Development and Human-Animal Interaction

摘要

Over the past several decades there has been a steady increase in research on human-animal interaction (HAI). Dozens of measures have been developed [see Anderson, 2007] to understand peoples' attachment to animals and connections between those relations with health and psychological outcomes. While much of this focus has been adult-centered, research has established pets as significant members of some children's and adolescents' family systems [Albert & Bulcroft, 1988; Cain, 1983; Covert, Whiren, Keith, & Nelson, 1985] and identified links between children's relationships with pets to positive socio-emotional development [Daly & Morton, 2006; Davis, 1987; Poresky, Hendrix, Mosier, & Samuelson, 1988] - possibly stemming from increased social support [Bryant, 1985; Melson, Peet, & Sparks, 1992; Morrow, 1998]. Less work has focused on relationships between children and other types of animals. While these findings are both promising and intriguing, there is a problematic lack of a theoretical framework guiding much of this research [Barba, 1993; Beck & Katcher, 2003].