Companion animals and personality : a study of preference

This study explored Extraversion personality differences among people who prefer dogs, people who prefer cats, people who prefer both, and people who prefer neither. Participants were 120 students from the Psychology Department Participation Pool at Humboldt State University. Personality was evaluated using the NEO-PI-R Extraversion Scale. Also, participants were given a list of personality trait adjectives and asked to assign them to either people who prefer dogs or people who prefer cats. Results showed significant differences in Extraversion among the pet preference groups. People who preferred dogs scored higher than people who preferred cats on the overall domain of Extraversion and the facets Excitement-Seeking and Gregariousness. People who preferred dogs also scored higher than people who preferred both on Extraversion and the facets Warmth, Excitement-Seeking, and Gregariousness. Results also showed that there are certain personality traits that people tend to assign to those who prefer dogs vs. those who prefer cats. The top personality traits chosen for people who prefer dogs were Sociable, Friendly, Excitement-Seeking and High-Spirited. The top personality traits chosen for people who prefer cats were Quiet, Shy, and Independent. All of the traits predominantly chosen for people who prefer dogs were traits used as general descriptors of those measuring higher in Extraversion. All of the traits predominantly chosen for people who prefer cats were traits used as general descriptors of those measuring lower in Extraversion.