Assessing the efficacy of dogs in Animal Assisted Therapy and the mechanisms of action across a range of therapeutic settings.

动物辅助治疗(AAT)是利用动物为人类的治疗造福的过程。这种方法目前在英国广泛使用，目前在学校、医院和疗养院使用，人群范围也很广。然而，由于未能达到可接受的科学严谨性标准，使用这种方法在很大程度上缺乏科学支持。此外，现有的研究未能确定AAT可能产生益处的机制。生物性假说暗示了AAT是如何起作用的，该假说认为人类有必要与动物建立联系。相反，观察困难可能是因为新鲜感，或者是因为这种经历让人分心。因此，这一博士学位的目标是双重的。首先，通过适当的控制措施、合理的实验设计和足够的样本量，对AAT在一系列环境中的焦虑症的有效性进行科学的评估。第二个目标是测试AAT背后的机制。生物亲和性理论声称，活体动物特有的属性，如它们的互动性，是观察到的积极结果的原因，但这一假设尚未得到系统检验。这项拟议的研究将通过比较使用治疗犬、仿生机器人和其他健壮控制的结果来研究可能的行动机制。评估AAT在各种情况下降低焦虑的程度，并了解如何实现积极的结果，将为一系列机构提供明确的指导，使儿童、治疗师、专业人员和工作人员受益。

Animal Assisted Therapy ('AAT') is the process of using animals for thetherapeutic benefit of humans. The method is now widespread in the UK,being currently used in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes, and with arange of population groups.However, scientific support for its use is largely lacking, due to failures tomeet acceptable standards for scientific rigour. Also, existing studies fail toidentify the mechanisms by which AAT may produce benefits. Onesuggestion for how AAT 'works' is the Biophilia Hypothesis which proposesthat humans have a need to affiliate with animals. Conversely, observedefficacy could be due to novelty or because the experience is distracting.Thus, the aim of this PhD is twofold. Firstly, to provide sound scientificassessment of the efficacy of AAT on anxiety across a range of settings (usingappropriate control measures, sound experimental design, and sufficientsample sizes). The second aim is to test the mechanisms underlying AAT. Thetheory of Biophilia purports that properties specific to living animals, such astheir interactivity, are responsible for the positive outcomes observed, yetthis hypothesis has not been systematically tested. This proposed studywould investigate possible mechanisms of action by comparing outcomesusing therapy dogs, a biomimetic robot and other robust controls.Assessing the extent to which AAT reduces anxiety across a variety ofcontexts, and gaining insights in to how positive outcomes may be achieved,will provide clear guidance for a range of institutions, benefitting children,therapists, professionals and staff.