Evaluation of Human and Dog Interaction and Attachment

Jessica A. Foster
Dr. Jessica Colpoys, Faculty Mentor

The objective of this study was to evaluate the bond between a dog and its owner and how this impacts the underlying physiological response during owner-dog interaction. The study was conducted at the Truman State University farm, where participants brought their dog for 30-minutes of observation. Over the 30-minute period, the owner was separated from their dog (10 minutes), had free play with their dog (10 minutes), and walked their dog on a leash (10 minutes). The owner also completed a Pet Attachment and Life Impact Questionnaire (Cromer and Barlow, 2013) that evaluated the level of attachment between the owner and their dog. The pet owner wore an E4-Empatica bracelet that collected information about the physiological state of the owner for 20 minutes. Physiological data was analyzed on MATLAB. Results will be presented at the Student Research Conference.

Keywords: dog, human, pet, interaction, attachment, E4 Empatica Bracelet , physiology

Topic(s):Agricultural Science

Presentation Type: Poster

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA