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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

ON A(PE)THEISM: RELIGIOUS DEHUMANIZATION OF ATHEISTS AND OTHER OUTGROUPS

Ng, Ben Kok Leong 01 January 2015 (has links)
Research on the dark side of religion has recently found evidence that anti-atheist prejudice is embedded in distrust (Gervais et al, 2011). Anti-atheist prejudice though old in its form, has only been systemically researched on over the last couple of years. This study seeks to extend on research in anti-atheist prejudice by examining religious dehumanization of atheists in comparison with other religious outgroups – gays and Muslims. Study 1 utilized a two factor model of dehumanization (Haslam, 2006) to examine dehumanization. Study 2 serves as a conceptual replication and extension using two different measures of dehumanization. Study 1 failed to find support for religious dehumanization while study 2 found partial support.
2

Methodological And Theoretical Investigations Of The Ascent Of Human Scale

Johnson, Devin Louis January 2023 (has links)
Prior research in dehumanization has elected to indirectly measure the extent to which individuals deny fundamental aspects of humanity to other groups. However, recent research suggests the study participants are more than willing to declare how human or unhuman like they feel various social groups are. An influential measure of assessing this blatant form of dehumanization is known as the Ascent of Human Scale (AOH). Despite much research providing evidence of blatant dehumanization towards out-groups, little research has specifically focused on testing assumptions pertaining to the scale’s administration or applying the scale to prior research settings. This thesis adds on the growing literature aimed at assessing methodological aspects of the AOH scale in addition to examining the relationship between blatant dehumanization and other psychological constructs. In study one, we build on prior work by manipulating the instructions participants typically see when giving ratings on the AOH. Results suggest that instructions do not appear to affect how participants rate social groups even when respondents are told the nature of the scale and what it is used for. In studies two and three we manipulate the extent to which a social group stands out amongst others on the AOH. Results reveal that group salience matters only when the in-group of participants is not present on the scale for rating. In studies four and five we examine the relationship between ascent dehumanization and social power, the ability to influence the behaviors of others. In study four we experimentally manipulate participants social power then have them rate various social groups on the AOH. In study five we measure respondents’ personal sense of power followed by social group ratings on the AOH. Results reveal that social power is not related to blatant dehumanization, challenging prior literature that has found a link between power and dehumanization in general. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The work in this thesis adds to the literature on measuring blatant forms of dehumanization. Specifically, this thesis tests assumptions around the use of the Ascent of Human Scale (AOH), an influential measure in social psychology used to measure blatant dehumanization. In addition, we examine if applying the AOH to previous research that has found a link between dehumanization and other constructs reveals similar findings. In the first study, we manipulated the scale’s instructions presented to participants to examine if specific language impacts how respondents rate social groups on the AOH. Results found that instruction changes have no impact on how respondents rate social groups, even when told the scale is a measure of blatant dehumanization. In studies two and three we manipulate the extent to which a social group stands out amongst others on the AOH scale. Results indicate that when the in-group of study participants is included on the scale (study two) salience appears not to effect ratings. However, when the in-group of participants is not included on the scale (study three) salience does impact ratings such that the more a group stands out, the more they are dehumanized. Studies four and five examine the relationship between social power and ascent dehumanization. In study four we experimentally manipulate participants’ feelings of social power then allow them to rate various social groups on the AOH. In study five, respondents take a measure of personal feelings of power then provide AOH ratings for various social groups. Results from both studies reveal that social power does not impact ascent dehumanization. Taken together the work in this thesis addresses potential concerns regarding the use of the AOH and encourages the application of the scale to previous work to examine if blatant dehumanization is related to other constructs that dehumanization is argued to be central to.
3

Differentiating Between Objectification and Animalization: Associations Between Women, Objects, and Animals

Morris, Kasey Lynn 01 January 2013 (has links)
While it's clear that the objectification of women is a prominent feature of Western society, it is far less clear what it actually means to be objectified. Philosophers, feminist scholars and psychologist agree that objectification involves a denial of humanity, however, the nature of this dehumanization has yet to be explained. Although existing research provides evidence that objectified women are associated both with objects and animals, no research has examined the conditions under which women are likely to be dehumanized by one form or another. Here, I propose that animalization, characterized by an association with animals, occurs when a woman is portrayed in a sexualized manner. In contrast, objectification, characterized by an association with objects, occurs when a woman is portrayed with a focus on her appearance. Two studies were designed to test this hypothesis. Study 1 found that when participants were primed with an image of a sexualized woman, they were more likely to animalistically dehumanize her (which is consistent with likening to animals). Conversely, when participants were primed with an image of a "beautified" woman, they were more likely to mechanistically dehumanize her (which is consistent with likening to objects). Study 2 attempted to make this link more directly by measuring implicit associations between women, objects, and animals as a function of the image prime, but failed to find the hypothesized result. This research provides the first empirical evidence that different portrayals of women (either sexualized or with a focus on appearance) implicate different forms of dehumanization.
4

Perceptions of Athletes: Exploring Race-Based Dehumanization and Superhumanization

Wu, Deborah 29 October 2019 (has links)
Throughout American history, African Americans have been negatively stereotyped and dehumanized (e.g., believed to be less evolutionarily evolved). Recent research shows that African Americans are also sometimes superhumanized, meaning that they are believed to possess physical qualities that are supernatural (e.g., able to withstand great pain; Waytz, Hoffman, & Trawalter, 2014). Both dehumanization and superhumanization suggest that African Americans are perceived to not be as human as White Americans. Two studies sought to investigate dehumanizing and superhumanizing attributions in the context of athletics. Specifically, I tested whether perceivers made different attributions of Black and White athletes’ physical prowess by attributing more negative (e.g., aggressive, animalistic) rather than positive (e.g., active, athletic) physical traits towards Black (vs. White) athletes, and whether these negative physical attributions implied more dehumanization and superhumanization when describing Black athletes in comparison to White athletes. In contrast to my hypotheses, I found that White athletes were perceived to be more representative of negative physical traits in comparison to Black athletes. Furthermore, greater attribution of negative physical traits was similarly associated with greater dehumanization for Black and White athletes. I explore possible reasons for these unexpected findings.
5

Dehumanization in the brain

Thyberg, Joel January 2019 (has links)
Dehumanization is a process whereby people fail to view others as human beings. Instead, the others are perceived as nonhuman animals or objects, unworthy of the same moral treatment. Dehumanization has previously been studied in a variety of different scholarly domains without adhering to a uniform theoretical framework. This literature review contrasts research on fully humanized perception, with research on dehumanized perception, and proposes neural areas which are likely to be involved. Not every aspect of dehumanization can be understood at the neurological level. To understand what factors lead up to, and modulates dehumanization, other perspectives might also be necessary. Dehumanized perception is coupled with reduced activity in the social cognitive brain network, a wide network which encompasses several cortical and subcortical areas. This disengages prosocial abilities and allows for other people to be treated like objects and means to an end. One area of special interest is the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). It functions as an integration center in the person perception network and is also active when we make moral judgments, empathize, or take the perspective of someone else. For this reason, the MPFC is sometimes used as an index of dehumanized perception.
6

Living in Truth in the Age of Automatization

Jenkins, Jordan January 2013 (has links)
Thesis advisor: Gerald Easter / "Living in Truth in the Age of Automatization" is a discussion of dehumanization in the period of technological and bureaucratic supremacy. The article uses the writings of former Czech president Václav Havel and American novelist Kurt Vonnegut to argue that neither the automatization inherent within the Eastern Communist Model nor the mass consumer culture of the Western Capitalist Model are ideal, and to discuss the possibility of a third way, a way called "living in truth" which protects human dignity and the right of every man to pursue meaningful work in a society. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science.
7

Lost in transition? : lived experiences of unaccompanied Afghan minors in Greece

Theocharidou, Vasiliki January 2016 (has links)
This thesis is a qualitative case study that explores the experiences of unaccompanied Afghan asylum seeking minors in Greece – a largely neglected area empirically, in migration-related social science research – despite the fact that migration has been an issue of mounting concern recently. The study sets out to bridge this gap hence, to provide insights of the paths of young people as individuals in their own right, and of the dynamics and processes of their forced migrations. The research contributes to contemporary debates about migration and childhood. The thesis takes a broader approach that highlights the connections across borders and covers the multiple facets of unaccompanied minors’ experiences and feelings; pre-exile, during journeys, and on arrival in Greece. The future plans and motivations of the young respondents are also discussed. Information in relation to young respondent’s experiences, emotions and thoughts was collected in a series of in-depth interviews, focus groups and participatory activities. Data was also gathered by professionals and public figures with the aim to identify how these young people are treated and perceived inside and outside of the reception centres in Greece. The data indicates that these young respondents are deeply and negatively affected by experiences of loss, separation, discrimination, abuse, and long-lasting hardships to be found throughout their histories of movement. Their accounts are renegotiated tales where notions of belonging and identity are shaped along the way, and the boundaries drawn around childhood and adulthood are often fragile and fluid. The events of young people’s movements are reported as having been poignant, rendering them in a continuous, transitional state of existence. This stage ‘in between’, it is argued to be intricately entangled with the prolonged political insecurity which in some instances, extents to the condition of statelessness. The analysis of young respondents’ experiences revealed an overt gap between entitlements which are theoretically attributed to unaccompanied minors, regarding their social, political and legal rights – irrespective of their legal status – and pragmatic barriers to be found on the ground; on the streets, at borders, in detention, in police stations, and in reception centres, these young people are imperilled to the process of dehumanization. This process is understood to be a product of social and political violence implicated in local and transnational contexts. A combination of structural factors and practices has been found to be compounded by inhuman actions such as; the commodification process, the classification process, poverty, stigmatization, institutional racism and the ambiguity of political status. The findings further indicated that young respondents had mixed and distinct feelings of their experiences and responded to the process of dehumanization in very different ways; some developed robust resilient mechanisms along the way and formed important social networks for their survival and others felt powerless, and incapable mentally to lead their lives. The data indicated that the type of care and support varied significantly among the reception centres. There was a spectrum of attitudes towards the presence of the young respondents, showing sympathy and welcoming responses but also prejudice, stereotypes and xenophobia. These appeared at professional, government and public levels. Implications are discussed in relation to the punitive policies and practices that demoralise the rights and needs of the young people, hence potential strategies are suggested for reforming aspects of the child welfare/asylum system. The thesis concludes that these young respondents have a uniquely strong claim to social and political rights that will give them back their lost ‘ordinariness’.
8

Kittens and cougars: the effect of distinct dehumanizing metaphors for women on perception and behavior

January 2013 (has links)
Metaphors are employed in order to improve communication and foster our understanding of other persons. Labeling outgroup members as something other than human, however, is dehumanizing and suggests that the targets lack human qualities. Past research operates under the assumption that all forms of animalistic dehumanization inform a single perception of a group of people. The present research, following a “metaphor-enriched†perspective of social cognition, instead suggests that there are two common animalistic metaphoric frameworks for women that inform distinct impressions of women: the aggressive predator and the submissive prey. Male and female participants primed with a “woman-as-predator,†“woman-as-prey,†or “woman-as-person†metaphoric framework revealed their impressions of and intentions toward several nondescript women engaging in ambiguous behaviors. Responses to open-ended questions revealed that, consistent with predictions, perceivers interpret women’s ambiguous behavior as more predator-like (aggressive, rude, or blunt) after exposure to a predator metaphor, and more prey-like (e.g., friendly, mild, forgetful) after exposure to a prey metaphor. Animalizing metaphors were also expected to inform behavioral intentions (predators require taming, while prey require paternalistic care), but results did not support predictions. Instead, gender alone influenced behavioral intentions (with women reporting greater intentions to assist) suggesting that social-role expectations may exert more influence on behavioral intentions than metaphoric framings do. / acase@tulane.edu
9

Understanding Anthropomorphism in the Interaction Between Users and Robots

Zlotowski, Jakub Aleksander January 2015 (has links)
Anthropomorphism is a common phenomenon when people attribute human characteristics to non-human objects. It plays an important role in acceptance of robots in natural human environments. Various studies in the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) show that there are various factors that can affect the extent to which a robot is anthropomorphized. However, our knowledge of this phenomenon is segmented, as there is a lack of a coherent model of anthropomorphism that could consistently explain these findings. A robot should be able to adjust its level of anthropomorphism to a level that can optimize its task performance. In order to do that, robotic system designers must know which characteristics affect the perception of robots' anthropomorphism. Currently, existing models of anthropomorphism emphasize the importance of the context and perceiver in this phenomenon, but provide little guidelines regarding the factors of a perceived object that are affecting it. The proposed reverse process to anthropomorphization is known as dehumanization. In the recent years research in social psychology has found which characteristics are deprived from people who are perceived as subhumans or are objectified. Furthermore, the process of dehumanization is two dimensional rather than unidimensional. This thesis discusses a model of anthropomorphism that uses characteristics from both dimensions of dehumanization and those relating to robots' physical appearance to affect the anthropomorphism of a robot. Furthermore, involvement of implicit and explicit processes in anthropomorphization are discussed. In this thesis I present five empirical studies that were conducted to explore anthropomorphism in HRI. Chapter 3 discusses development and validation of a cognitive measurement of humanlikeness using the magnitude of the inversion effect. Although robot stimuli were processed more similarly to human stimuli rather than objects and induced the inversion effect, the results suggest that this measure has limited potential for measuring humanlikeness due to the low variance that it can explain. The second experiment, presented in Chapter 4 explored the involvement of Type I and Type II processing in anthropomorphism. The main findings of this study suggest that anthropomorphism is not a result of a dual-process and self-reports have a potential to be suitable measurement tools of anthropomorphism. Chapter 5 presents the first empirical work on the dimensionality of anthropomorphism. Only perceived emotionality of a robot, but not its perceived intelligence, affects its anthropomorphization. This finding is further supported by a follow up experiment, presented in Chapter 6, that shows that Human Uniqueness dimension is less relevant for a robot's anthropomorphiazability than Human Nature (HN) dimension. Intentionality of a robot did not result in its higher anthropomorphizability. Furthermore, this experiment showed that humanlike appearance of a robot is not linearly related with its anthropomorphism during HRI. The lack of linear relationship between humanlike appearance and attribution of HN traits to a robot during HRI is further supported by the study described in Chapter 7. This last experiment shows also that another factor of HN, sociability, affects the extent to which a robot is anthropomorphized and therefore the relevance of HN dimension in the process of anthropomorphization. This thesis elaborates on the process of anthropomorphism as an important factor affecting HRI. Without fully understanding the process itself and what factors make robots to be anthropomorphized it is hard to measure the impact of anthropomorphism on HRI. It is hoped that understanding anthropomorphism in HRI will make it possible to design interactions in a way that optimizes the benefits of that phenomenon for an interaction.
10

EDUCATING HUMANIZATION: AN EXAMINATION INTO THE HUMANIZING PEDAGOGIES OF PAULO FREIRE

Bishop, Jared M. 01 May 2014 (has links)
One way critical educators can understand and orient to Paulo Freire's work and the tradition he inspired is by turning their attention to the alienation and affirmation of what he describes as the "ontological vocation of being human." In this dissertation, I read across Freire's work in order to synthesize what I argue are three central commitments of his ontological vocation: 1) that the self/world are sociohistoric and 2) unfinished, and 3) that the human presence is historic. Next, I read Paulo Freire's more famous "banking" and "problem-posing" models of education through the lens of these commitments in order to demonstrate each as metonyms that stand in for his larger interests in alienating and humanizing cultural action. Finally, I argue that Deanna Fassett and John T. Warren's critical communication pedagogy can be a generative framework through which teachers and researchers can recognize and arrest the alienation of the ontological vocation.

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