Affiliation:
1. Brock Unviersity , St. Catharines , Canada
Abstract
Abstract
Children’s emotional and mental worlds are often influenced by their experiences with companion animals. This study explored 77 (50 g; 27 b) 6- to 12-year-old children’s empathy; perceived companion animal friendship, comfort, and bonding; and mental state talk in conversations about their interactions with their companion animal. Children completed self-report questionnaires and responded to two moral stories about companion animals. Results showed that higher levels of children’s mental state talk were related with high levels of empathy for companion animals. Compared to boys, girls reported significantly stronger companion animal friendships, and that they received more comfort from their companion animals. Results also showed that, for girls only, higher levels of perceived companion animal friendship were related to higher levels of emotional comfort received. The findings can inform humane education programs that promote mental state talk, moral agency, and relationships.
Reference71 articles.
1. Alsamih, M., & Tenenbaum, H. (in-press). Saudi Arabian Children’s Reasoning About Religion-Based Exclusion. British Journal of Developmental Psychology. doi:10.1111/bjdp.1223810.1111/bjdp.12238
2. Amiot, C., Bastian, B., & Martens, P. (2016). People and Companion Animals: It Takes Two to Tango. BioScience, 66(7), 552–560.
3. Arbour, R., Signal, T., & Taylor, N. (2009). Teaching Kindness: The Promise of Humane Education. Society & Animals, 17(2), 136–148.
4. Bandura, A. (2016). Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm and Live With Themselves. New York: Worth.
5. Batson, C. D., Lishner, D. A., Carpenter, A., Dulin, L., Harjusola-Webb, S., Stocks, E. L., & Sampat, B. (2003). . . . “As You Would Have Them Do Unto You”: Does Imagining Yourself in the Other’s Place Stimulate Moral Action? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 1190–1201.
Cited by
3 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献，注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献，订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献