Psychology of Speciesism 2019

Introduction to Speciesism

• Speciesism: The assignment of different moral worth based on species membership.

• Investigated as a psychological construct through a series of five studies.

• High prevalence of speciesism and its connection with other forms of prejudice (racism, sexism, etc).

• Development of a Speciesism Scale to measure attitudes across varied populations.

Study Overview

Study 1: Development of the Speciesism Scale

• Aiming to create a reliable measure of speciesist attitudes.

• 27 items were initially developed through a combination of adapted and new items.

• Conducted validation with expert feedback leading to a final 27-item pool.

• Concluded with a comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) demonstrating reliability.

Study 2: Test-Retest Reliability

• Evaluated stability of the Speciesism Scale over a four-week period.

• A solid correlation of r = .88 confirmed that speciesist attitudes are stable.

• High internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of .89.

Study 3: Connection to Other Forms of Prejudice

• Tested the correlation between speciesism, racism, sexism, and homophobia.

• Findings indicated significant positive correlations, e.g., speciesism correlated with:

  • Racism (r = .32),

  • Sexism (r = .41),

  • Homophobia (r = .17).

• Investigated socio-ideological drivers of speciesism such as Social Dominance Orientation (SDO).

Study 4: Behavioral Predictions

• Examined whether speciesism predicts actual behavior, particularly in charitable donations.

• High speciesism led to higher allocations to 'superior' species (e.g., humans) over 'inferior' ones (e.g., pigs).

• Correlated with existing social psychological constructs (e.g., empathic concern).

Study 5: Time Investment and Food Choices

• Objective: Measure real-life behaviors through choices in charity support and food.

• Results showed that lower speciesism significantly increased the likelihood of supporting animal charities and choosing vegetarian options.

Key Findings and Conclusions

• Participants who endorse speciesism are likely to:

  • Allocate more resources to charity supporting humans over animals.

  • Exhibit lower empathic concern toward animals.

• Supports the argument that speciesism operates similarly to human-based prejudices, reinforcing ideologies of superiority.

• Suggests that speciesism impacts moral decision-making both within the realm of charitable actions and personal dietary choices.

• Concludes that speciesism is both a measurable psychological construct and a significant predictor of behavior in interspecies contexts.

Future Research Directions

• Further understanding of the cognitive mechanisms behind speciesist attitudes.

• Considerations on how moral disengagement might contribute to speciesism.

• Investigation into the intersection of speciesism and cultural norms regarding animal treatment.

• Exploring the relationship between speciesism and public policies regarding animal rights in various societies.