Abstract

Many people do not believe that animals should be mistreated for human consumption, yet they continue to eat meat. This concept does not align with individuals’ attitudes towards animals. Cognitive dissonance, Festinger (1957) explains, is the tension caused when an individuals’ values do not align with their actions. When people are confronted with this dissonance they use denial or justification strategies to cope with mental unrest. Previous results indicate that animal suffering decreases after people are exposed to meat origin. Individuals also acknowledge the minds of animals and demonstrate more concern for animals’ rights once informed about meat origin. This current study aims to assess if reminders of meat origin impacts individuals’ dietary preferences and responses to questionnaires about animal rights. Participants included students at The College of Wooster. Participants were given a survey that randomly provided them with one of three experimental conditions related to pig intelligence, pig personality, or a control. The survey included questions from the animal rights scale, animal mind denial questions, and the meat-eating justification scale. Analysis revealed a significant effect of experimental conditions on influencing mind denial questions related to pigs. A correlation analysis also revealed that participants scoring high on the mind denial scale items (acknowledging mental capacities of animals) and their willingness to eat meat was significant. Overall, future research should aim for a higher number of participants and search for alternative methods for reminders of meat origin.

Advisor

Clayton, Susan

Department

Psychology

Disciplines

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Psychology

Keywords

cognitive dissonance, meat origin, attitudes towards animals, dietary preferences, mind denial

Publication Date

2024

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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