Description
The way we use animals for human consumption, medicines, and entertainment causes problems for 1) the environment (e.g., climate change, pollution; e.g., Reisch et al., 2013; Springmann et al., 2016), 2) our personal and global health (e.g., zoonoses; e.g., Santo et al., 2020; Stel et al., 2022), and 3) animal welfare (e.g., Bègue, 2020; Sollund, 2011). In fact, a reduction of animals held for human aims is acknowledged as crucial for reaching climate targets, dealing with health issues, and reducing animal suffering (for an overview see Kwansy et al., 2022). Therefore it is important to focus on changing the way we regard animals to instigate a sustainable behavior change.
How we regard and treat animals is related to ‘speciesism’, which is morally considering and/or treating members of species as less important than members of other species (e.g., Horta, 2010). Speciesism is, among others, demonstrated in the widely spread belief that humans are more valuable than members of other species (e.g., Caviola et al., 2018; Wilks et al., 2020). As a result, animals are being exploited and abused for human aims, leading to environmental, health, and animal welfare concerns (e.g., Bègue, 2020; Sollund, 2011).
This research investigates whether an intervention to reduce (the consequences of) speciesism successfully changes people’s attitudes and behaviours. Witin this intervention you can choose to focus on creating awareness for climate change, zoonoses, and/or animal welfare. For instance, you can do so by focusing on taking away misconceptions about animals (e.g., about emotions, cognitions), by focusing on taking perspective of the animals, or by focusing on social norms regaring behaviors towards animals (e.g., consuming animal products).
Type of research
Experiment
You will test whether an intervention to reduce (the consequences of) speciesism successfully changes people’s attitudes and behaviours, as compared with a control condition.
INFORMATION
Please contact Lynn Weiher (l.weiher@utwente.nl) when you are interested in this assignment. This assignment is open to two students.
Literature
Caviola, L., Everett, J. A. C., & Faber, N. S. (2018). The Moral Standing of Animals: Towards a Psychology of Speciesism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000182
Rothgerber, H., & Rosenfeld, D. L (2021). Meat‐related cognitive dissonance: The social psychology of eating animals. Social and Personality Psychology Compass 15, DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12592