Kassenberg, Erik (2024) Your Hamburger With a Side of Oppression: Cognitive Dissonance and Social Justice Values. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
|
Text
Ba Thesis - Erik Kassenberg - Your Hamburger With a Side of Oppression, Cognitive Dissonance and Social Justice Values.pdf Download (758kB) | Preview |
Abstract
There are two important reasons to eat plant-based: the production of animal products negatively impacts the climate, and it harms animals. When it comes to how the second reason might motivate behavioral change, current psychological research exclusively focuses on animal welfare beliefs (i.e. beliefs about how animals are treated in the agricultural industry). However, some animal ethicists argue that we should avoid consuming animal products, because doing so constitutes a form of discrimination against animals similar to other forms of discrimination (e.g. sexism, racism, etc.). They thereby ground the moral reason to eat plant-based in social justice values. This correlational study shows that both animal welfare beliefs and social justice beliefs separately predict animal product-related cognitive dissonance, which can motivate people to eat more plant-based. The study further shows that, when accounting for the predictive power of animal welfare beliefs, social justice beliefs remain a statistically significant predictor of animal product-related cognitive dissonance. It also shows that social justice beliefs are twice as strong of a predictor of animal product-related cognitive dissonance, and explain more than twice the variance in animal product-related cognitive dissonance than animal welfare beliefs. The correlational nature of this research does not allow us to draw causal conclusions about the association between social justice beliefs and animal product-related cognitive dissonance. However, this study should inform future experimental research. For in disregarding social justice beliefs, the current research overlooks a potentially powerful way to affect a dietary shift toward a plant-based diet.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Muinos Trujillo, G. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Jan 2024 13:17 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Jan 2024 13:17 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2979 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |