Hodson et Costello 2012 The human cost of .pdf

OPINION THE BIG IDEA

The human cost of
devaluing animals
How do children develop racial prejudice and other forms
of discrimination? One answer may lie in how they feel
about non-human animals, say Gordon Hodson and
Kimberly Costello – and understanding the link could
help us to avoid its harmful consequences
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PROFILE
This article is based on papers in Advances in
Understanding Humanness and Dehumanization
(Psychology Press) and in the British Journal of
Social Psychology. Gordon Hodson is a professor
of psychology at Brock University in Ontario,
Canada. His latest book (with Miles Hewstone,
University of Oxford) is Advances in Intergroup
Contact (Psychology Press). Kimberly Costello
recently completed her PhD at Brock

34 | NewScientist | 15 December 2012

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For more opinion articles and to add your comments, visit newscientist.com/opinion

TESSA BUNNEY / MILLENNIUM IMAGES, UK

Most cultures still sanction the “right”
to control and use other species

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15 December 2012 | NewScientist | 35