Influence of dog presence on the tolerance and evaluation of aversive stimulation

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the presence of a domestic dog in the evaluation and tolerance of auditory aversive stimulation. Eighteen undergraduate college students participated. We analysed the latency of escape response from the aversive sounds and evaluation of the session through a semantic differential in three conditions: no distractors, a book of paintings as a distractor, and a dog as a distractor. Latency of escape response was significantly higher in the presence of a dog and participants also evaluated the session more positively, suggesting that dogs can positively affect the perception of an aversive stimulation.