Interacting with a Computer-Simulated Pet: Factors Influencing Children's Humane Attitudes and Empathy

Abstract

Previous research by Kaufman (2010a, 2010b) has suggested that computer-simulated virtual pet dogs can be used as a potential medium to enhance children's development of empathy and humane attitudes toward animals. To gain a deeper understanding of how and why interacting with a virtual pet dog might influence children's social and emotional development, this study gathered detailed data regarding the effects of play duration and types of play interaction on the enhancement of children's empathy and humane attitudes. Quantitative findings revealed that participants who spent more time playing with their virtual pet tended to have higher humane attitude scores. In addition, play interaction that involved competing with a virtual pet dog was associated with higher empathy and humane attitude scores, and the reported number of incidents of care provided was associated with higher humane attitude scores. Qualitative findings showed that the participants built an emotional bond with their virtual pet dogs and that many participants believed that the virtual dogs had their own interests and personalities. Many participants tended to base activities they would like to do with their virtual pet dogs on what they perceived to be the virtual pet dog's interests and needs.Research studies have shown that children's development of humane attitudes and empathy can be enhanced through training. An important purpose of training in

Childhood Attachment to Pets: Associations between Pet Attachment, Attitudes to Animals, Compassion, and Humane Behaviour

“…Several studies have found a link between pet ownership (particularly dogs and cats), pet attachment, positive attitudes to animals, compassion, empathy, and prosocial behaviour [54,55,56,57,58,59]. Humane attitudes and concerns for animal welfare are related to a greater involvement in caring for pets during childhood [60] and similar results have even been found for virtual pets [61]. …”

Human Behaviour Change Interventions in Animal Care and Interactive Settings: A Review and Framework for Design and Evaluation

“…However, despite being outside of the scope of the structured review, some of these studies utilised novel techniques that may be promising for integration into more specific behaviour change intervention trials in the future. For example, Hazel et al [ 27 ] demonstrated that teaching students to clicker-train chickens can improve attitudes towards animals and belief in their cognitive capacities; Helton and Helton [ 28 ] found that presenting information about the cognitive capacities of animals increased ‘pro-animal attitudes’; MacKay et al [ 29 ] used a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to reach a very large audience (33,501 people enrolled and 5501 completed the 5 week course); Małecki et al [ 30 ] used literary fiction to improve attitudes towards animals; and Tsai and Kaufman [ 31 ] demonstrated that a virtual pet ‘Nintendogs’ can increase children’s empathy and humane attitudes. What is now needed is for these techniques to be applied to specific behavioural targets and assessed for their ability to change behaviour.…”

The Influence of Game Character Appearance on Empathy and Immersion: Virtual Non-Robotic Versus Robotic Animals

“…A few studies analyzed empathy toward non-human characters like virtual pets. Virtual pets are defined by Tsai (2008) as the simulations of “life-like agents” and could possibly be used to build relationships with players (pp. 49).…”

“…49). Tsai and Kaufman (2014, p. 149) used a “real-time pet simulation videogame” called Nintendogs and reported a positive effect of interacting with virtual pets on users’ relationship to pets in real life, suggesting that children playing the game developed an empathic disposition toward the virtual characters. This result supports the conclusion that empathic feelings toward a virtual animal are, in principle, possible.…”