Examining Policy-Capturing as a Framework for Dog Adoption Research: An Exploratory Study of Dog Adoption Decision Making

Lawrence Minnis

Advisor: Doris Bitler Davis, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: Reeshad Dalal, Tyler Shaw

Online Location, Online
April 20, 2026, 03:00 PM to 05:00 PM

Abstract:

 Research into dog adoption has historically focused on identifying the characteristics that influence adopter preferences, yet these efforts have largely failed to translate into a unifying theoretical model or predictive behavioral framework. As identified in major reviews of the field, this stagnation is the result of a reliance on descriptive data that lacks interdisciplinary integration and mechanistic depth. Consequently, stated preferences may yield weak predictive validity for actual adoption decisions, which are made within highly dynamic shelter environments.
This exploratory study introduces an interdisciplinary methodology designed to bridge the gap between preference and decision behavior. By leveraging principles from neuroeconomics, consumer behavior, and behavioral decision science, the research proposes a unifying theory for shelter dog adoption. To examine key elements of the theory, policy capturing, a high-rigor methodology, is used to systematically manipulate behavioral and physical cues within experimental vignettes.
Operating as a pilot investigation, this work examines the influence of key dog-related factors on the human decision-making process while addressing common methodological pitfalls of retrospective and cross-section study designs. The findings provide a proof-of-concept for the utility of policy-capturing in animal adoption research, offering a robust, evidence-based architecture for future inquiry into animal adoption decision making and the optimization of shelter adoption rates.