Are they animals or machines? measuring dehumanization

  1. Martínez Gutiérrez, Rocío 1
  2. Rodríguez Bailón, Rosa María 1
  3. Moya Morales, Miguel C. 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Granada
    info
    Universidad de Granada

    Granada, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04njjy449

    Geographic location of the organization Universidad de Granada
Journal:
The Spanish Journal of Psychology

ISSN: 1138-7416

Year of publication: 2012

Volume: 15

Issue: 3

Pages: 1110-1122

Type: Article

DOI: 10.5209/REV_SJOP.2012.V15.N3.39401 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: The Spanish Journal of Psychology

Abstract

The present research deals with two forms of dehumanization: 1) denying uniquely human attributes to others (seeing them as animals); 2) denying human nature to others (seeing them as machines or automata). Studies 1 and 2 explored these two forms of dehumanization, analyzing whether people associated their ingroup more with human-related words (vs. animal- vs. machine-related words) than two different outgroups. A paper and pencil procedure was used to find out which words were associated with the surnames of the ingroup (Spaniards) or the outgroup (Germans, Gypsies). Results showed that participants were more ready to link ingroup than outgroup surnames to human words. They also linked more Gypsy surnames to animal-related words and German surnames with machine-related words. Studies 3 and 4 used the Implicit Association Test to analyze the same ideas and replicated the results of Studies 1 and 2.

View funding

Funding information

This study was possible thanks to funding allocated by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación to the following research projects: SEJ2007/64362/PSI, SEJ2007-65816/PSIC, and PSI2010-17877.

Funders

Bibliographic References

  • Allport, G. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.
  • Bain, P., Park, J., Kwok, C, & Haslam, N. (2009). Attributing human uniqueness and human nature to cultural groups: Distinct forms of subtle dehumanization. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 12, 789-805. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1368430209340415
  • Boccato, G., Cortes, B., Demoulin, S., & Leyens, J. Ph. (2007). The automaticity of infrahumanization. European Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 987-999. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejsp. 412
  • Chulvi, B., & Pérez, J. A. (2005). El prejuicio genealógico [The genealogical prejudice]. Psicología Politico, 30, 57-70.
  • Cuddy, A. J. C., Fiske, S. T., Kwan, V. S. Y., Glick, P., Demoulin, S., Leyens, J. Ph.,... Ziegler, R. (2009). Stereotype content model across cultures: Towards universal similarities and some differences. British Journal of Social Psychology, 48, 1-33. http://dx.doi.org/i0.1348/014466608X3l4935
  • Demoulin, S., Leyens, J. Ph., Paladino, M. P., Rodriguez, R. T., Rodriguez, A. P., & Dovidio, J. F. (2004) Dimensions of "uniquely" and "non-uniquely" emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 18, 71-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02699930244 000444
  • Demoulin, S., Leyens, J. Ph., Rodriguez, R. T., Rodriguez, A. P., Paladino, M. P., & Fiske, S. T. (2005). Motivation to support a desired conclusion versus motivation to avoid an undesirable conclusion: The case of infra-humanization. International Journal of Psychology, 40, 416-428. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207590500184495 (Pubitemid 43860327)
  • Demoulin, S., Saroglou, V., & Van Pachterbeke, M. (2008). Infrahumanizing others, supra-humanizing gods: The emotional hierarchy. Social Cognition, 26, 235-247. http://dx.doi.org/I0.1521/soco.2008.26.2.235
  • Ekman, P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 6, 169-200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0269993 9208411068
  • Gómez-Berrocal, C, & Ruiz, J. (2001). Los valores: Una constructión cultural asociada al prejuicio hacia los gitanos, inmigrantes y minusválidos. Revista de Psicología General y Aplicada, 54, 313-329.
  • Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: Attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes. Psychological Review, 102, 4-27. http://dx.doi. Org/10.1037//0033-295X.102.1.4
  • Greenwald, A. G., McGhee, D. R, & Schwartz, J. K. L. (1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The implicit association test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1464-1480. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.74.6.1464 (Pubitemid 128658112)
  • Greenwald, A. G., Nosek, B. A., & Banaji, M. R. (2003). Understanding and using the Implicit Association Test I. An improved scoring algorithm Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 197-216. http://dx.doi.org/10. 1037/0022-3514.85.2.197
  • Haslam, N. (2006). Dehumanization: An integrative review. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10, 252-264. http://dx.doi. Org/10.1207/sl 5327957pspr1003-4 (Pubitemid 44350198)
  • Haslam, N., Bain, P., Douge, L., Lee, M., & Bastian, B. (2005). More human than you: Attributing humanness to self and others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 937-950. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.89.6. 937 (Pubitemid 43083778)
  • Haslam, N., Kashima, Y., Loughnan, S., Shi, J., & Suitner, C. (2008). Subhuman, inhuman, and superhuman: Contrasting humans and nonhumans in three cultures. Social Cognition, 26, 248-258. http://dx.doi.org/I0.152I/soco.2008.26. 2.248
  • Innes-Ker, A., & Niedenthal, P. M. (2002). Emotion concepts and emotional states in social judgment and categorization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 804-816. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.83.4. 804
  • Loughnan, S., & Haslam, N. (2007). Animals and androids: Implicit associations between social categories and nonhumans. Psychological Science, 18, 116-121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01858.x
  • Leyens J., Demoulin S., Vaes J., Gaunt R., & Paladino M. P. (2007). Infra-humanization: The wall of group differences. Social Issues and Policy Review, 1, 139-172. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j. 1751-2409.2007.00006.x
  • Leyens, J. Ph., Paladino, P. M., Rodriguez, R. T., Vaes, J., Demoulin, S., Rodriguez, A. P., & Gaunt, R. (2000). The emotional side of prejudice: The role of secondary emotions. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 186-197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0402-06
  • Leyens, J-Ph., Rodriguez, A. P., Rodriguez, R. T., Gaunt, R., Paladino, M. P., & Vaes, J. (2001). Psychological essentialism and the differential attribution of uniquely human emotions to ingroups and outgroups. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 395-411. http://dx.doi.org/I0.1002/ejsp. 50 (Pubitemid 33381306)
  • Morera, D., Marichal, F., Quiles, M., Betancor, V., Rodriguez, R., Rodriguez, A.,... Vargas, I. (2004). La perception de la semejanza intragrupal y la identification con el ingroup: Incrementa 0 disminuye el prejuicio? [Perception of intragroup similarity and identification with the ingroup: Does it increase or decrease prejudice?] Psicothema, 16, 70-75. (Pubitemid 41310424)
  • Paladino, P. M., Leyens, J. Ph., Rodriguez-Torres, R., Rodriguez-Perez, A., Gaunt, R., & Demoulin, S. (2002). Differential association of uniquely and non uniquely human emotions to the ingroup and the outgroups. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 5, 105-117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/ 1368430202005002539
  • Pettigrew, T. F., & Meertens, R. W. (1995). Subtle and blatant prejudice in Western Europe. European Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 57-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejsp. 2420250106
  • Rodriguez-Bailón, R., Barranco, J., & Casado, P. (2000). Tipos motivacionales de valores dominantes y prejuicio hacia grupos minoritarios [Types of dominant motivational values and prejudice towards minority groups]. In F. Caballero, Ma. Méndez, & J. Pastor (Eds.), La mirada psicosociologica (pp. 273-279). Madrid, Spain: Biblioteca Nueva.
  • Rodríguez-Bailón, R., & Puertas, S. (2000, April). ¿Seguimos siendo prejuiciosos? Prejuicio clásico y prejuicio simbólico hacia gitanos, magrebíes y latinoamericanos [Are we still prejudiced? Classic and symbolic prejudice toward Roma people, North Africans, and South Americans]. Paper presented at Congreso Nacional de Estudiantes, UNI'2000. Granada, Spain.
  • Rodriguez-Bailón, R., Ruiz, J., Moya, M. (2009). The impact of music on automatically activated attitudes: Flamenco and gypsy people. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 12, 381-396. http://dx.doi.org/10-1177/ 1368430209102849
  • Rohmann, A., Niedenthal, P. M., Brauer, M., Castano, E., & Leyens, J-P. (2009). The attribution of primary and secondary emotions to the in-group and to the out-group. The case of equal status countries. Journal of Social Psychology, 149, 709-730. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224540903348253
  • Rueda, J. F, & Navas, M. (1996). Hacia una evaluatión de las nuevas formas del prejuicio racial: Las actitudes sutiles del racismo [Evaluation of new forms of racial prejudice: Subtle attitudes of racism]. Revista de Psicología Social, 11, 131-149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1174/ 02134749660569314
  • Vaes, J., Paladino, M. P., Castelli, L., Leyens, J. Ph., & Giovanazzi, A. (2003). On the behavioural consequences of infrahumanization: The implicit role of uniquely human emotions in intergroup relations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 1016-1034. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ 0022-3514.85.6.1016 (Pubitemid 38023933)
  • Viki, G. T., Winchester, L., Titshall, L., Chisango, T., Pina, A., & Russell, R. (2006). Beyond secondary emotions: The infrahumanization of outgroups using human-related and animal-related words. Social Cognition, 24, 753-775. http://dx.doi. Org/10.1521/soco.2006.24.6.753
  • Viki, G. T., & Calitri, R. (2008). Infrahuman outgroup or suprahuman ingroup: The role of nationalism and patriotism in the infrahumanization of outgroups. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38, 1054-1061. http://dx.doi.org/10. 1002/ejsp. 495
Data source: Dialnet