interview guide

• including topics to be covered • a strict order not expected

– introductory type questions – questions partially dependent on the information they

provide in previous questions. – Types of questions may include direct, specifying,

structuring and vignettes.

Methodology – DesignS-S Interviews (cont’d)

• Valuable:– participants gives detailed responses

• greater understanding of their entire life experiences– more personal than other methods

• participants may be more likely to disclose information that is resistant to observation

• Challenges:– time consuming

• researcher and participant– effects of social desirability

• because empathy is a sensitive topic participants may downplay undesirable feelings.

Example Questions:•Tell me about your relationship with your dog as a child.•How do you feel about Canada’s welfare recipients?

Subjects/Participants

• Questionnaire:– random sample – reduce potential

bias– postal codes of South Western

Ontario – 1000 questionnaires – mailed

• large enough accounting for non-response

• representative of the population• small enough to be cost effective and

manageable

South Western Ontario

Subjects/Participants

• Interview selection:– based on a random sample of the

questionnaire respondents• this will include both dog owners and non-owners.

– No definitive sample size• Theoretical saturation

• Our sample will only be representative of South Western Ontario residents

• Findings will only be applicable for the next few years.

• Results cannot be generalized to other parts of the world or to the past and future generations.

Procedures

• Small Pre-Test – determines flaws in design

• Questionnaire created and coded • Mailed out to the sample• Prepaid postage is included with the

questionnaire. – reduce non-response rates

• Collection of questionnaires for one month following distribution

• Data would be analysed using SPSS.

Procedures (cont’d)

• A new random sample drawn from the questionnaire respondents.

• Willing participants would take part in the semi structured interview

• One month for interview, flexible with time• Transcribe throughout interview process

– analyze key components

• Cross check the result through the triangulation method.

• Completion of analysis– write up an academic report.

• We predict the entire process to take one year to complete but also recognize that additional time may be required.

Results

“Do people who own dogs as children have more empathy towards others as adults?”

• Positive correlation between the two variables. • Predict: people who did own dogs as children

would grow up to be empathetic adults. • We hope to find a correlation between dog

ownership and empathy. • It is important to note that in qualitative

research, correlation does not equal causation because questionnaires and interviews do not account for other influences on empathy.

Discussion

• We hope that research will impact developmental psychology.

• Potential outcomes:1. The positive correlation between owning

dogs as children and empathy as adults may encourage parents to own a dog for their young children.

2. Using dogs in therapy for at-risk children; those involved in criminal offenses.

3. Anti-bullying plans in schools or community outreach programs.

4. Creating further research and sparking interest in this field of research.

Discussion

• Although we believe our study will be greatly appreciated among scholars

• Limitations and Weaknesses:1. Measuring empathy will be difficult because

it is a subjective trait. It may be a challenge to find questions and scenarios to rate them and to find a common ground.

2. Participants may be affected by social desirability when responding to questionnaire and interview questions.

3. Collecting data is time consuming and will require multiple resources.

4. Financial constraints and sponsorship.