mailing address
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Psychology
1 University Station A8000
Austin, TX 78712-0187

phone
512.471.1628

fax
512.471.5935

e-mail
sam@animalpersonality.org

webpage
www.samgosling.com

mailing address
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Psychology
1 University Station A8000
Austin, TX 78712-0187

phone
512.232.9596

fax
512.471.5935

e-mail
amanda@animalpersonality.org

webpage
Amanda's Homepage

My interest in animal personality runs along a few main lines. 

• COMPARATIVE PERSONALITY STRUCTURE. What traits exist in different species? How are these traits structured and related to each other? Is the structure of personality the same across various species? How does animal personality compare to human personality?
  
• PERSONALITY'S INFLUENCE ON BEHAVIOR. Are different traits displayed through parallel behaviors across species? How might different personalities be more adaptive to some situations? 
  
• PHYSIOLOGY & PERSONALITY. Do basal hormones levels and hormonal reactivity relate to the presence of and expression of personality traits? 
  
• PERSONALITY & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS. How can we use our understanding of personality to improve the relationships that humans have with our non-human companions?  I am interest in particular in working relationships, in maximizing efficacy and efficiency of human-dog pairings while simultaneously minimizing stress to both the dog and the human partner (e.g., police officers and their dogs, handlers and explosive detection dogs, the blind and guide dogs). 
  
  To learn more about me, my research, & my interests, please visit my webpage or e-mail me (amanda@animalpersonality.org).
  
  
  
  

mailing address
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Psychology
1 University Station A8000
Austin, TX 78712-0187

phone
512.471.0691

fax
512.471.5935

e-mail
dianamoll@mail.utexas.edu

My focal research question revolves around  “why animals do what they do”.  In the 1960s Tinbergen suggested that we should attempt to answer this question on four different but complementary levels, evolution, ontogeny, mechanism and adaptive value.  I am interested in combining an ethological and comparative psychological approach to elucidate both proximal and ultimate behavioral mechanisms that influence animal personality. 

Currently my primary study species are companion animals, specifically dogs.  I am interested in developing tools to assess personality in dogs.  In particular, how an increased understanding of the manifestations of personality in dogs influences behavioral responses across situations and stimuli.  With my broad background in the field of animal sheltering, I am especially interested in the practical application of these temperament tools in order to promote behavioral health and welfare. 

Ontogeny and critical periods of socialization are also of interest, specifically inter-species relationships, i.e. dog and human, and how the role early experiences influence development of temperament in adulthood.

Other research interests include, but are not limited to, behavioral manifestations of stress, paedomorphism, and companion animal problem behavior.

My research interests involve studying different aspects of personality in chimpanzees from a combination of comparative, evolutionary and conservation standpoints. Specifically, I am interested in: (1) investigating the evolution of individual personality traits through genetic and neuroanatomical (collected through non-invasive MRI scans) data in order to determine how it relates to patterns found in the human or non-human primate literature, (2) looking at whether or not relationships exists between health measures, such as blood chemistry levels and the strength and/or occurrence of different personality traits in chimpanzees, and (3) studying how the environment of captive chimpanzees can best be suited to fit individuals based on differences in personality.

mailing address
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Psychology
1 University Station A8000
Austin, TX 78712-0187

phone
512.232.9596

fax
512.471.5935

e-mail
hdfreeman@mail.utexas.edu

mailing address
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Psychology
1 University Station A8000
Austin, TX 78712-0187

phone
512.471.0691

fax
512.471.5935

e-mail
simine@mail.utexas.edu

webpage
www.simine.com

The common themes in my research are: identifying the link between personality and behavior, and determining how best to assess someone's personality (both as a researcher and in everyday life).  Specifically, I am interested in the differences between how we see ourselves and how others see us.  Although there is a great deal of agreement among self- and informant-reports of personality, there are nevertheless systematic differences.  Where do these differences come from?  Who is more accurate and on what traits?  Who can predict behavior best?  In the future I plan to examine the effect of feedback on the accuracy of self-perceptions.  Does knowing how others see us improve the accuracy of our self-perceptions?

I am also interested in how we form impressions of others' personalities in our everyday lives.  Are our snap judgments (e.g., on the basis of someone's website) accurate?  What can we learn about people from their everyday behaviors?  Other interests of mine include: personality change and stability, person-environment fit, life satisfaction, meta-perception, and many others (the list changes and grows all the time).  For more information, visit my website or contact me.