Psychology

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A Multi-Pronged Approach to Studying Human-Animal Interactions in Zoo Settings
(2024-01-01) Truax, Jordyn Paige; Vonk, Jennifer; Escobar, Martha; Shackelford, Todd
Zoos of the past focused primarily on animal exhibition, yet the modern zoo has shifted to a focus on animal conservation and public education. This change has coincided with a negative shift in public opinion towards zoos after documentaries such as Blackfish, leading to comparatively more positive views of sanctuaries. These preferences seem to be influenced by the lack of animal exhibition at sanctuaries, suggesting that human influences on animals are important to public perceptions of zoos. Thus, human-animal interaction research is essential to understanding perceptions of zoos and human influences on captive animals. This dissertation addresses both factors. Study 1 assessed public opinions on zoos versus sanctuaries, and investigated how these opinions are impacted by knowledge of zoo practices. Highlighting any positive information, but particularly in relation to conservation, led to more positive public opinions. Studies 2 and 3 considered human-animal interactions through human impacts on captive animals, as further knowledge could both increase animal welfare, and then, positively influence public opinion. Study 2 examined the influence of visitors on the behaviors of zoo-housed parrots in an aviary. Birds engaged in decreased positive behaviors, increased negative behaviors, and more birds were present as visitor numbers increased. The increase in negative behaviors was minimal compared to the increase in birds present, which may indicate the birds were not negatively impacted by visitors. Study 3 evaluated the judgment biases of two ambassador animals after exposure to zoo visitors. The chicken displayed pessimism whether it was held or perched, but the tegu displayed pessimism only when no visitor touch occurred. This suggests negative effects of visitor interactions for the chicken, but touch interactions may not be aversive to the tegu. All three studies contribute to our understanding of human-animal interactions for the improvement of animal welfare and public perceptions of these facilities.
Exploring Innovation and Behavioral Flexibility in Captive Carnivores
(2024-01-01) OConnor, Victoria Lyn; Vonk, Jennifer; Borrego, Natalia D; Escobar, Martha; Shackelford, Todd
The highly specialized order Carnivora, while underrepresented in the comparative cognition literature, faces diverse ecological and social constraints. Thus, species and individuals should differ in behaviors associated with cognitive abilities, facilitating the successful navigation of these challenges. Behavioral flexibility was measured in 80 individuals of 17 species through personality assessments predicting success on a multi-access puzzle box (MAB) and behaviors associated with cognition on both a MAB and an Impossible Task. At the species level, social species were significantly more persistent on the MAB, and smaller body mass and higher encephalization was associated with persistence and latency to success on the MAB. Within species, on the individual level, there were several significant differences in behaviors between the sexes, ambassador versus exhibit animals, and wild versus captive-born species in the behavioral trait assessments, and on the MAB and Impossible Task. No significant differences existed between individuals of different ages or species rated differently on the IUCN scale or in brain volume on the MAB. This dissertation contributes to the growing field of animal cognition through the first use of personality assessments predicting problem-solving success on an MAB, the largest and most inclusive sample of felids on an MAB, and the first use of an Impossible Task in non-domesticated felids.
Religious Value Transmission: An Exploration of the Internalization of Catholic Values in Adolescence, Young Adulthood, and Parenthood
(2024-01-01) Ott, Joy Louisa; Vonk, Jennifer; Shackelford, Todd; Taku, Kanako
Despite increasingly secular pressures, more Catholics continue to practice the faith in which they were brought up, as compared to members of other Christian denominations. It is of interest to understand what factors contribute to the maintenance of childhood beliefs into adulthood and into one’s own childrearing practices, thereby passing those beliefs to the next generation. This dissertation explored religious value transmission through the lens of internalization across three notable life stages in Catholic individuals: young adolescence (Study One), young adulthood (Study Two), and parenthood (Study Three). Across these three stages, the pattern was mostly consistent: parental influence was positively associated with religiosity, and this relationship was generally mediated by identified, but not introjected, internalization.
Tried and True: The Influence of Perceived Loyalty on Friendship Perceptions and Functioning
(2023-01-01) Sauls, Destaney; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; Shackelford, Todd; Vonk, Jennifer
Friendships provide social support and often serve to enhance psychological well-being. As such, it is important to understand how these friendships function. One feature that may contribute to friendship functioning is loyalty; however, the role of loyalty in friendships has not been sufficiently studied. The current work is intended to examine the potential relationships between the perceptions of two forms of loyalty and different aspects of friendship functioning. Passive loyalty refers to behaviors intended to be constructive in a relationship, but that may be passive in nature, such as letting a conflict go without holding a grudge. In contrast, active loyalty refers to behaviors that are more overt, such as defending a friend against the criticism of others. Participants were undergraduates drawn from the subject pools of two mid-sized Midwestern universities. Study 1 (n = 445) found that participants viewed their current friendships more positively than past friendships and that active loyalty was especially important in predicting the perceived closeness of the friendship. Study 2 (n = 252) found that active loyalty predicted perceptions of closeness for both the individual and their friend. Study 3 (n = 474) found that perceptions of active loyalty were associated with different aspects of friendship maintenance (i.e., satisfaction with the friendship, investment in the friendship, and perceived quality of alternatives to the friendship) and that active loyalty had indirect associations with friendship commitment through these features. Although hypotheses for all three studies concerned both passive and active loyalty, passive loyalty was somewhat overshadowed by active loyalty. That is, the associations that emerged for passive loyalty often were obscured when active loyalty was included in the same analysis. However, it is important to note that the associations concerning passive loyalty often resembled the associations for active loyalty but were typically smaller in magnitude. Understanding the different potential implications of passive and active loyalty may allow for additional insights regarding how to cultivate and maintain meaningful friendships, ultimately enhancing the well-being and social connectedness of individuals

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