People use the word personality every day. We use it with the people we know and sometimes even make attributions about people we don’t know. We also label animals with personalities: “Happy” “Grouchy” “Shy” “Outgoing” … even “narcissistic.” If you were to look up the
definition of “personality” from the people who study it in humans, you would find that there are almost as many definitions of personality as there are authors of personality studies. However, almost all the definitions attempt to use “personality” to help predict and explain people’s behavior. The same is true in animals.
Personality psychologists have found that there is, in general, some degree of continuity in an individual’s personality. Another commonality in most definitions of personality is the studying of the consistency of behavior across time and situations.
Please note that this does not mean an individual’s personality never changes. The degree of behavioral consistency is influenced by more than personality. Situational factors, personality, thoughts, feelings, emotions and past histories, as we all know, also influence behavior.
So the study of Personality in humans, is not yet at the point where everyone has agreed: “Yep, this is “personality and this is what it means!” Perhaps it never will be. Up until rather recently, the idea that an animal could have a personality would have been laughed upon. Not so now! There is strong evidence that animals from fish to chimpanzees have personalities.
So why do we care about animal personality? The hope is that in understanding personality theories, research, development, and assessment, we can help individuals/animals lead happier, healthier, more productive lives.
E-Training for Dogs is very excited about the September 2012 Ethology and Canine Behavior lecture presented by Dr. Sam Gosling:
Animal Personality: What do we know and where shall we go?
Sam Gosling, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas in Austin, began studying personality in animals with his dissertation where he focused on personality in spotted hyenas. His non-human research has also examined dogs, cats, chimpanzees, and squid. In 2005 he founded the Animal Personality Institute, an interdisciplinary organization dedicated to understanding personality and temperament in non-human animals. Dr. Gosling presents the major discoveries from the field of animal psychology, focusing on the challenges the field has faced and those that lie ahead. For example, questions about measurement have long dogged the field, with concerns focusing on three basic issues: (1) that personality cannot be measured reliably in animals, (2) that the assessments are overly subjective, (3) that the methods required to obtain valid assessments are impractical. Using data from his studies of spotted hyenas, dogs, chimpanzees, squid, and humans Sam will address each concern and evaluate the viability of personality assessments in animals. He will discuss some major challenges that lie ahead for the field of animal personality and also consider the implications of this work in science (e.g., understanding the genetic bases of personality) and applied settings (e.g., identifying dogs well suited to explosive-detection work).
When: To be presented Live ONLINE through our Ethology and Canine Behavior lecture series on September 6, 2012 at 6:00 PM EST. Register HERE.
If you miss the live lecture, you can always check out the OnDemand version HERE.
Cost is $25
Length: 90 minutes including a 15 minute question and answer session.