Animals are important in human psychological and cultural life, and our relationships with other species are psychological and morally complicated. This special issue presents a series of original research articles concerning attitudes towards animals, the ethics of their treatment, the effects of companion animals on human health and psychological well-being, and the role that culture plays in our interactions with other species. The articles illustrate the scope of the new field of human-animal relationships, the variety of research approaches, and the implications of research findings for social policy.

Sarah Knight is Senior Social Psychologist for the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Portsmouth, UK), an agency of the Ministry of Defense. She was awarded full-time bursaries from the Economic Social Research Council for her PhD project and a one year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to study the inter-relationship between attitudes, beliefs and behavior. She has published research on attitudes toward animal use and the benefits of dog ownership in retired populations.

Harold Herzog is Professor of Psychology at Western Carolina University. His research includes studies of attitudes towards other species, the psychology of animal activism, and moral decision-making.