Naming the one to save the many: The effect of animal identifiability on children's reduced meat preference

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dc.abstract.enThis research examines how identifying an animal as an individual influences children's willingness to consume that animal, as well as meat derived from conspecifics and different species. Across two studies involving Polish preschoolers aged 5-6 (Study 1: N = 94; Study 2: N = 105), we examined whether presenting a chicken with a name and distinct preferences would reduce children's willingness to consume that specific animal, as well as their preference for chicken meat (poultry) and meat from a different species (pork) during a toy sandwich-building task. Study 2 further compared two forms of identification: unique exemplar identification versus similar exemplar identification (highlighting traits shared with the species). Results consistently revealed that identifying a unique exemplar had a conditional effect on willingness to consume the identified animal and its conspecifics, but did not extend to meat from other species. Animal's identifiability reduced both children's intentions to consume the identified animal (Study 1) and their actual preference for chicken slices in the sandwich-building task (Studies 1 and 2). However, these effects emerged among children who did not report a strong liking for meat. Overall, the findings suggest that although animal identifiability can reduce children's intentions to consume meat, its impact is moderated by preexisting food preferences and shows limited generalization across species.
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii we Wrocławiu
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.contributor.authorRabinovitch, Aleksandra
dc.contributor.authorCantarero, Katarzyna
dc.contributor.authorByrka, Katarzyna
dc.date.access2028-08-08
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-09T08:15:58Z
dc.date.available2026-09-09T08:15:58Z
dc.date.created2026-08-02
dc.date.issued2026-08-08
dc.description.accesstimeafter_publication
dc.description.grantnumber2019/33/B/HS6/02830
dc.description.granttitleNarodowe Centrum Nauki
dc.description.physical1-14
dc.description.sdgReducedInequalities
dc.description.sdgLifeOnLand
dc.description.versionfinal_author
dc.description.volume228
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.appet.2026.108738
dc.identifier.issn0195-6663
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/2514
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666326003004?via%3Dihub
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY-NC-ND
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_REPOSITORY
dc.subject.enAnimal identifiability
dc.subject.enThe identified victim effect
dc.subject.enMeat consumption
dc.subject.enMeat liking
dc.subject.enMeat reduction intervention
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleNaming the one to save the many: The effect of animal identifiability on children's reduced meat preference
dc.title.journalAppetite
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle