Animals and Social Interaction

The field of animal social interaction has seen significant advancements in recent years, particularly in understanding how non-human animals actively participate in social interactions, both with other animals and with humans. Historically, ethnomethodologically oriented conversation analysis primarily considered non-human animals as resources in human-to-human conversations. However, recent studies have demonstrated that non-human animals organize social interactions with humans through non-verbal means, such as vocalizations, gaze, and physical contact. This shift in perspective allows researchers to explore the intricate ways in which different species orient to each other and engage in interspecies interactions. Despite these advancements, there remains a gap in our understanding of the social dynamics of more-than-human interactions, especially with non-domesticated species. While domesticated animals like dogs, cats, and horses are known to be competent social actors, interactions with urban and garden birds, for example, are less studied. Addressing these gaps can enhance our comprehension of social interaction in multispecies environments and the universal practices, such as turn-taking, that may extend beyond human communication.

This Research Topic aims to investigate the relations between human and non-human animals in social interaction. The primary objectives include exploring how non-human animals use vocalizations and other non-verbal cues in their interactions with humans, understanding the organization of interspecies activities, and examining the role of gaze, distance, and touch in these encounters. Specific questions to be addressed include: How do non-human animals and humans co-construct understanding during interactions? What are the mechanisms of turn-taking in interspecies communication? By answering these questions, the research aims to provide a deeper insight into the complexities of human-animal social interactions.

To gather further insights into the boundaries and limitations of interspecies social interaction, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Non-human animals using their vocalizations when interacting with humans and humans answering to them, perhaps imitating animals.
- Organizing interspecies activities: playing, walking, hunting, eating, working, resting.
- The importance of gaze contact, distance, and touching in human-animal encounters: according to recent studies, shared gaze and touching are likely to increase positive feelings also in interspecies dyads.
- Sequentiality and turn-taking in interspecies interactions.
- The role of domesticated versus non-domesticated species in social interactions with humans.
- The impact of context and environment on the nature of human-animal interactions.
- Methodological approaches to studying interspecies communication, including conversation analysis and ethological studies.