Definition
An animal’s distinguishing pattern of behaviors which remain consistent and stable across time and contexts.
Introduction
Most dog owners would undoubtedly say that their pet has personality, and even a non-dog owner might ask someone if their dog is “friendly” before petting it. However, pets are not the only animals in which human personality characteristics are used for describing their behavior. For example, a mother to her child may describe a squirrel as “bold” when it approaches them at a park. Or at an oceanarium, one might overhear observers saying how a dolphin seems “reserved” as it swims alone. Is it possible that nonhuman animals have individual personalities? Interest in animal personality by lay persons as well as researchers is evident with even a casual perusal of the “pet” section of a bookstore. Some animal rescue organizations even use personality assessments to aid...
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Highfill, L., DeVere, A. (2020). Animal Personality. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1201
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