About

Hi there!

My name’s Laura, and I’m a psychologist and PhD candidate in Ethology at the Department of Ethology, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary. My current research explores the transformation of the relationships between humans and companion animals in modern society - an era marked by increasing loneliness, social alienation and changing family structures. For instance, I study how dog care is redefining the concepts of family and parenting in Western cultures. I’m also exploring the perceived costs and benefits of having a dog, and how they vary across Western and non-Western cultures.

Before starting this PhD program, I’ve studied psychology for 6 years, and worked in animal-assisted therapy for 2 years. During all these years, I’ve worked on various topics such as social representations, political attitudes, child social norm development, and the influence of emotions on pro-social behaviours. I’ve also taken introductory courses in anthropology and sociology - which I’m also passionate about.

Academic CV

Education

  • 2022 – now: PhD in Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Science, Dept. of Ethology
  • 2016-2017: Professional title obtained at the end of two internships carried out during the year 2016-2017.
  • 2014-2016: MSc in Psychology, University of Nantes & University of Bordeaux, Faculty of Psychology. Speciality: Research in Psychology & Social Psychology
  • 2011-2014: BSc in Psychology, University of Rouen, Faculty of Psychology. Specialty: Social and occupational psychology.

Research experience

Social psychology

  • The effect of the connotation of a political slogan on political attitudes (University of Rouen, BSc thesis)
  • The effect of guilt on pro-environmental behaviour: an experimental study (University of Bordeaux, MSc thesis)
  • Social representations: (i) A systemic approach of social representations: the link between men, women and political figures; (ii) Social representations: an example of two applications in a professional environment (University of Nantes, MSc thesis & professional thesis).

Ethology

  • Pet keeping from an evolutionary perspective (MTA-ELTE Lendület “Momentum” Companion Animal Research Group, 2022–present): Costs and benefits of dog keeping; Shifting roles of dogs in Western societies & cross-cultural attitudes towards dogs
  • Feeding behaviour in domestic cats (AVA animal shelter & University of Strasbourg, 2018, volunteer work)
  • Cognitive ageing in dogs (Senior Family Dog Project, 2017-2018, volunteer work)