Presentation Details
| Experimenter attitudes influence animal behaviour unknowingly in animal studies Svenja Capitain1, Gwendolyn Wirobski2, Catherine-Noémie A.Guran3, 4, Andreas Berghänel5, Claus Lamm4, Sarah Marshall-Pescini1, Friederike Range1. 1Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna Austria.2Comparative Cognition Group, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Science, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel Switzerland.3Institute of Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg Germany.4Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna Austria.5Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Institute of Biology and Chemistry, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim Germany |
Abstract
Animal behaviour research relies on experimental designs that minimize human influence on animals under study. While efforts to control experimenter bias have traditionally focused on explicit expectancy effects, the role of researchers’ attitudes remains poorly understood. We examined how experienced animal handlers’ explicit (conscious) and implicit (unconscious) attitudes shape the behaviour of human-socialized dogs and wolves during common sociability tests. Explicit attitudes predicted animals’ affiliation and discomfort behaviours, whereas implicit attitudes were associated with handlers’ heart rate variability, which again modulated animal affiliation. Explicit and implicit attitudes were not correlated, suggesting that handlers were unaware of the biases influencing their interactions. Time-series analyses revealed strong reciprocal behavioural coupling between humans and both canid species. These findings demonstrate that subtle, often unrecognized human attitudes can systematically influence animal behaviour in experimental contexts. Such effects may introduce artifacts or amplify apparent species differences, calling for improved methods in animal behaviour studies.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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