Research Programs

The research done at Purdue is diverse and driven by the varied interests of our faculty members and students. A few topics that we are or have been working on are:

• The psychosocial effects of service dogs for service dog recipients and their families with
  • K9s for Warriors
  • Canine Assistants
• The evaluation of the effects of Animal-Assisted Intervention, for example:
  • Provision of fish tanks in Alzheimer units
  • Animal-assisted activities with guinea pigs in inclusion classrooms
  • Systematic Literature Reviews
  • Bird watching for families
  • Prevalence of pets in classrooms

• The effect of robotic animals, particularly the robotic dog Aibo
• The development of a behavior coding tool for the rigorous evaluation of animal-assisted intervention
  • OHAIRE coding system
  • Collaborators: UC Denver, UC Irvine
  • Populations: Typically Developing Children, Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Children with Attention Deficet Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Goal: standardized tool for wide use in the field
• The evaluation of the efficiency of Breed-Specific Legislation in the United States
• The effects of rat tickling for rat welfare and the human-animal bond
• Canine Behavior Research at the Purdue Animal Behavior Clinic

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

• Earn course credit with the O'Haire lab (see below)
• Summer Research Opportunity Program
• Multicultural - Historically Black Institution Visitation

Organization for Human-Animal Interaction Research - OHAIRE

OHAIRE is a research group led by Dr. Maggie O'Haire at Purdue University. It includes national and international collaborators, students, and community members working together to conduct rigorous, scientific research on the unique and pervasive effects of interacting with animals. We study many areas of Human-Animal Interaction, including companion animals, service animals, and animal-assisted intervention. Please explore the website to learn more about our work, our people, and our sponsors. Please see the OHAIRE website for more information and opportunities for post-doctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and visiting scholar programs. Make a Donation to OHAIRE Lab.