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Study: How We Interpret Pet Behavior Dictates Our Reaction
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

Study: How We Interpret Pet Behavior Dictates Our Reaction

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A study found that people's interpretation of a dog's or cat's behavior influences their reaction.
  • Attributing fear to an animal led participants to choose less severe responses, like moving the animal to another room.
  • Attributing anger resulted in more severe decisions, such as hitting the animal or returning it to a shelter.

How people interpret a dog's growl or a cat's hiss significantly shapes their response, according to a new study. Researchers have found that whether an animal's defensive behavior is perceived as fear or anger can lead to vastly different actions, ranging from gentle redirection to severe punishment.

In terms of general, people attributed more fear than anger.

— Study authorsDescribing the participants' general perception of the animals' emotions.

The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, involved 194 adults in the United States. Participants were presented with hypothetical scenarios of recently adopted cats and dogs exhibiting defensive behaviors of varying intensity. These behaviors included tensing up, backing away, hissing, or growling, and in more intense cases, baring teeth while vocalizing.

When participants attributed fear to the animals, they were more inclined to choose less impactful measures, such as moving the animal to a different room. This response was seen as a way to de-escalate the situation without causing harm. On average, moving the animal to another room received the highest acceptance rate among all potential actions.

When participants perceived fear, they showed a greater willingness to take the dog or cat to another room.

— Study authorsExplaining the link between perceived fear and less severe actions.

Conversely, perceiving anger in the animal led to more severe decisions. For cats, this perception increased the likelihood of participants considering hitting them. For dogs, attributing anger correlated with a higher probability of returning them to a shelter or seeking a new home. Contacting a trainer was a moderately accepted option, while medication and physical punishment were generally viewed as less desirable responses.

The attribution of anger was linked to more severe decisions.

— Study authorsHighlighting the connection between perceived anger and harsher responses.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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