Research Methods
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1) The study aims to investigate whether people who owned dogs as children have more empathy towards others as adults compared to those who did not own dogs as children. 2) Previous research on the relationship between pet ownership and empathy in children had mixed findings, with one study finding higher empathy in children with pets, and another finding differences only based on type of pet owned. 3) The proposed study would administer questionnaires to 1000 adults in Southwestern Ontario and conduct follow-up interviews to further examine the relationship between childhood dog ownership and adult empathy.
Research Methods
- 1. :: HAPPY TAILS :: A STUDY OF EMPATHY IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS Monday, June 16, 2008 OL/CC 233 Research Project Sarah Atfield Natasha Crompton-Dunn Lauren Hughes Amanda Shine
- 2. 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?
- 3. 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?
- 4. Introduction Research Question “ Do people who own dogs as children have more empathy towards others as adults?”
- 5. 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.
- 6. Literature Review Research of Poresky and two studies by Daly & Morton.
- 7. 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
- 8. 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
- 9. 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.
- 10. 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
- 11. 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.
- 12. 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.
- 13. Methodology – Design S-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?
- 14. 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
- 16. 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.
- 17. 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.
- 18. 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.
- 19. 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.
- 20. Discussion We hope that research will impact developmental psychology. Potential outcomes : The positive correlation between owning dogs as children and empathy as adults may encourage parents to own a dog for their young children. Using dogs in therapy for at-risk children; those involved in criminal offenses. Anti-bullying plans in schools or community outreach programs. Creating further research and sparking interest in this field of research.
- 21. Discussion Although we believe our study will be greatly appreciated among scholars Limitations and Weaknesses : 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. Participants may be affected by social desirability when responding to questionnaire and interview questions. Collecting data is time consuming and will require multiple resources. Financial constraints and sponsorship.