The Influence of Pet Owners' Empathy on Perceptions of Dog and Cat Distress Vocalizations and Caregiving Behaviors.

Although vocal communication between humans and domestic animals is common, there has been limited research on how humans perceive the emotional content of animal vocalizations. This study investigated the relationship between pet ownership and sensitivity to negative emotion in dog and cat distress vocalizations ( = 237; 57% pet owners). Empathy toward and empathy toward were explored as possible mediators.

Contextual modulation of biases in face recognition.

Background: The ability to recognize the faces of potential cooperators and cheaters is fundamental to social exchanges, given that cooperation for mutual benefit is expected. Studies addressing biases in face recognition have so far proved inconclusive, with reports of biases towards faces of cheaters, biases towards faces of cooperators, or no biases at all. This study attempts to uncover possible causes underlying such discrepancies.