Public Perceptions of Animal Thinking

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dc.contributor.advisorMacDonald, Suzanne
dc.creatorHolmes, Jeannine Elizabeth
dc.date.accessioned2018-03-01T13:52:41Z
dc.date.available2018-03-01T13:52:41Z
dc.date.copyright2017-06-20
dc.date.issued2018-03-01
dc.date.updated2018-03-01T13:52:41Z
dc.degree.disciplinePsychology(Functional Area: Brain, Behaviour & Cognitive Sciences
dc.degree.levelMaster's
dc.degree.nameMA - Master of Arts
dc.description.abstractIn a systematic replication of a survey by Rasmussen, Rajecki, and Craft (1993), 241 undergraduate psychology students and 148 members of the public were asked to indicate how reasonable it was that a child, dog, cat, bird, or fish had the capacity for each of 12 different cognitive abilities. Consistent with the original study, participants credited both children and animals with simple thinking, but reserved ascriptions of complex thinking to children. However, perceptions of animal cognition appear to have improved since the original study. Specifically, results revealed a general increase in participant ascriptions of complex thinking to animals, converging perceptions related to mammals, and an increase in perceptions of fish cognition. I also assessed the impact of the Internet and social media on public perceptions of animal cognition. While a significant impact was not noted, further examination in this area would be beneficial given the limited scope of my initial investigation and the significant power these mediums provide in information sharing and accessibility.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10315/34298
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectCognitive psychology
dc.subject.keywordsAnimal cognition
dc.subject.keywordsAnimal thinking
dc.subject.keywordsComparative cognition
dc.subject.keywordsPublic perceptions
dc.titlePublic Perceptions of Animal Thinking
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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