Van Houtte and Jarvis (1995) The role of pets

• What was the aim of the study?

  To investigate the role of pets in development
• How many students participated in the study?

  130 students
• What age range did the students in the study fall into?

  8-11 years old
• How were the students categorized in the study?

  As pet owners and non-pet owners
• How many pet owners were involved in the study?

  65 pet owners
• What was the mean age of the 26 students?

  8.7 years
• What was the mean age of the 36 students?

  9.5 years
• What was the mean age of the 34 students?

  10.7 years
• What was the mean age of the other 34 students?

  11.6 years
• What type of information was gathered through interviews?

  Background information about students' families
• What factors were used to match pet-owning children with non-pet-owning children?

  Parents' marital status, economic and social status
• What were the four dependent variables measured in the study?

  Autonomy, self-concept, self-esteem, attachment to animals
• What does the autonomy questionnaire measure?

  • Perception of parents as people
  • Idealization of parents
  • Dependence on parents
  • Child's view of themselves as distinct
• What does the self-concept scale for children include?

  • 22 descriptions
  • Aims to find children's views of themselves
• What type of statements were included in the self-esteem scale?

  Statements about satisfaction with oneself
• What did the attachment to animals questionnaire assess?

  • Pet owners: statements like "I consider my pet to be a friend"
  • Non-pet owners: a different questionnaire
• What was the self-concept score for 11-year-old pet owners?

  94.2
• What was the self-esteem score for 9-year-old pet owners?

  19
• What was the self-esteem score for 11-year-old pet owners?

  17.2
• What did the results suggest about attachment to animals?

  It was similar for both pet owners and non-owners
• What did the study find about autonomy in pet owners?

  They saw parents in roles beyond parental roles
• What was the study's conclusion about pet ownership?

  It positively impacts development before adolescence
• How can pets be used according to the study's conclusion?

  As support for stressed 11-year-olds
• Who showed that pet support reduces stress for the elderly?

  Siegel (1990)
• What extraneous variables were controlled in the study?

  Number of siblings, marital status, social class
• What limitation was noted regarding the measure for a pet?

  Only cats or dogs were considered pets
• What was a limitation regarding the generalizability of the results?

  Results cannot be generalized to all children
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the study?

  Strengths:

  • Control over extraneous variables
  • Clear measurement of dependent variables

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Limited pet types considered
  • Results not generalizable to all children