Have you ever, or do you currently own a pet? Many pet owners are very fond of their furry (or crawly, or slithery) friends, however, do they help decrease our stress levels? In the past 10-15 years, scientists have been pursuing research on that very question.
We won’t specifically focus on the topic of stress until the end of this 8-week course, though it is related to many other topics and will come up intermittently. That said, this assignment should give you a good introduction to the idea, as well as, ways that we might do research on a psychological component (stress) and a physical component (blood pressure) that is related to long-term outcomes such as illness/death.
For this assignment please read the following two short articles, which focus mostly on whether pets help to decrease blood pressure.
Are Pets a Healthy Pleasure? The Influence of Pets on Blood Pressure | Karen Allen (2003)
The Impact of Pets on Human Health and Psychological Well-Being: Fact, Fiction, or Hypothesis? | Harold Herzog (2011)
Then, answer the following questions;
In both articles a study focused on the stress response in stockbrokers by Allen, Shykoff, & Izzo, (2001), is mentioned. The next several questions will ask you about the research methods used in that study.
Participants were RANDOMLY ASSIGNED to one of two conditions. What was the EXPERIMENTAL condition and what was the CONTROL condition?
What was the INDEPENDENT variable?
What was the DEPENDENT variable?
What were the researcher’s basic conclusions?
What are some of the benefits to pet ownership discussed in either of the two articles?
What are some of the drawbacks to pet ownership that may detract from potential benefits to health?
Take some time to name and discuss other activities or relationships that are more effective than pet ownership for managing stress and/or improving health.
