Date of Award
Spring 5-23-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
Department
Psychology
Language
English
First Advisor
Yana Kuchirko
Abstract
This study examined emotional language in pet owners? narratives about dogs and cats using sentiment analysis and natural language processing techniques. Pet-related narrative segments were extracted from semi-structured interviews with parents living in multispecies families. Overall emotional valence and discrete emotion categories were analyzed to examine differences across species while accounting for repeated responses from participants. Results showed no statistically significant differences in overall emotional valence between dog and cat narratives, although dog-related narratives were slightly more positive on average. Across both species, trust and joy were the most frequently expressed emotions. Findings suggest that emotional language surrounding companion animals may reflect broader relational and family dynamics rather than species alone. This study contributes to research on human-animal relationships by demonstrating how computational text analysis can be applied to naturally occurring narratives about pets.
Recommended Citation
Wang, Xinru, ""I Love You Just as Much": Emotional Valence and Composition in Owners' Narratives About Dogs and Cats" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bc_etds/29
