We are currently seeking participants to take part in two ongoing studies.
In one study, we are seeking pairs (or groups) of dog owners/participants who are able to rate the same dog (i.e., who know the same dog). You may take part in this study through the DPQ Study 4 website (http://survey.psy.utexas.edu/API/dpq4.php).
In another study, we are seeking individuals who are willing to rate the same dog at two separate points in time -- once now, and once in approximately one month. (These participants will be sent reminders after a month.) You may take part in this study through the DPQ Study 5 website (http://survey.psy.utexas.edu/API/dpq5.php).
[updated June 11, 2007]
UPDATES
If you are looking for updates about the progress of the DPQ's development, please check the DPQ Updates page.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DPQ
We are striving to develop a questionnaire-based assessment tool for use in measuring personality and temperament in dogs. There are a variety of applications for this tool, from collecting information about surrendered shelter dogs to assessing the personalities of dogs who perform best in any given job (e.g., guide dog, medical alert dog). However, our immediate goal is the development of a reliable, valid instument. This goal requires multiple studies, many dog owners who volunteer to tell us about and rate their dogs, and repeated revision of the questionnaire based on research and on participant feedback.
Briefly, the sequence of completed and planned studies for developing the DPQ is as follows:
STUDY 1
Descriptions of dog behavior and personality were gathered from the dog personality and temperament research literature, existing dog personality assessments, and popularly used shelter and working dog temperament tests. A group of dog experts reviewed and added to this list, and a large pool of 1,284 items resulted.
The pool of 1,284 questionnaire items were refined to a pool of 360 items. The 360 items were piloted with a group of very committed dog-owner participants. The items and DPQ were revised based on participants' feedback.
STUDY 2
The revised pool of 360 items was administered to a group of about 4,000 dog-owner participants. Results were analyzed, and it was found that 5 personality traits appeared to underlie the data. The item list was further revised based on these analyses, and a questionnaire of 102 items resulted.
STUDY 3
The 102-item questionnaire is nearly ready to administer to a new group of participants. 1,800 participants are needed to complete this study. Once the data have been collected, they will be analyzed to confirm that the 5-trait structure appears in the new questionnaire and the new participant sample. Also, the questionnaire will be shortened -- a "long" form with about 75 items and a "short" form with about 45 items will be designed.
STUDY 4
For Study 4, we are recruiting pairs of participants who can both fill out the DPQ about the same dog. (See the top of this page) If you would be willing and able to do this, go to this study through the DPQ Study 4 website (http://survey.psy.utexas.edu/API/dpq4.php).
STUDY 5
For Study 5, we are be recruiting participants who are willing to fill out the DPQ twice, about the same dog, with 1 or 2 months between completions of the questionnaire. Round 1 of this study is occurring now. You may take part in this study through the DPQ Study 5 website (http://survey.psy.utexas.edu/API/dpq5.php).
STUDY 6
For Study 6, we will be recruiting Austin-area dog owners to fill out the DPQ and allow us to perform a personality test on their dogs. This study will take place in the month of June.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS...
Most American families have at least one dog, and most of us interact with dogs every day. Due to their simple abundance in our lives, they deserve attention. Of course, dogs are more to us than that. They live as members of our families. They guide the blind. They hear for those who can't. They serve the police and the military. And, like us, they are all different from each other, and some are better suited to each job or situation than others. How is an ideal guide dog different from an ideal police dog? How is an ideal guide dog different from your dog? We believe that dogs play interesting, important roles in our lives and that answering these questions about them will give us information to improve our and their lives.
Once we have developed a reliable, valid questionnaire, it will allow us to gather large amounts of information quickly, efficiently, and with minimal disruption to the dogs and their owners. (In addition, past research gives us reason to believe that questionnaires and owner-reports may be among the best ways to assess personality in dogs!)
Because the questionnaire we are developing will be suited to a broad array of dogs, from pet to service dogs, we will be able to compare the personalities of these different groups.
STUDY 3 will begin in the end of April, 2007. The new questionnaire will be posted then. If you are interested in taking part in the study, check back soon for updates and the web address for the questionnaire form.
Do participants have to be living in the
No! Originally we had intended to collect data in the
When a person has more than one dog, will he/she fill out a questionnaire for each and every dog?
For the online questionnaire in STUDY 3, you will select one of your dogs for you to tell us about. You are more than welcome to fill out the questionnaire again about that dog or any other dogs. You are not required to tell us about all of your dogs.
Do the dogs in the study need to be purebred or of known lineage?
No! We wish to include dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages, and breeds/mixes.
Will participants be able to access the results of the study?
Yes. Starting in STUDY 3, participants will be given immediate feedback on after rating their dogs on the DPQ. We will also any additional findings and results from this study and the next edition of the questionnaire that we build after completing this study. Check the DPQ Updates for recent information.
How will these data be used?
We are interested in this study and these data from a theoretical and research perspective. We are interested in learning more about personality and about dogs. In the immediate future, our primary goal is to develop the questionnaire as an assessment tool. However, we hope to be able to use what we learn from this study and the questionnaire itself to guide future research. We may, for example examine the differences in personality between specific groups of dogs (e.g., guide dogs vs. pet dogs) and attempt to develop better assessments for the selection of working dogs.
How is this research funded, and with whom is your research group affiliated?
A number of potential research participants have expressed concerns that our research group (API), or members of our group, may be funded by or affiliated with groups that those participants do not want to support. We are not currently funded by any dog food or product companies. We are also not affiliated with PETA or any similar agencies in any way.
It is our number one goal to produce valid, unbiased research.
Thank you for your concerns and your thoughfulness with respect to canine research and welfare!
Amanda C. Jones
amanda@animalpersonality.org
amanda@animalpersonality.org
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
1 University Station A8000
Austin, TX 78712-0187