Social Psychology, Vol 57(1), 2026, 14-26; doi:10.1027/1864-9335/a000600
Across two preregistered studies, we examined how food systems knowledge relates to children’s evaluations of nonhuman animals. Study 1 included 341 children aged 4–6 years and assessed knowledge about meat origins, moral evaluation, and dehumanization of pigs and chickens. Study 2 included 346 children aged 7–16 years and additionally assessed speciesism and knowledge about pork production. Contrary to expectations, knowledge about meat origins was not associated with more negative evaluations of animals. Greater knowledge about pork production was associated with lower speciesism and greater attribution of emotional capacity. We discuss how these findings inform developmental accounts of speciesism and consider alternative mechanisms, including social learning and the increasing personal responsibility for dietary choices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)