Alex Carter

Alex Carter

Psychology Postdoctoral Researcher

Research

Speciesism

Humans’ relationship with other animals is complex. Certain species (e.g., dogs) are cared for deeply and seen as members of the family, while at the same time, other species that have similar emotional and cognitive capacities face systemic harm (e.g., pigs).

I investigate speciesism, a belief system that marks humans as superior to other animals, and legitimises differential treatment of animals based on their species membership or societal categorisation. How does speciesism develop between childhood and adulthood? How does cultural background influence how people morally value animals? What psychological characteristics determine whether a person attaches high moral value to animals, or believes that animals should have no rights?

Moral Psychology

Questions of morality fundamentally shape how we interact with others and regulate society. .

In our working group, we combine methodologies from psychology and philosophy to explore the following questions. How do personal attributes influence support for utilitarian versus deontological ethics? Why do people assign different moral worth to different individuals and groups? How can empirical psychological research inform contemporary bioethics?