The Canine Cuteness Effect: Owner-Perceived Cuteness as a Predictor of Human–Dog Relationship Quality.
The modern domestic dog's primary function is as a human companion. A strong human–dog relationship may be beneficial to both parties but not all relationships are successful. There is currently no consensus on why some dog–owner relationships flourish and others fail, but relationship quality may b...
| Published in: | Anthrozoös Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 569 - 586 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Dec2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=114327911&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 114327911 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 08927936 GZF jtl: Anthrozoös issn: 08927936 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Dec2015 vid: 28 iid: 4 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 114327911 10.1080/08927936.2015.1069992 ppf: 569 ppct: 17 formats: tig: atl: The Canine Cuteness Effect: Owner-Perceived Cuteness as a Predictor of Human–Dog Relationship Quality. aug: au: Thorn, Pinar Howell, Tiffani J. Brown, Cynthia Bennett, Pauleen C. affil: School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia su: Human-animal relationships Relationship quality Personality Cuteness (Aesthetics) Dog behavior Social behavior in mammals sug: subj: Human-animal relationships Relationship quality Personality Cuteness (Aesthetics) Dog behavior Social behavior in mammals keyword: canine cuteness effect companion dog dog personality human–dog relationship quality canine cuteness effect companion dog dog personality human–dog relationship quality ab: The modern domestic dog's primary function is as a human companion. A strong human–dog relationship may be beneficial to both parties but not all relationships are successful. There is currently no consensus on why some dog–owner relationships flourish and others fail, but relationship quality may be partly influenced by canine characteristics. The extent to which canine cuteness and canine personality factors predict human–dog relationship quality was examined. In study 1, 668 dog owners completed two relationship-quality surveys, rated their dog's personality and physical cuteness, and were invited to submit a photograph of their dog. Personality measures and cuteness ratings predicted each measure of relationship quality, with cuteness being the strongest unique predictor in three of seven standard multiple regression models (allp<0.001). In study 2, 873 independent participants were presented with one of 42 images selected from those provided in study 1. Participants rated the dog's cuteness and its likely personality attributes. Strangers (M=6.69,SD=0.83) typically rated each dog as being less cute than did the owner (M=8.93,SD=1.80;t(41)=7.39,p<0.001, two tailed), and how cute they perceived the dog to be influenced their ratings of some aspects of its likely personality. Measures of relationship quality provided by owners were not significantly associated with stranger cuteness ratings or with the degree of difference between owner and stranger cuteness ratings. These results suggest a bi-directional relationship between perceived cuteness and other attributes: cute dogs are perceived to have more desirable personality traits, but having a strong relationship with a dog may also inflate its perceived cuteness. These findings have implications for those involved in dog breeding, selection, and training, as well as shelter management. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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