Humanizing animals does not reduce blatant dehumanization by children or adults

Abstract

Blatantly likening humans to animals is associated with discrimination and hostility. The power of dehumanizing animal metaphors is thought to lie in the belief that animals are inferior to humans and do not deserve full moral concern. Previous work suggests that perceiving a narrower divide between humans and animals encourages the expansion of moral concern and reduces subtle dehumanization. Here we described animals as possessing human-like mental states, and tested if this manipulation would extend to the reduction of blatant dehumanization of an outgroup. Results demonstrate both children (5–12 years of age) and adults perceived animals as more similar to humans when animals were attributed feelings, intentions and beliefs. However, this manipulation did not reduce blatant dehumanization in either age group. These results suggest that subtle and blatant dehumanization may require distinct intervention strategies, and imply potential differences in their psychological mechanisms.