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Open research questions in Human-Animal Interaction Studies

294 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 2,192 Human-Animal Interaction Studies papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Alternative explanations and limitations of the findings should be considered - Further research could investigate the development of expectations about conventional human gestures in dogs

    Pupil size changes reveal that dogs are sensitive to the social conventions behind human gestures · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in our understanding of whether dogs develop sensitivity to human social conventions. Prior work has focused on human social conventions, but it is unknown if dogs understand these conventions. The study seeks to fill this gap by investigating dogs' reactions to human gestures.

    Pupil size changes reveal that dogs are sensitive to the social conventions behind human gestures · 2026 · DOI

  • Lack of distinct biological markers for dysfunctional fear and frustration responses. Difficulty in differentiating between functional and dysfunctional emotional responses. Need to consider the ecological context of fear and frustration responses.

    Development of a psychobiological nosology for fear and frustration in clinical animal behavior using dogs as a model species · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge of developing a multidimensional approach to the study of the self in animals, accounting for the variability and adaptability of self-patterns across species, contexts, and developmental stages. The need to minimize anthropocentric biases when defining the self in animals, and to develop a framework that can accommodate both inter- and intra-species variability. The challenge of integrating insights from comparative psychology, neuroscience, and ethology, to provide a nuanced understanding of the self in animals.

    A multidimensional approach to the self in non-human animals through the Pattern Theory of Self · 2025 · DOI

  • The current lack of a multidimensional approach to the study of the self in animals, with most research focusing on narrow high-level dimensions or reducing the self to a derivative aspect of consciousness. The need for a framework that can accommodate both inter- and intra-species variability, enabling researchers to explore the self across a wide range of organisms without imposing anthropocentric biases.

    A multidimensional approach to the self in non-human animals through the Pattern Theory of Self · 2025 · DOI

  • Animal harm often results in lenient legal responses, with prosecutions primarily targeting offenses against companion animals, while cases involving farm animals remain significantly underreported.

    “Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others”: The Role of Animal Category in Judgments of Sadistic Harm · 2026 · DOI

  • This problem is compounded by a lack of consensus definitions for these terms, authors frequently relying on intuitive understanding, and the variability in definitions used, when they are actually defined, within the clinical animal behavior literature.

    Development of a psychobiological nosology for fear and frustration in clinical animal behavior using dogs as a model species · 2026 · DOI

  • Responsible ownership and welfare in rural Baltic and Eastern European settings remain poorly studied.

    Responsible Ownership and Welfare Indicators for Dogs and Cats in Rural Lithuania: Self-Reported Practices and In-Person Assessment · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research is needed to further validate the external validity of B-LAPS and assess its usefulness in research, animal-assisted therapy, and education.

    The Brief Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale: measurement invariance in India, Italy, Poland, and Russia · 2025 · DOI

  • Research exploring the connection between pet ownership and mental health has expanded substantially in recent years, yet scientific evidence remains inconclusive.

    Exploring the connection between pet attachment and owner mental health: The roles of owner-pet compatibility, perceived pet welfare, and behavioral issues · 2025 · DOI

  • These under researched aspects are believed to play crucial roles in shaping owner-pet relationships and owner mental well-being.

    Exploring the connection between pet attachment and owner mental health: The roles of owner-pet compatibility, perceived pet welfare, and behavioral issues · 2025 · DOI

  • The experiences of the animals involved vary widely, with negative welfare states being commonplace.

    Chains of Commerce: A Comprehensive Review of Animal Welfare Impacts in the International Wildlife Trade · 2025 · DOI

  • Instead, the conclusions drawn from existing research-both in terms of behavior and health aspects-remain inconclusive and sometimes conflicting.

    Dog Neuter, Yes or No? A Summary of the Motivations, Benefits, and Harms, with Special Emphasis on the Behavioral Aspect · 2025 · DOI

  • Cruelty toward cats appears less well understood and may be under-reported or more severe, requiring further research and attention.

    Animal Cruelty in New York City: Cruelty Cases Presented to the ASPCA in Partnership with the NYPD 2013–2022 · 2025 · DOI

  • We propose further research into the functional analysis of these behavioural differences.

    Hierarchy-Dependent Behaviour of Dogs in the Strange Situation Test: High-Ranking Dogs Show Less Stress and Behave Less Friendly with a Stranger in the Presence of Their Owner · 2025 · DOI

  • To date, little is known about seasonal changes in specific cat behaviours, and how these are affected by weather patterns.

    Longitudinal Study on the Effect of Season and Weather on the Behaviour of Domestic Cats (Felis catus) · 2025 · DOI

  • This uncertainty arises partly from the complex and poorly understood relationship between modern dingoes and New Guinea singing dogs, and suspicions that post-Colonial hybridization has introduced recent domestic dog ancestry into the genomes of many wild dingo populations.

    Ancient genomes reveal over two thousand years of dingo population structure · 2024 · DOI

  • However, the early history of dingoes in Australia-including the number of founding populations and their routes of introduction-remains uncertain.

    Ancient genomes reveal over two thousand years of dingo population structure · 2024 · DOI

  • Since this aspect is underexplored in the academic debate on technologies’ impact on relations, we believe that it is important to (1), descriptively, study how new and emerging technologies impact human-animal relations, and (2), normatively, to enrich the debate with a non-anthropocentric perspective that recognizes that human-animal relations also have moral significance.

    From MilkingBots to RoboDolphins: How AI changes human-animal relations and enables alienation towards animals · 2024 · DOI

  • BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dog ownership has been suggested as an intervention to increase physical activity and improve mental health, but few studies have investigated the relationships between dog ownership, physical activity, and mental health outcomes together.

    Dog ownership, physical activity, loneliness and mental health: a comparison of older adult and younger adult companion animal owners · 2024 · DOI

  • Companion animals confer both risk and benefits to mental health yet the potential underpinning mechanisms which explain such impacts are not fully understood.

    Young adults’ views on the mechanisms underpinning the impact of pets on symptoms of anxiety and depression · 2024 · DOI

  • Booming UK ownership of designer-crossbreed dogs resulting from intentional crossing of distinct purebred breeds is often motivated by perceived enhanced health, despite limited evidence supporting a strong 'hybrid vigour' effect in dogs.

    The doodle dilemma: How the physical health of ‘Designer-crossbreed’ Cockapoo, Labradoodle and Cavapoo dogs’ compares to their purebred progenitor breeds · 2024 · DOI

  • BACKGROUND: Research into the impact of social relationships on childhood and adolescent health and wellbeing has been largely limited to children's relationships with other humans, while studies into the impact of pet ownership are sparse and have generally not adjusted for potential confounders.

    Companion animals and child development outcomes: longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of a UK birth cohort study · 2024 · DOI

  • Some researchers have suggested that it may be more useful to investigate the bond people feel with their pets and how this may impact mental health; however, this too has led to mixed results.

    How Attachment to Dogs and to Other Humans Relate to Mental Health · 2024 · DOI

  • Overall, reports of effect varied widely and, with the exception of sedation, did not correlate with specific mg/kg dose ranges.

    Effects of Gabapentin on the Treatment of Behavioral Disorders in Dogs: A Retrospective Evaluation · 2024 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Human-Animal Interaction Studies

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294 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 2,192 Human-Animal Interaction Studies papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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