Our lab is interested in various aspects of animal personality research. The ultimate goal of our work, in brief, is to (a) develop animal models to inform research in personality, social, and health psychology, (b) use perceptions of animal personality to understand general processes in personality perception, & (c) apply our understanding of personality to promote animal welfare.
Current Projects
DOG PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE
We are developing a comprehensive dog personality questionnaire which will be appropriate for use in assessing any type of dogs, from pet dogs to working explosive detection dogs. We are striving to create a reliable, valid measure with which we can readily assess large numbers of dogs.
For this project, we have collected a pool of dog "owners" who have been kind enough to volunteer to answer questions about their dog's personalities. If you would like to learn more about this study and possibly participate, please follow this link or click on Rufus, the dog to the left!
For more information about this study, please e-mail Amanda Jones (amanda@animalpersonality.org).
SHELTER DOG TEMPERAMENT EXAMINATION & ASSESSMENT
Many animal shelters nationwide employ a variety of different temperament tests. Unfortunately, the reliability and validity of these tests has seldom been examined empirically. Furthermore, a recent review of the temperament testing literature showed that although a large body of research has examined working dogs, few studies focus on shelter or pet dogs (Jones & Gosling, 2004). The basic goal of our on-going study is to examine the predictive validity of several major temperament tests in an animal shelter context.
For more information about this study, please e-mail Diane Mollaghan (diane@animalpersonality.org).
Publications
To see the publications of a specific author, click his or her name.
Gosling, S. D. (1998). Personality dimensions in spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 112, 107-118.
Gosling, S. D. (2001). From mice to men: What can we learn about personality from animal research? Psychological Bulletin, 127, 45-86.
Gosling, S. D., & John, O. P. (1999). Personality dimensions in non-human animals: A cross-species review. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 69-75.
Gosling, S. D., & Vazire, S. (2002). Are we barking up the right tree? Evaluating a comparative approach to personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 607-614.
Gosling, S. D., Kwan, V. S. Y., & John, O. P. (2003). A dog’s got personality: A cross-species comparative approach to evaluating personality judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 1161-1169.
Jones, A. C., & Gosling, S. D. (in press). Temperament and Personality in Dogs (Canis familiaris): A Review and Evaluation of Past Research. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
Vazire, S., & Gosling, S. D. (2003). The role of animal research in bridging psychology and biology. American Psychologist, 58, 407-408.
Vazire, S., & Gosling, S. D. (in press). Personality and Temperament. Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior.
Gosling, S. D., & John, O. P. (1999). Personality dimensions in non-human animals: A cross-species review. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 69-75.
Gosling, S. D., Kwan, V. S. Y., & John, O. P. (2003). A dog’s got personality: A cross-species comparative approach to evaluating personality judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 1161-1169.
Gosling, S. D., & Vazire, S. (2002). Are we barking up the right tree? Evaluating a comparative approach to personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 607-614.
Vazire, S., & Gosling, S. D. (2003). The role of animal research in bridging psychology and biology. American Psychologist, 58, 407-408.
Vazire, S., & Gosling, S. D. (in press). Personality and Temperament. Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior.
Gosling, S. D., Kwan, V. S. Y., & John, O. P. (2003). A dog’s got personality: A cross-species comparative approach to evaluating personality judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 1161-1169.
Jones, A. C., & Gosling, S. D. (in press). Temperament and Personality in Dogs (Canis familiaris): A Review and Evaluation of Past Research. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
1 University Station A8000
Austin, TX 78712-0187