La percezione dell'alterità animale nel rapporto con gli animali domestici.

Title: Animal Otherness Perception in Human-Domestic Animals Relationship The aim of this study is to assess the parameters of human-animal reference, which are the fundamentals of animal otherness perception, in a statistical sample formed by people who for various reasons are concerned with animals: teachers and students of the Faculties of Veterinary Medicine, public and private Veterinarians, equestrian operators, dog owners. Respondents completed online surveys containing questions related to the main relational themes: cognition, emotions and animal welfare; as a whole, statistical population involved in the survey exceeded 10.000 units. The results show an insufficient awareness of the cognitive nature of the animal mind and a tendency to anthropomorphize the emotional and affective sphere; however in professional and educational contexts interest in understanding animal behaviour has been showed. Analysis of statistically significant differences between the groups of response shows the influence of factors like gender and domestic animal species of reference in the patterns of animal representation of respondents.