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Reducing Speciesism by Changing People’s Need to Dominate Through Intergroup Contact

Flamman, N.A. (2025) Reducing Speciesism by Changing People’s Need to Dominate Through Intergroup Contact.

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Abstract:Humans treat some animals as our friends and companions, whilst others as mere tools for human needs. This is known as speciesism, the differential treatment of animals solely based on their membership in a certain species. As speciesism causes a myriad of welfare problems, a change is needed in the way we regard animals. This study investigated whether imagining intergroup contact (IIC) could reduce speciesism through the mediator social dominance orientation (SDO), the desire to achieve and maintain group-based dominance. Additionally, the potential mediating role of empathy in the relationship between IIC and SDO was explored. This study had an experimental between-participants design. The participants were divided into a contact condition who imagined contact with a cow and a control condition who had a neutral task of imagining a frequently visited building. Participants’ SDO was measured pre- and post-contact, and speciesist attitudes, behavioural intentions, and empathy were measured post-contact. The study showed that there was no effect of IIC on speciesism, therefore, SDO could not mediate the relationship. Participants in the contact condition had a higher SDO score after contact than before. Empathy did not mediate the relationship between IIC and SDO. Possible reasons for the contradictory results are discussed.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:02 science and culture in general, 10 humanities in general, 70 social sciences in general, 71 sociology, 77 psychology, 89 political science
Programme:Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107038
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