The Social Neuroscience of Human–Animal Interaction

In this wide-ranging and fascinating volume, an international and cross-disciplinary group of authors seek to understand human–animal interaction (HAI) by applying research in the neurobiology and genetics that underlie human social functioning. Chapters examine HAI from evolutionary and developmental perspectives, and weigh the implications of HAI research for animal welfare. Clinical applications include animal-assisted therapies for people with disabilities, acute or chronic health conditions, and social or emotional difficulties.

Useful for researchers in social neuroscience and HAI as well as clinicians, teachers and animal-rights activists, and anyone interested in how and why animals affect us the way they do.

Lisa S. Freund, PhD, is the chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), U.S. National Institutes of Health. She is a developmental neuropsychologist who is known for her neuroimaging studies with children from different clinical populations and was an NICHD-supported scientist for several years.

In the past, she had a private clinical practice that included equine animal-assisted therapy. She is currently responsible for a multifaceted research and training program at the NICHD to promote investigations, both basic and applied, to gain a deeper understanding of the developing brain and associated behaviors.

She has been involved with the Mars–NICHD public-private partnership since it was established, including participation in the development of the partnership's sponsored workshops and the edited volume on human–animal interaction (HAI), Animals in Our Lives (McCardle, McCune, Griffin, Esposito, & Freund, 2011).

Dr. Freunch continues to serve in a leadership role for the HAI research-funding program at the NICHD.

Sandra McCune, PhD, is scientific leader for HAI at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition (part of Mars, Inc.) in the United Kingdom. Her background is in ethology, and she has studied a range of topics in cat and dog behavior and welfare for many years, including aspects of temperament, social behavior, feeding behavior, cognition, and age-related changes in behavior. Her doctoral study focused on the assessment of individual variation in the temperament of cats and its impact on their welfare when confined. She has extensive experience studying HAI from both animal and human perspectives in a variety of contexts.

Dr. McCune was instrumental in the establishment of the Mars–NICHD public-private partnership on child development and HAI, in planning the workshops sponsored by that partnership, and in editing two previous volumes on HAI under the partnership: How Animals Affect Us: Examining the Influence of Human–Animal Interaction on Child Development and Human Health (McCardle, McCune, Griffin, & Maholmes, 2011) and Animals in Our Lives: Human–Animal Interaction in Family, Community, and Therapeutic Settings (McCardle, McCune, Griffin, Esposito, & Freund, 2011). She continues to play a leadership role in the partnership.

Layla Esposito, PhD, is a program official within the Child Development and Behavior Branch, NICHD, and oversees the portfolio of research on social and emotional development in children, child and family processes, and human–animal interaction. She is a child psychologist by training and has been involved in a wide variety of research projects related to child and adolescent development.

Dr. Esposito, involved with the Mars–NICHD public-private partnership since its inception, has developed the research program on HAI that she now oversees and has contributed to the development of HAI-related workshops and publications, including the edited volumes How Animals Affect Us: Examining the Influence of Human–Animal Interaction on Child Development and Human Health and Animals in Our Lives: Human–Animal Interaction in Family, Community, and Therapeutic Settings.

Nancy R. Gee, PhD, is research manager for the WALTHAM HAI research program. Based at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition (part of Mars, Inc.) in the United Kingdom, she manages a global portfolio of external university collaborations. This role involves participation in the Mars–NICHD public-private partnership, development of other partnerships, and shepherding a new focus of research and practice for HAI at WALTHAM.

Dr. Gee also holds the rank of professor of psychology at the State University of New York, Fredonia, where she has conducted research and published in the areas of cognition and HAI. A recipient of multiple grants and awards, she is a member of the editorial advisory boards for two journals, has served extensively as a reviewer of HAI research grant proposals, and has contributed chapters to this and other HAI volumes.

Peggy McCardle, PhD, MPH, is an affiliated research scientist at the Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut, and an independent consultant. She is involved in editing volumes related to literacy and learning, mentoring young scholars and researchers, and consulting and writing in a variety of areas including child language development and learning, bilingualism, education, and learning disabilities.

As former chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch, she was closely involved with the establishment of the Mars–NICHD public-private partnership on child development and HAI, the workshops held under that partnership, and the editing of the two previous volumes, How Animals Affect Us: Examining the Influence of Human–Animal Interaction on Child Development and Human Health and Animals in Our Lives: Human–Animal Interaction in Family, Community, and Therapeutic Settings.

Dr. McCardle continues to consult in HAI as it relates to human development, learning, and education.