Poster Presentations - Guzman Lecture Hall
Comparisons Between Personality Ascribing Differences in Pet Owners
Location
Guzman Lecture Hall Poster #20
Start Date
4-23-2015 6:30 PM
End Date
4-23-2015 7:30 PM
Student Type
Adult Degree Completion
Faculty Mentor(s)
William Philips, Ph.D.
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Many people correlate being a pet owner with having a higher well being. However, sometimes there are problems due to the differences in personality between that of the owner and that of the pet. Gosling (2007) showed that dog owners were found to be less neurotic than cat people and scored lower on openness. It is also assumed that individuals with the same preference for type of pet may have similar personality traits. This notion may be involved in peoples’ motivations to seek affiliation with a certain group of people also. The purpose of the present study is to further evidence regarding the differences in the personality traits of various types of pet owners and the dynamic relationship of personality traits ascribed to or perceived by the owner toward their pet. Participants solicited from Dominican University and Facebook will be sent an email containing 19 items from the Big Five Personality Traits Adjectival Measure (Judge, Livingston, and Hurst 2012). In addition to these items, questions regarding age, gender and type of pets owned will be asked as well. This study furthers current research to extend findings of how human beings are affected by pet ownership and also how they develop differences in their personality. Furthermore, knowing the differences in personality traits among various types of pet owners may have some implications for individuals to not only choose pets that will have a positive affect on their lives, but, also to choose individuals to interact with based on similar personality. Understanding the relationship among pet owners and their personalities can be highly beneficial to our society. It is hypothesized that 1) Dogs have more similar personalities to their owners than other pets, 2) female participants are more likely to say that their animal has a similar personality, 3) pet owners will score higher on the measure of openness than non-pet owners and 4) pet owners are, in general, more conscientious than non-pet owners. Data collection for this study will take place in March of 2015.
Comparisons Between Personality Ascribing Differences in Pet Owners
Guzman Lecture Hall Poster #20
Many people correlate being a pet owner with having a higher well being. However, sometimes there are problems due to the differences in personality between that of the owner and that of the pet. Gosling (2007) showed that dog owners were found to be less neurotic than cat people and scored lower on openness. It is also assumed that individuals with the same preference for type of pet may have similar personality traits. This notion may be involved in peoples’ motivations to seek affiliation with a certain group of people also. The purpose of the present study is to further evidence regarding the differences in the personality traits of various types of pet owners and the dynamic relationship of personality traits ascribed to or perceived by the owner toward their pet. Participants solicited from Dominican University and Facebook will be sent an email containing 19 items from the Big Five Personality Traits Adjectival Measure (Judge, Livingston, and Hurst 2012). In addition to these items, questions regarding age, gender and type of pets owned will be asked as well. This study furthers current research to extend findings of how human beings are affected by pet ownership and also how they develop differences in their personality. Furthermore, knowing the differences in personality traits among various types of pet owners may have some implications for individuals to not only choose pets that will have a positive affect on their lives, but, also to choose individuals to interact with based on similar personality. Understanding the relationship among pet owners and their personalities can be highly beneficial to our society. It is hypothesized that 1) Dogs have more similar personalities to their owners than other pets, 2) female participants are more likely to say that their animal has a similar personality, 3) pet owners will score higher on the measure of openness than non-pet owners and 4) pet owners are, in general, more conscientious than non-pet owners. Data collection for this study will take place in March of 2015.