About the book
Introduction to Human-Animal Interaction focuses on the human dimension of interacting with other animals. This book introduces recent developments, theories, and debates in the relatively new research area of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) and focuses on the social and life sciences aspect of these interactions. Experts from different academic disciplines provide an overview for students and professionals interested in how humans and other animals interact, and what advantages and disadvantages emerge for both parties in this relationship.
“The Book is a revelation: The authors have done an impressive job in bringing together all the main areas of actual contemporary human-animal interaction research”
Prof. Robert Mitchell (Department of Psychology, Eastern Kentucky University, USA)
“Each chapter provides a really nice introductory text for key topics taught across a range of disciplines in HAI”
Prof. Carri Westgarth (Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK)
See an abstract from each chapter (11 in total) followed by additional recommendations (reading, talks, activities). Please remember to always keep a critical thinking! This does not necessarily mean trying to find flaws with the research presented, but it is important to understand in which context this research has been conducted (e.g. culture, language, discipline, methods, species, timing…).
Editor Biography
Dr. Laëtitia Maréchal
Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Lincoln (UK), with a multidisciplinary background from the social and life sciences, including Psychology, Ethology, Endocrinology, Socio-Ecology, Primatology and Social Anthropology. Her research applies a One Health/One Welfare approach to better understand interspecific interactions. She is also a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Primate Specialist Group Section for Human-Primate Interactions.
Dr. Emile van der Zee
Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Lincoln (UK). He has published numerous books on language and published several articles and book chapters related to animal communication. He designed a popular course on the Psychology of Human-Animal Interaction, which inspired this book.