Social perceptions and how they interfere with the way humans see nonhumans
Social perceptions are composed of two different factors: (i) the individual and his/her cognitive abilities and (ii) the cultural context where he/she lives. This last factor comprises values, norms, beliefs (e.g. religion) and attitudes that were already operating in the society where the subject was raised (Deth &
... [Show full abstract] Scarbrought, 1998). To be accepted, one has to learn the features of his/her culture (Giddens, 2000). Therefore, social training is needed in order to transform the ‘savage’ into a ‘civilized’ creature (Lévi-Strauss, 1966). Socialization allows us to perceive the objects around us that – once cognitively captured – are organized with respect to our culture’s patterns (Yerbyt & Leyens, 2004; Baron et al., 2007; Smith & Mackie, 2007). An individual absorbs what surrounds him/her and organizes his/her perceptions – regarding his/her cultural context – in order to be accepted by the other members of the society (Giddens, 2000). This is how we learn our place in the world and – as a result – how we are positioned in relation to other humans, nonhumans and the environment (Arluke & Sanders, 1996; Serpell, 1996; Costa et al., 2013).
