Document Type

Honors Thesis

Publication Date

Spring 5-2017

Abstract

Interspecies communication is a fundamental aspect of many creatures. Knowing what another animal is saying could not only prove interesting, it could quite literally save a life. For humans, human-canine communication is arguably the most prevalent form of interspecies communication, and is important not only because of the close proximity of humans to dogs, but also because of the co-evolutionary aspects that have driven humans closer to “man’s best friend”. While there are some sources that allow for a consistent analysis of results in this field, it is still developing and constantly changing. A meta-analysis was performed to identify sources and causes of bias in articles, and to determine whether genetics and psychology were major influences on these articles. Small sample size and large variability of subjects negatively influences the impact that such studies have, but there are some that have been replicated and are more reliable. Review articles are the least biased, provide a good starting point for research, and are more likely to identify topics such as genetics and psychology in their analysis and discussion. Future scientists in this field should identify a standardized method of measurement, increase sample size, and repeat experiments multiple times to improve and refine the pool of data that is available.

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