Human-Animal Interactions and the Development of Empathy and Social Skills in Childhood

The following literature review discusses potential non-medical benefits that may result from child and adolescent interaction with animals, and the practitioner or educator preferences regarding animal species used in Applied Animal Therapy. Discussed below are a variety of research study findings regarding the potential relationships between human-animal interactions and the various social, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and personality developmental aspects in children and adolescents. These studies looked at human-animal interactions in the school setting, in therapy settings using AAT, and in the family home settings regarding companion animals/pets. The animals involved in these studies include horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, fish, and other aquariumdwelling species. Interaction with and preference for horses yielded the most significant benefits with child/adolescent development, followed closely by interaction with and preference for dogs. These studies address multiple factors including the owner attachment levels to the animals, child/adolescent preferences for specific species or no animals at all, and past/present history of household pet ownership. The research also addresses many aspects to child and adolescent development including, memory, focus/distractibility, self-confidence, self-esteem, social skills, attachment issues, depression, aggressiveness, and most notably empathy. The findings relay the positive impact that human-animal interactions can and do have on many aspects of child and adolescent development in many different circumstances. These studies showed that there is a positive relationship between child-animal interactions and child development, which is supported by researches, parents, and teachers. HUMAN-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS & CHILD DEVELOPMENT 3 Introduction What is the relationship between human-animal interactions and child and adolescent development? Before this paper, my knowledge of Applied Animal Therapy (AAP) was solely related to the potential for medical benefits. I was previously aware of the positive cardiovascular effects and illness recovery implications of interacting with animals, but I had yet to learn about any other non-medical relationships between child-animal interactions and the potential effects on the child’s development. In searching for research to analyze this topic, I also looked to decipher what preferences educators and practitioners may have regarding specific animal species for use in Applied Animal Therapy. I collected a variety of research regarding the potential relationships between human-animal interactions and the various aspects to child an adolescent development. These studies utilized a variety of settings including the school setting, standard therapy settings, and private family home settings. Horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, fish, and other aquarium-dwelling species were all addressed in the following research, though some more than others. These studies address the children’s level of attachment to the animals, their preferences for specific species, and their history of household pets. This research addressed many aspects to child and adolescent development including, memory, motor-skills, verbal development, distractibility, self-confidence, self-esteem, social skills, attachment issues, depression, and aggressiveness. Previous Research Findings Animals in the School Setting Gee, Harris, and Johnson (2007) completed a study of a group of 14 preschool children four to six years old. Of these 14 children, nine were identified as having learning deficits, behavior deficits, or underdeveloped social skills; the remaining five children had no reports of these deficits. (Gee, Harris, & Johnson, 2007)The goal was to determine if their performances in a series of 10 HUMAN-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS & CHILD DEVELOPMENT 4 motor tasks would be affected in any way by the presents of a therapy dog. (Gee, et al., 2007) The 10 tasks were paired up into five groups; “The five pairs of activities were curved tunnel and straight tunnel, high jump and long jump, roll-over and crawl, obstacle course and weaving, and balance beam and throwing” (Gee, et al., 2007, p. 379). The children’s performance speed and accuracy were evaluated and compared between the dog-present and dog-absent tasks. For the dogpresent tasks, the dog would perform the task either directly before or at the same time as the child. “The presence of a therapy dog served as an effective motivator for the children, who performed faster, but without compromising accuracy, in all tasks but one” (Gee, et al., 2007, p. 375). Prior to developing this study, the therapy dogs and students involved in the aforementioned study, had been given the opportunity to interact on a weekly basis in therapy work and play. This interaction helped the children develop a bond with the dogs, promoting improvement in the children’s speech patterns, as noted by both the parents and teachers. The teachers, therapists, and supervisors all relayed “positive impressions of the impact the dogs appeared to have on the children's social and motor skills following the games the children played with the dogs” (Gee, et al., 2007, p. 377). The aforementioned study was designed to move forward and gain a stronger understanding of these positive perceptions. “Motor behavior a central component of many dog-child relationships and the presence of a therapy dog is beneficial during the execution of gross motor skills tasks by preschool children. Given the strong positive relationship between the development of gross motor skills and language (Rarick 1980), it is reasonable to conclude that therapy dogs may be a useful adjunct to language education and development” (Gee, et al., 2007, p. 384). Preschoolers exhibit a stronger connection between their motor performance and academic achievement than third graders do as explained by Chissom (1971). This describes a natural weakening of this connection with age, but does not deny the presence of the cognitive-motor connection in preschool aged children. (Gee, et al., 2007) HUMAN-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS & CHILD DEVELOPMENT 5 This next study was developed by one of the same authors as the previous study and has many similarities. Gee, Crist, and Carr (2010) completed two related experiments involving 12 children, ages three to five, which took place in the library of the children’s preschool. They set out to examine the memory performance of young children when exposed to a live dog, a stuffed animal dog, and a young-adult man. The first experiment they began by showing each child 10 different three-dimensional target objects, then distracted them with a game, and finally re-showed each of those 10 target objects along with a new distracter object and asking them to recall which they had seen before. This was repeated three times, once with a live dog next to them, once with a stuffed animal dog placed next to them, and once with an adult man sitting next to them. When the live dog was present, the children required fewer prompts or instructions to complete the task. The second experiment completed by Gee et al. (2010) was conducted a few months later and was aimed to confirm the findings of the first experiment. The only adjustment made to the previous experiment was the use of pictures of three-dimensional objects, instead of actual objects. Again, the children performed better, requiring less prompts when the live dog was present. (Gee, Crist, & Carr, 2010) “Woody-Ramsey and Miller (1988) argued that preschool children do not spontaneously restrict their attention to relevant stimuli, but that they are able to do so when the stimulus is highly salient”. “It is possible the presence of the dog provided that highly salient stimulus needed to help the children to restrict their attention to the demands of the task, which in turn required fewer instructional prompts” (Gee, et al., 2010, p. 183). In this and the previous study, more prompts were not necessary for the “identified” children, meaning that the presence of the dog may have increased comprehension and decreased distractibility. Wedl and Kotrschal (2009) completed a study involving 50 children in the school setting, ages three to seven. They evaluated the relationship between the levels of interaction with classroom rabbits and the children’s self-confidence and overall social interaction. The study team HUMAN-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS & CHILD DEVELOPMENT 6 determined three different types of interaction: direct occupation with rabbits; indirect occupation with rabbits; and proximity to rabbits. This study determined that a strong bond between a child and a companion animal, like the classroom rabbits, is dependent on the child’s social competence and levels of empathy. More confident and respected children spent more time directly and indirectly, but less time in proximity with the rabbits, which is opposite of than the results for the more reserved or solitary children. (Wedl & Kotrschal, 2009) the children described as more clam and patient spent less time with the rabbit in all three categories. The sociable cheerful children spent more time in proximity but less in direct or indirect interaction with the rabbits. (Wedl & Kotrschal, 2009) Children who have pets at home exhibited more integration in their class, and more overall social interaction and popularity. They spent less time with the rabbits than those kids without current pets. “Taking care of a pet may indeed enhance self-confidence, social acceptance, and communication with humans” (Wedl & Kotrschal, 2009, p. 394). Children who have siblings were more likely to spend more time with the rabbits directly, indirectly, and in proximity. The children’s interactions with the rabbits were a reflection of their personal confidence levels and social abilities. (Wedl & Kotrschal, 2009) Animals at Home A study completed by Daly and Morton (2006) examined elementary students in the home s