Objectives

To experimentally examine public perceptions of police canine units.

Methods

As part of the between-subjects paradigm, participants were randomly assigned to view and rate an image of a police officer either with a police dog (i.e., as a police canine unit) or alone on eight dimensions: aggression, approachability, fairness, friendliness, intimidation, professionalism, respectfulness, and trustworthiness.

Results

The analyses reveal that the officer was perceived more negatively when presented with a police dog than when presented alone.

Conclusions

Police dogs play a multifaceted role in policing, including in crime control and public relations. In addition to their many functions, police canine units can also elicit many perceptual effects.

中文翻译：

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围绕警犬单位的感知悖论的实验检查

目标

实验性地检查公众对警犬单位的看法。

方法

作为主体间范式的一部分，参与者被随机分配查看和评价警官的形象，无论是带着警犬（即作为警犬单位）还是单独在八个维度：攻击性、平易近性、公平性、友好性，恐吓，专业，尊重和可信赖。

结果

分析表明，与警犬一起出现时，警官比单独出现时更消极。

结论

警犬在警务方面发挥着多方面的作用，包括在犯罪控制和公共关系方面。除了它们的许多功能外，警犬单位还可以引发许多感知效果。