Luke McGuire, Tina Bagus, Alexander G. Carter, Emma Fry, Nadira S. Faber
{"title":"Reasoning to Justify Eating Animals Varies With Age","authors":"Luke McGuire, Tina Bagus, Alexander G. Carter, Emma Fry, Nadira S. Faber","doi":"10.1111/cdev.14217","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The present study examined the justifications used by children, adolescents, and adults to justify eating animals. Children (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 100, <jats:italic>M</jats:italic><jats:sup>age</jats:sup> = 9.82, SD = 0.77, female <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 49) as compared to adolescents (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 76, <jats:italic>M</jats:italic><jats:sup>age</jats:sup> = 14.0, SD = 1.62, female <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 36) and adults (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 113, <jats:italic>M</jats:italic><jats:sup>age</jats:sup> = 44.1, SD = 14.4, female <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 54) were more ambivalent or opposed to eating animals, and they showed a distinct reasoning pattern. Children relied less on arguments about meat eating being natural or with to humane slaughter practices. These findings align with recent theoretical perspectives that reasoning may be used to counter cognitive dissonance arising from knowledge of food production systems.","PeriodicalId":10109,"journal":{"name":"Child development","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Child development","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14217","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The present study examined the justifications used by children, adolescents, and adults to justify eating animals. Children (n = 100, Mage = 9.82, SD = 0.77, female n = 49) as compared to adolescents (n = 76, Mage = 14.0, SD = 1.62, female n = 36) and adults (n = 113, Mage = 44.1, SD = 14.4, female n = 54) were more ambivalent or opposed to eating animals, and they showed a distinct reasoning pattern. Children relied less on arguments about meat eating being natural or with to humane slaughter practices. These findings align with recent theoretical perspectives that reasoning may be used to counter cognitive dissonance arising from knowledge of food production systems.
期刊介绍:
As the flagship journal of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), Child Development has published articles, essays, reviews, and tutorials on various topics in the field of child development since 1930. Spanning many disciplines, the journal provides the latest research, not only for researchers and theoreticians, but also for child psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, specialists in early childhood education, educational psychologists, special education teachers, and other researchers. In addition to six issues per year of Child Development, subscribers to the journal also receive a full subscription to Child Development Perspectives and Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.