Dog – Freya (yellow labrador)
ANGELINA DOHRE
Special to The Leader
A recent University of Cambridge study was published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology that came to the conclusion children are more attached to their pets than they are to their own siblings. Psychology professor Nancy Gee was one of the collaborators who came to this conclusion.
Seventy seven 12-year-olds from 77 families with one or more pets and more than one child were observed. The children relayed stronger relationships with pets than with their siblings, and more satisfaction was derived specifically from owning a dog than any other type of pet.
“This was part of a longitudinal study of children’s social development and was a questionnaire study,” Gee said. “It compared children’s relationships with pets and siblings across several aspects of relationship quality, such as companionship, conflict, intimate disclosure and satisfaction.”
Thirty one children, 12 girls and 19 boys, reported on their relationship with their dog, and 46 children, 24 girls and 22 boys, reported on their relationship with a pet of a different species, including cats, rabbits, chickens, hamsters, guinea pigs and fish.
According to Gee, the study examined how children’s ratings of the quality of their relationship with their pet varied with gender and pet species. This was especially true when examining dogs versus any other species collectively and comparing and contrasting their ratings of their relationship with a sibling and a pet.
The results were that children reported more satisfaction and less conflict with their pets than with their siblings. Girls reported more intimate disclosure, companionship and conflict with their pets than did boys, and dog owners reported more satisfaction and companionship than owners of other species of pets.
Through her role as the Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) research manager at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, Gee was able to serve as the WALTHAM expert on the topic of HAI.
“Many people are interested in doing research that examines the impact of companion animals on human health and well-being, but this research is challenging to conduct in a scientifically rigorous way, so my role is to assure the quality of research and contribute to accurate interpretations of the findings,” she said. “The field of HAI has been plagued by substandard research and overstated results.”
In this study, Gee worked with collaborators at the University of Cambridge Centre for Family Research, specifically professor Claire Hughes, and Ph.D. students Matt Cassels and Naomi White. The WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition and the Economic and Social Research Council co-funded it.
Gee is satisfied with the results from this study and deems this information as hitting the tip of the iceberg.
“We now have a much better understanding of the importance of companion animals to adolescents and how those animals fit within their conceptualizations of close relationships,” she said. “We need more research of this nature to truly understand what companion animals mean to all of us.”
Past studies similar to this were conducted by Gee. In her own research, she examined the role that dogs play on cognition and motor skills behavior in preschool children.
“I found that children are more likely to follow instructions, make fewer errors on a category task and show improved recognition memory performance in the presence of a dog,” she said. “I reasoned that the dog helps children to focus their attention on the task, and as such their performance of the task was improved in both speed and accuracy.”
Gee’s background stems from the University of South Florida where she received her Ph.D. and studied human memory and cognition. After arriving at Fredonia, she was allowed the freedom to pursue her own research interests on how companion animals may impact cognition and began to publish papers on the topic.
Once her research was noticed in Leicestershire, England by the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, Gee began serving as a member of their external review board evaluating the HAI research they funded. She was then offered an opportunity to take over as full time research manager.
Fredonia granted her a leave of absence, and she left for England. For the next two years, she lived there and focused solely on HAI research.
“I’m in the amazing position of getting to be here at Fredonia and still collaborate on some amazing HAI research projects on behalf of WALTHAM,” she said. “I am truly blessed.”
Outside of teaching and doing research, Gee has a love for dog sports and training. “My dogs have held the highest titles in the sport of dog agility,” she said. “We’ve competed in the AKC Nationals and AKC Invitational, aired on Animal Planet and I’ve been interviewed on several news channels during these competitions.”
Gee also had them register as therapy dogs and has taken them to visit children, the elderly and individuals with disabilities.
“It’s such a joy to watch them bring happiness to others,” Gee said.