TCNJ JOURNAL OF STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP VOLUME XX APRIL 2018

Previous literature has shown a statistically significant negative relationship between an individual’s cognitive abilities and prejudicial attitudes, as mediated by right-wing ideologies (Hodson & Busseri, 2012; Dhont & Hodson, 2014a). This relationship was integrated into the Cognitive Ability and Style to Evaluation (CASE) model (Dhont & Hodson, 2014a). This model explains that individuals with lower cognitive abilities react to threatening situations through a prevention-focused response, which eventually forms a stable right-wing ideological belief system that predicts intergroup outcomes such as prejudice and stereotyping (Dhont & Hodson, 2014a). While there have been many studies that have examined these social scientific theories amongst human-human interactions, there have only been a few that have applied these principles to human-animal relations. This current study expanded upon the interactions described in the CASE model and hypothesized that (1) cognitive abilities predicts animal exploitation as mediated by right-wind ideology and (2) right-wing ideology predicts animal exploitation as mediated by human supremacy beliefs. 115 young adults from a largely undergraduate northeastern college were recruited to complete the study. Analyses of the Name-Face Associative Memory task and various surveys portrayed that the first hypothesis was partially supported since the only significant relationship was found between right-wing ideology and animal exploitation, in which the former variable negatively predicted the latter. However, the second hypothesis was fully supported. Thus, it is possible that aspects of human-human interactions, such as social dominance orientation, can be extended to predicting variables within models of human-animal interactions. DOES LOWER COGNITIVE ABILITY PREDICT GREATER ANIMAL EXPLOITATION? Although researchers in the 1950s assessed the relationship between emotions and prejudice, many did not heavily focus on the influence of cognitive abilities—skills required to process and retain information, to solve complex problems, and to accomplish challenging tasks—on maintaining prejudicial attitudes (Hodson, 2014). Nevertheless, data obtained from studies examining this relationship presented potential confounds, such as socioeconomic status, education, and social background, which limited researchers’ abilities to generalize findings (Dhont & Hodson, 2014a). These shortcomings have since been addressed in a study conducted by Hodson and Busseri (2012) in which the researchers concluded that lower intelligence levels during childhood predicted greater prejudice during adulthood, despite controlling for socioeconomic status and education. By analyzing data obtained from a sample of American undergraduates, Hodson and Busseri were also able to conclude that lower levels of abstract reasoning predicted greater right-wing authoritarianism, which predicted heightened prejudice towards homosexuals. Keiller (2010) conducted a similar study examining abstract reasoning skills and levels of anti-gay prejudice. He observed that abstract reasoning skills were negatively correlated with right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), which had the strongest positive correlation with anti-gay prejudice relative to other predictors such as contact with homosexuals. Expanding upon these findings, Dhont and Hodson (2014a) proposed the Cognitive Ability and Style to Evaluation (CASE) model to explain why lower cognitive abilities predict greater prejudice. In their model, they accounted for psychological contributions to ideological belief systems (Dhont & Hodson, 2014a). In the first stage, cognitive variables such as styles and abilities directly influence the R. PATEL: COGNITIVE ABILITY AND ANIMAL EXPLOITATION 2 assessments of threat in regards to physical or social aspects of the surrounding environment (Dhont & Hodson, 2014a). Individuals with lower cognitive abilities who prefer simplicity tend to perceive changing environments as threatening and their immediate response includes prevention (vs. promotion) reactions that reinforce what is familiar “in the interest of reducing uncertainty and anxiety and minimizing potential harm or danger” (Dhont & Hodson, 2014a, p. 457). This immediate prevention focused response eventually leads to a stable belief system that emphasizes resistance to change, known as a right-wing social-cultural ideology (Janoff-Bulman, 2009). With increased levels of threat, people resort to the right-wing ideology (Hetherington & Suhay, 2011) and consequently increase intergroup outcomes such as stereotyping (Strube & Rahimi, 2006) and prejudice (Crawford, Brandt, Inbar, & Mallinas, 2016) as a means to preserve existing societal traditions (Dhont & Hodson, 2014b). This model also includes a feedback component in which socially conservative ideologies lead to greater threat perceptions, which eventually lead to the justification of preexisting conservative beliefs (Dhont & Hodson, 2014a). This study uses this model to determine whether lower cognitive abilities predict greater animal exploitation, defined as the use of animals for human benefits, such as for rodeos or animal testing (Dhont & Hodson, 2014b). Previous studies have examined the relationship between cognitive abilities and right-wing ideologies; however, additional factors must be considered when trying to determine the relationship between the former and animal exploitation. Dhont and Hodson (2014b) acknowledge social dominance orientation (SDO) and right-wing authoritarianism, which are both components of right-wing ideologies, as strong predictors of outgroup prejudice and discrimination. SDO describes people who accept groupbased inequalities and hierarchies, and RWA refers to individuals who are obedient and conform to traditional norms (Saeri, Iyer, & Louis, 2015). While many studies have examined the influence of socialideological orientations among human-human relations, few have examined these relations in regard to exploitive attitudes of humans towards animals. For instance, Allen, Wilson, Ng, and Dunne (2000) recruited a sample of vegetarians and omnivores and asked them to complete questionnaires regarding human values, consumption values, and diet preferences. Using the results obtained from the sample, they concluded that participants who most strongly endorse hierarchies among human beings (omnivores) are more likely to maintain stronger beliefs in human-animal dominations and therefore engage in greater animal exploitation. Researchers then pursued to examine whether social scientific theories of human-human prejudice could be applied to human-animal prejudice. They concluded that this could be done with ease (Dhont, Hodson, Costello, & MacInnis, 2014; Hyers, 2006). Furthermore, Dhont and Hodson (2014b) performed experiments to assess human-animal prejudice by hypothesizing that individuals with higher SDO scores are expected to feel more entitled to exploit animals as a result of maintaining greater human supremacy beliefs. The data supported their hypothesis, and they were able to conclude that people higher in SDO tend to support or engage in greater animal exploitation and that right-wing ideologies predict animal exploitation through a psychological mechanism relevant to this study: the belief in human superiority over animals. This current study utilizes the CASE model proposed by Dhont and Hodson (2014a) to assess the influence of cognitive abilities on animal exploitation, therefore expanding upon Dhont and Hodson’s (2014b) findings regarding the relationship between right-wing adherents and animal exploitive attitudes. The relationship between cognitive abilities and animal exploitation is not one that has been examined before. Based off of previous literature, it is expected that individuals with lower cognitive abilities are more likely to be right-wing adherents (i.e., score higher in SDO) and therefore are more likely to support or engage in animal exploitation because they maintain greater human supremacy beliefs. In other words, this study hypothesizes that cognitive abilities predict animal exploitation as mediated by right-wing ideology and right-wing ideology predicts animal exploitation as mediated by human supremacy beliefs. It also samples a group of American undergraduate students who are asked to complete an online questionnaire, which measures individual components of the CASE model and exploitive attitudes towards animals. TCNJ JOURNAL OF STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP VOLUME XX APRIL 2018