Affection for People as a Function of Affection for Dogs

Ratings of affection for dogs were used to select 3 groups of 16 Ss each, a Low Affection group, a Moderate Affection group, and a High Affection group. Ss took the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B) test, and a 2 (Sex) × 3 (Level of Affection) analysis of variance was carried out on the scores for each of the 6 FIRO-B scales. On the Expressed Affection scale the Low Affection group scored significantly lower than the Moderate Affection group. The men of the Low Affection group also obtained the lowest scores on the Wanted Affection scale. It was concluded that low expressed affection for dogs accompanies low affection for people and, in the case of men, low desire for such affection. Some support for this conclusion was also found for people reporting low affection for cats.