Although it is virtually impossible to live in American society without relying on animals to some extent, psychologists have been slow to study the role animals play in human society. The present articles are intended to redress this lack of coverage and to stimulate future research in this area. Three general topics are examined: human‐animal relations, the debate over animal rights and animal research, and issues pertaining to companion animals. Despite the diversity of these topics, several recurring themes are apparent: the tension between animals as property and animals as individuals in their own right, the existence of a hierarchy of privilege among species (with primates and companion animals occupying the most privileged positions), and the fact that society is changing with respect to how it views animal