Leeuwen, Sherida van (2025) Man’s (sic) Best Friend as a Social Guide: How Pets Influence First Impressions. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Animals can influence how humans perceive and evaluate social situations, particularly through subtle behavioural cues. This study investigated whether a dog’s behaviour influences its owner’s first impression of a stranger through social cues, and whether this effect is moderated by contextual clarity and perceived similarity with the dog. Building on theories of social identity, we hypothesised that negative dog reactions would lead to stronger impression effects than positive ones, especially in unclear scenarios and under intuitive priming. To test this, participants read hypothetical scenarios in which a dog reacted positively or negatively to a stranger dressed in either casual clothing (unclear condition) or a uniform (clear condition). A priming task was used to activate either an intuitive or a rational perspective, designed to manipulate shared identity with the dog. Results revealed a statistically significant main effect of dog behaviour, but in the opposite direction than predicted: positive dog reactions had stronger influence than negative ones. No statistically significant main effects were found for the priming or clothing condition. However, a statistically significant two-way interaction showed that dog behaviour had the strongest influence in the positive uniform scenario. Exploratory analyses indicated that participants responded emotionally to the dog’s behaviour and justified it differently depending on the scenario. These findings suggest that pet cues can shape social perceptions in nuanced, context-dependent ways.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Spears, R. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Jul 2025 13:55 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Jul 2025 13:55 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5772 |
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