Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Cat people and dog people (2nd nomination)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. The trend following improvement is clear. Note that the previous discussion was a keep too. (non-admin closure) Andrew🐉(talk) 20:49, 12 February 2020 (UTC)

Cat people and dog people
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Does this meet notibility criteria? This is filler content on the news media being used as sources (x4); one source is a blog. Rui &#39;&#39;Gabriel&#39;&#39; Correia (talk) 20:00, 4 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of People-related deletion discussions. Rui &#39;&#39;Gabriel&#39;&#39; Correia (talk) 20:00, 4 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Animal-related deletion discussions. Shellwood (talk) 20:02, 4 February 2020 (UTC)


 * Delete. Fails GNG - there is only one study cited, the rest are un-WP:RELIABLE media articles.  William Harris Canis lupis track.svg talk Canis lupis track.svg 11:16, 6 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Delete per William Harris. Cavalryman (talk) 11:18, 6 February 2020 (UTC).
 * Delete doggy discrimination. -Roxy, the PROD. . wooF 12:16, 6 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep. This is apparently a funny and possibly non-scientific, but a notable subject/concept, as one can see from looking at RS (I am giving just one ref, please check, there are many more). My very best wishes (talk) 16:46, 7 February 2020 (UTC)
 * That article has absolutely nothing to do with dogs, its about people and proposed theories about their preferences. Plus, it is a presentation and has not been peer-reviewed.  William Harris Canis lupis track.svg talk Canis lupis track.svg 20:45, 7 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Of course it has nothing to do with dogs and cats, and this page is not about dogs and cats. It is about people. I am just giving a random example how this subject appears in books. My very best wishes (talk) 05:46, 8 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Please also see comments in previous AfD discussion. Nothing has changed since then. My very best wishes (talk) 16:30, 8 February 2020 (UTC)
 * So you would have no objections if I were to remove WikiProject Dogs from its Talk page?  William Harris Canis lupis track.svg talk Canis lupis track.svg 06:06, 9 February 2020 (UTC)


 * Pinging Articles for deletion/Cat people and dog people participants:, , , , , , and . Cunard (talk) 05:14, 9 February 2020 (UTC)

Keep per the significant coverage in multiple independent reliable sources.     </li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> <li></li> </ol>

<ol> <li> The article notes: "Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited." This means this is free content. The article notes: "Negative characterizations for those with an affinity for cats are not a recent phenomenon. One New York Times editorial from 1872, headlined ‘Cats and Craziness’, lays out a portrait of an infatuated cat-lover, differentiated from the more rationally behaved dog-lover. While these ideas persist, studies to support the idea of personality differences between cat- and dog-owners have been sparse. One online study of more than 4000 adults recruited from a range of countries, reported on the Big Five Personality traits of adults self-identifying as ‘cat people’ or ‘dog people’ (but not necessarily owning a cat or dog). ‘Cat people’ scored higher on measures of Neuroticism and Openness than ‘dog people’, but lower on Extraversion, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness [3]. Beyond the Big Five, another online study of 1000 primarily US adults found that ‘dog people’ were more socially dominant and competitive than ‘cat people’ (but there was no difference between the pet-owners on narcissism [4]). Effect sizes were small, but again, apparent even when asking about cat or dog affinity, rather than ownership. Since social dominance is associated with political conservatism [5], it is plausible that self-categorized ‘dog people’ are more likely to identify as conservative. A report from the American Veterinary Medical Association [6] suggested that this is indeed the case. They surveyed pet-owners from the 10 US states with households with the highest and lowest rates of dog and cat ownership. Nine of the top 10 dog-owning states voted Republican in the 2012 Presidential Election, and 9 of the bottom 10 dog-owning states voted Democrat. This was not the case for cat-owners: the top and bottom 10 cat-owning states were both split equally for Republican and Democrat candidates. Two studies using social media data to analyse the behaviour of ‘cat people’ and ‘dog people’ also suggest some differences between the two types of pet-owners. Facebook published an analysis of data from 160 000 US users who posted images of either cats or dogs on their site. Those users who posted cat photos (i.e. the ‘cat people’) were more likely to be single than dog people, based on their Facebook relationship status. They also had 26 fewer Facebook friends than dog people, although they did receive more invitations to events. A second study examined the Facebook updates of adults who posted statuses about animal ownership (‘my cat’ or ‘my dog’) and who had previously filled in the International Personality Item Pool proxy for the NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO-PI-R). Facebook users mentioning ‘my cat’ or ‘my dog’ were slightly lower in conscientiousness than the general population. Users mentioning their cats (specifically using the term ‘my cat’) were more neurotic, open to experience, and introverted compared to users who did not. Users mentioning their dogs, however, did not emerge as having any other specific personality traits [7]."</li> <li> The abstract notes: "Alleged personality differences between individuals who self-identify as “dog people” and “cat people” have long been the topic of wide-spread speculation and sporadic research. Yet existing studies offer a rather conflicting picture of what personality differences, if any, exist between the two types of person. Here we build on previous research to examine differences in the Big Five personality dimensions between dog people and cat people. Using a publicly accessible website, 4,565 participants completed the Big Five Inventory and self-identified as a dog person, cat person, both, or neither. Results suggest that dog people are higher on Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness, but lower on Neuroticism and Openness than are cat people. These differences remain significant even when controlling for sex differences in pet-ownership rates. Discussion focuses on the possible sources of personality differences between dog people and cat people and identifies key questions for future research."</li> <li> The abstract notes: "Many people identify themselves as being either a “cat person” or a “dog person” based on their preference for these domestic animals. The purpose of this study was to test the common belief that there are personality differences between these types. Previous research has found differences between cat people and dog people on all Big Five personality traits, but studies comparing them on other personality characteristics have yielded mixed findings. Conjecturing that people prefer pets that complement their own personalities, we predicted that dog people should score higher than cat people on traits relating to dominance (i.e., social dominance orientation [SDO], interpersonal dominance, competitiveness, and narcissism). Two samples (ns = 506 and 503) were recruited online and completed these measures, as well as a question regarding their pet preferences. Findings for SDO and competitiveness were consistent with predictions in both studies, but no differences were found on interpersonal dominance or narcissism. The association of being a dog person with SDO and competitiveness persisted when gender differences in pet preference and personality were statistically controlled. We concluded that individuals who are high on these traits tend to prefer submissive pets such as dogs, whose temperament complements their preference for dominance."</li> <li> The article notes: "Despite a dearth of scientific theory or evidence to support their beliefs, pet owners—on an intuitive level—frequently categorize themselves as either “cat people” or “dog people.” Those personality characteristics that distinguish these two categories of companion animal attachment, however, remain vague and ill-defined. ... Hypothesis 1. Dogs will be perceived by their owners as less hostile/more friendly and more submissive/less dominant across octant scores than cats, whereas people who identify dogs as their ideal pet (dog people) will self-report as less hostile/more friendly and less submissive/more dominant across octant scores than people who identify cats as their ideal pet (cat people). Hypothesis 2. There will be greater reported interpersonal complementarity between self-identified “dog people” and their dogs (versus cats) and greater reported interpersonal complementarity between self-identified “cat people” and their cats (versus dogs)." The article notes: "Dog and cat people differed in their interpersonal characteristics in a complementary fashion to their interpersonal perceptions of dogs and cats as companion animals. Findings revealed that those who reported that dogs were their ideal pet were significantly less hostile (F (1, 219) = 3.58, p < .04; Ms = –.62 and –.51, SDs = .35 and .43, respectively) and tended to be less submissive (F (1, 219) = 4.35, p < .06; Ms = –.20 and –.13, SDs = .32 and .33, respectively) than those who reported that cats were their ideal pet (although the latter relationship did not reach traditional significance). A t-test (using Bonferroni correction) on mean scores for the octant reflecting hostility revealed that this difference achieved significance for dog people and cat people (t (219) = 2.07, p < .04)."</li> <li> The abstract notes: "The possibilities for matching pets to owners' personality-types for physical and psycho-social benefits were explored. It was hypothesized that self-identified dog- and cat-lovers would show significant differences on the autonomy, dominance, nurturance, and aggression scales of the Edwards Personal Preference Test. 223 adults completed an experimenter-designed questionnaire and all of the specific Edwards Schedule A questions. An analysis of variance was applied to the scale scores transformed into standardized T scores for each of the Edwards scales. The Scheffé test showed that male cat-lovers were higher and all pet-lovers were lower in autonomy, that male pet- and dog-lovers were higher and female cat-lovers were lower in dominance, that female pet-lovers were higher and all cat-lovers were lower in nurturance, and that male dog-lovers were higher and female dog- and cat-lovers were lower in aggression. The demonstrated differences in owner personality should facilitate matching pets and people to maximize the physical and psycho-social therapeutic benefits of pet ownership."</li> <li> The abstract notes: "Explored personality differences between self-labelled dog persons and cat persons as a function of pet ownership. 126 participants (aged 18–52 yrs) identified themselves as either a dog person, cat person, both, or neither, and rated their own masculinity, femininity, independence, dominance, and athleticism. Participants also read a description of a person who was labelled as either a dog or cat person, and rated this person on these same personality characteristics. Results show that females were more likely to label themselves as cat persons than were males. Quality of past experience with dogs and cats was related to current ownership of dogs and cats. There were no personality differences between dog/cat owners vs nonowners. However, there were personality differences between self-labelled dog vs cat persons. Others attributed different personality characteristics to dog vs cat persons, often as a function of gender. The real vs perceived differences in personality were not the same."</li> <li> The article notes: "Few studies have examined how personality traits may be related to the amounts and types of attachments humans have toward companion animals (pets). In this study, 1,098 companion animal guardians (owners) completed a survey that included the Big Five Inventory, the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, and the Pet Attachment Questionnaire. Each participant chose whether he or she identified as a Cat Person, Dog Person, Both, or Neither. Results indicated that neuroticism, conscientiousness, choosing a dog as a favorite pet, and identifying as a Cat Person, Dog Person, or Both predicted affection for a pet. Conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness decreased avoidant attachment to pets, and neuroticism increased anxious attachment to pets. Both dogs and cats could benefit from pet owners who are conscientious, and there may be some benefits of neuroticismin pet owners. The findings ofthis study will advance understanding of the human–animal bond. As this understanding increases, measurements of human attachment and personality may be useful for the development of tools that could assist shelter employees and veterinarians in counseling people about pet ownership." The article notes: "The current study was designed to better understand attachment to/feelings for one’s pet and individual differences in identification with, attachment to, and feelings toward different types of pets. Specifically, the research goals of the current study involved investigating the following: (1) whether individuals who self-identify as a “cat person,” “dog person,” “both cat and dog person,” or “neither cat nor dog person” differ in (a) personality traits and (b) attachments to and other affective feelings toward their pets; (2) how personality is related to attachment to or feelings toward one’s pet; and (3) which variables best predict (a) affective feelings toward one’s pet as measured by the LAPS, (b) avoidant attachment to one’s pet as measured by the PAQ Avoidance Scale, and (c) anxious attachment to one’s pet as measured by the PAQ Anxiety Scale."</li> <li> The article notes: "Comparing “Dog People” and “Cat People” Next, we repeated the above analyses, but compared self-declared “dog people” and “cat people,” rather than those who reported owning a cat or dog. When asked whether they were a “cat person” or a “dog person,” 51 people (30%) chose “cat person,” 57 people (34%) chose “dog person,” 58 people (34%) chose “both,” and 3 people (2%) chose “neither.” We excluded those participants who answered “both” or “neither” for the following analyses. The findings were similar to those above, but fewer reached the significance threshold. There were no significant differences between cat and dog people in satisfaction with life or positive emotions, but dog people were marginally higher in happiness, and cat people were significantly higher in negative emotions (see Table 2, right side). Similarly, fewer differences were found in personality traits when comparing cat and dog people than when comparing cat and dog owners. ... ... Dog people humanized their pets more than cat people, and humanizing one’s pet predicted higher levels of positive emotion."</li> <li> The article notes: "This article is published by the European Federation of Psychology Students’ Associations under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license." This means this is free content. The article notes: "Because dogs and cats comprise the vast majority of animals kept as pets, instruments for assessing attachment primarily reflect the types of interactions possible with these two species. A study of pet attachment in the general population reported no differences between dog owners and cat owners, although dog owners and cat owners as individual groups scored significantly higher than owners of other pets (Vizek Vidoviæ, Vlahoviæ Stetiæ, & Bratko, 1999). Other previous studies (Zasloff, 1996; Winefield, Black, & Chur-Hansen, 2008) showed that dog owners are more attached to their pets than cat owners. Those results could be a consequence of the fact that in pet attachment instruments, some items only described activities typical of dogs. When items more descriptive of dog behavior were eliminated, dog owners and cat owners showed similar scores on the Comfort from Companion Animals Scale (CCAS; Zasloff, 1996). Winefield et al. (2008) reached similar conclusions – on a scale measuring the emotional aspect of the owner-pet relationship there were no significant differences between cat owners and dog owners. Notably, the alternative explanation of emerging differences on pet attachment scales between cat owners and dog owners, which claims that cat owners and dog owners have different personalities or expectations of their pet is contradicted in Serpell's research (1996), where participants showed no differences in describing the ideal pet despite whether if they described a dog or a cat. Conversely, Serpell (1996) found differences in cat and dog behavior – he describes cats as more unpredictable and distrustful. Other authors like Valentinèiè (2003) note that dogs demand more individual care than other companion animals."</li> </ol>

There is sufficient coverage in reliable sources to allow cat people and dog people to pass Notability, which requires "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject". Cunard (talk) 11:18, 9 February 2020 (UTC)</li></ul> <div class="xfd_relist" style="border-top: 1px solid #AAA; border-bottom: 1px solid #AAA; padding: 0px 25px;"> Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, North America1000 08:35, 12 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep per WP:NEXIST, thanks to sources in the article and those provided by Cunard. I put the most relevant of Cunard's sources in the article's "Further reading" section to help people who want to expand the article. -- Toughpigs (talk) 14:42, 12 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep, but rename Cat people versus dog people. There's lots of coverage of the differences. Clarityfiend (talk) 20:29, 12 February 2020 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. <b style="color:red">Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.