Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorCostello, Kimberly.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2009-11-04T14:55:27Z
dc.date.available2009-11-04T14:55:27Z
dc.date.issued2008-11-04T14:55:27Z
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10464/2830
dc.description.abstractResearch implies that there ~ay be an association between attitudes toward margil1alized human outgroups and non-human animals. Very few studies, however, have specifically tested this relation empirically. The general purpose of the present research was to determine if such a relation exists and if perceptions of human-animal similarity avail as a common predictor of both types of attitudes. Ideological orientations associated with prejudiced attitudes (Social Dominance Orientation, Right-Wing Authoritarianism, and Universal Orientation) were also examined as individual differences in predicting perceptions of human-animal similarity. As predicted, people who endorsed prejudiced attitudes toward human outgroups (Study 1) and immigrants in particular (Studies 2 and 3), were more likely to endorse prejudiced attitudes toward non-human animals. In Study 2, perceptions that humans are superior (versus similar) to other animals directly predicted higher levels of prejudice toward non-human animals, whereas the effect of human superiority beliefs on immigrant prejudice was mediated by dehumanization. In other words, greater perceptions of humans as superior (versus similar) to other animals "allowed for" greater dehumanization of immigrants, which in turn resulted in heightened immigrant prejudice. Furthermore, people higher in Social Dominance Orientation or Right-Wing Authoritarianism were particularly likely to perceive humans as superior (versus similar) to other animals, whereas people characterized by a greater Universal Orientation were more likely to perceive humans and non-human animals as similar. Study 3 examined whether inducing perceptions of human-animal similarity through experimental manipulation would lead to more favourable attitudes toward non-human animals and immigrants. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of four 11 editorials designed to highlight either the similarities or differences between humans and other animals (i.e., animals are similar to humans; humans are similar to animals;~~nimals are inferior to humans; humans are superior to animals) or to a neutral control condition. Encouragingly, when animals were described as similar to humans, prejudice towards non-human animals and immigrants was significantly lower, and to some extent this finding was also true for people naturally high in prejudice (i.e., high in Social Dominance Orientation or Right-Wing Authoritarianism). Inducing perceptions that nonhuman animals are similar to humans was particularly effective at reducing the tendency to dehumanize immigrants ("re-humanization"), lowering feelings of personal threat regarding one's animal-nature, and at increasing inclusive intergroup representations and empathy, all of which uniquely accounted for the significant decreases in prejudiced attitudes. Implications for research, theory and prejudice interventions are considered.en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherBrock Universityen_US
dc.subjectPrejudices.en_US
dc.subjectHuman-animal relationships--Psychological aspects.en_US
dc.title"Re-huminization": the role of human-animal similarity in predicting prejudice towards immigrants and non-human animalsen_US
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertationen
dc.degree.nameM.A. Psychologyen_US
dc.degree.levelMastersen_US
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Psychologyen_US
refterms.dateFOA2021-08-08T01:33:59Z


Files in this item

Thumbnail
Name:
Brock_Costello_Kimberly_2008.pdf
Size:
3.671Mb
Format:
PDF

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record