Seeing is Believing
Repeated Exposure to Animals in Anthropomorphic Contexts Promotes Desire for Exotic Pets
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6452876 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marielle Castaneda (California State University, San Marcos), Marielle C Castaneda (0009-0005-2744-989X, Department of Psychology, California State University San Marcos https://dx.doi.org/14673 San Marcos, CA USA), Nancy G Caine (0000-0001-9233-7337, Department of Psychology, California State University San Marcos https://dx.doi.org/14673 San Marcos, CA USA) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Society and Animals (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1063-1119 • E-ISSN: 1568-5306 |
| Publisher | Brill (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1163/15685306-bja10236 |
| OpenAlex | W4407364957 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
Research has shown that visual depictions of nonhuman animals in anthropomorphic settings can foster beliefs that wild animals make good pets and are safe in the wild. These beliefs may develop due to repeated exposure to anthropomorphic images, but no study has experimentally demonstrated this. Slideshows in which the ratio of anthropomorphic images to natural images varied for three nonhuman animal species were created. After viewing one of the slideshows, participants rated the species’ “pet suitability” and endangerment status. People who saw mostly anthropomorphic images reported higher pet suitability than those who saw equal numbers of the two image types, followed by those who saw mostly natural images. This study is the first to confirm that with increasing exposure to anthropomorphic images, people become more convinced that wild animals make good pets, an opinion that affects animal conservation and welfare by supporting the exotic pet trade
Animal species · Animal welfare · Animal-assisted therapy · Biology · HUBzero · Natural (archaeology · Pet therapy · Zoology · Animal and Plant Science Education · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Ecology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |