Aim
To investigate what people think about how well their pets learn.
Research method
The study will be conducted as a structured interview with fixed list of closed questions, always given in the same order to all.
Interview Techniques
The interview will be a face-to-face session consisting of 10 closed questions. Participants will be asked questions and rate their answers on a scale of 1-5 (1-strongly disagree, 5-strongly agree).
Sample Questions
To what extent do you agree that your pet fully understands your command (Rate 1-5)
To what extent do you agree that your pet learns a new command quickly (Rate 1-5)
Your pet always responds when being called by their name (Rate 1-5)
Controls and Standardisations
The same interviewer will be wearing the same formal clothes for all participants. The tone of interviewer is always firm but not strict.
Procedures
Participants arrive at the National Research Centre and will be brought to a room individually. They will sit face to face with the interviewer. After a brief introduction by the interviewer, the interview will start with the fixed 10 questions. Their response will be recorded by the interviewer. After all 10 questions answered they are free to leave the room.
Type of pet owned will also be asked for demographic information collection.
Data Analysis
Quantitative data is collected. The higher the total score out of 50, the better people think their pet(s) learn. Total score for each participant will be tallied and their data will be plotted into a bar chart for comparison. (X-axis: type of pets, Y-axis: total score)