| Zdroj: |
Antalikova, R 2014, ' Kæledyrsejerskab, kæledyrstilknytning og empati i voksenlivet ', Psyke & Logos, bind 35, nr. 2, s. 141-149 . < http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/psyke/article/view/22368 > |
| Popis: |
Previous research has found that pet owners tend to be more empathetic than non-pet owners, and that pet owners’ level of attachment to their pets predicts their level of empathy. Interestingly, the positive relationship between pet ownership and empathy has not been found only in individuals who currently own a pet, but also in individuals who have owned a pet earlier in life, e.g. during childhood. However, as studies in the area have solely relied on samples of teenagers or university students, we wanted to test whether the relationship between empathy and current and/or past pet ownership persists also later in life, i.e. in adulthood. Therefore, we asked 132 participants (M = 39.4 years) to fill out an online questionnaire consisting of Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, measuring attachment to both current and past pet, and Empathy Quotient Scale, measuring cognitive and emotional empathy. We found that participants who owned a pet during childhood were more empathetic than both participants, who have a pet now (regardless of whether they have had one during childhood or not), and participants, who have never owned a pet. The level of attachment to a pet, whether during childhood or now, was not a significant factor with regards to participants’ level of empathy. |
