Human-Animal Interaction, Graduate Seminar, Fall 2015.
Who: Graduate students in Psychology Sciences and related disciplines.
Contact: Philip Marshall, Ph.D., Department of Psychological Sciences, philip.marshall@ttu.edu
This coming Fall, 2015, I will be offering a graduate seminar on Human-Animal Interaction, TR, 2:00-3:20, PSY 5001 (021), CRN 22265. Consent of instructor
The field of Human-Animal Interaction has grown tremendously over the past decade, especially with the coming of age of journals such as Anthrozoos, and the new Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin (APA Division 17, Section 13).
Interested students should have some familiarity with behavioral research, but that is not a requirement. Students will be expected to develop a course-relevant research proposal that is in line with their own area of interest. Much of the research in HAI is on companion animals, especially dogs.
A sampling of topics and readings includes:
• Cultural (anthropological, religious), physiological (oxytocin), and psychological (attachment theory) bases for the creation of the human-animal bond
• The role of companion animals in human development: childhood experiences, empathy, moral behavior
• Companion animal benefits in health and aging
• Principles of human-animal communication, verbal and non-verbal
• Cognitive processing of companion animals
• Personalities of animals, and animals as social facilitators
• The role of companion animals with special populations (e.g., autism, special needs)
• Principles and processes of animal-assisted therapy (AAT)
