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Special Episode: Psychology for Human Animal Intergroup relations. PHAIR 2025 Register! Transcript

Guests: Dr Matti Wilks is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She completed her PhD at the University of Queensland, Australia, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton and Yale Universities. She is generally interested in morality and related things. Her research mostly focuses on the moral circle and moral development, with a particular focus on moral concern for distant others (distant people, non-human animals, AI) and the motivations of unusually altruistic individuals. She also examines perceptions of AI, attitudes towards cultured meat, and the natural-is-better bias.

Dr Luke McGuire is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Exeter. His research focuses on social and moral development, with a particular focus on development in middle childhood and adolescence across a range of contexts where moral concerns conflict with social norms. Most recently, his research has come to focus on children’s and adolescents’ moral judgments about the treatment of non-human animals. This work has been published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Child Development, and Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Book Recommendations

Matti's Rec: The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer and Jim Mason

Luke's Rec: Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guinn

Other Conference Coverage (first episodes):

34: Aggression in Dogs Conference Mini-Series: with Michael Shikashio, CDBC Part 1

58: Emerging Voices For Animals in Tourism Conference Miniseries (Part 1): Animal Experience International with Nora Livingstone

94. Rapid Environmental Change with Dr. Rachel Blakey and Dr. Kasey Fowler-Finn (S10)

Want to Sponsor a series or need a conference covered? Marika@anthrozoo.com

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Episode 6 of the series: Sex and Animals Transcript

Dr. Jonathan Balcombe elaborates on the nuanced distinctions between consciousness and sentience, emphasizing that emotions and feelings play crucial roles in animals' daily lives, much like in humans.

Guest: Dr. Jonathan Balcombe is a biologist and ethologist whose work has reshaped how we think about animal consciousness and behavior. Born in England and raised in New Zealand and Canada, he spent decades in the U.S. before settling in southern Ontario, where he balances his scientific pursuits with a love for biking, baking, birding, and observing the ever-mysterious squirrels in his neighborhood.

Jonathan has authored five popular science books, including What a Fish Knows, Pleasurable Kingdom, and Super Fly, bringing compelling research on animal intelligence and emotion to a wide audience. His contributions extend beyond writing—he has published over 60 scientific papers, led academic departments, and worked as an editor, shaping conversations on animal sentience and protection. Jonathan works as an independent author, and performs editing services for aspiring and established authors. More...

Book Recommendation: Watership Down by Richard Adams

Related Episodes: 116. Creative Courtship: Lessons from Animal Others with Author, Dr. Carol Gigliotti (S13)

112. A Very Banksy Roundtable with Claudia Hirtenfelder and Shannon Johnstone

115. The Genitalia Arms Race! with Dr. Patty Brennan

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Episode 5 of Series 13: Sex and Animals Transcript

The spaying and neutering of dogs has often been a controversial topic. Along with the world renowned, Dr. Stanley Coren, the episode explores how spaying and neutering might affect canine behavior, questioning common practices and suggesting alternative approaches.

Guest Bio: Stanley Coren, PhD, DSc, FRSC, is an influential voice in the study of canine behavior and human-canine interactions. He served as a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, where he directed the Human Neuropsychology and Perception Laboratory until his retirement in 2007.

Coren has published over 1,000 articles and 40 books, many of which have become bestsellers. His award-winning contributions to canine studies, such as How to Speak Dog, have been translated into more than 30 languages and recognized globally.

He continues to share insights on canine behavior through his blog, Canine Corner, on Psychology Today's website. Further information is available on Wikipedia.

Book Recommendations: Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine by Dr. Marc Bekoff and King Solomon's Ring by Konrad Lorenz

Related Episodes: 81: Expanding Understanding in Canine Behavior Evaluations with Suzanne Clothier (Part 1) S8

82: Expanding Understanding in Canine Behavior Evaluations with Suzanne Clothier (Part 2) S8

84: How To Build a Bond With a New Dog with Stacey Colino and Jen Golbeck (December Special!)

67: May Special!: Barking Up the Right Tree: Applied Etho

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What to start your own podcast in he Animal Advocacy or Animal Welfare Space? Check out my ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Mentoring Services⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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