{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1105"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1105","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Can childhood animal cruelty be learned?: examining age of onset and recurrency","abstract":"Few studies have examined how animal cruelty can be a learned behavior. Using data collected from 257 male inmates at a Southern state medium-security prison, the current study seeks to replicate the Hensley, Tallichet and Dutkiewicz (2012) study. It examines the potential for the onset and recurrence of childhood animal cruelty to become a learned behavior, specifically in terms of how demographic characteristics and childhood experiences, such as witnessing animal cruelty and being mentally and/or physically abused, influence such behavior. In the current study, those who were physically abused as children reported engaging in recurrent animal cruelty. Those who reported witnessing animal cruelty at a younger age also reported engaging in animal cruelty at an earlier age. Respondents who reported witnessing a parent commit acts of animal abuse reported that they committed animal abuse themselves at an older age, while those who witnessed a brother/sister commit animal abuse reported engaging in it at an earlier age.","abstract_html":"Few studies have examined how animal cruelty can be a learned behavior. Using data collected from 257 male inmates at a Southern state medium-security prison, the current study seeks to replicate the Hensley, Tallichet and Dutkiewicz (2012) study. It examines the potential for the onset and recurrence of childhood animal cruelty to become a learned behavior, specifically in terms of how demographic characteristics and childhood experiences, such as witnessing animal cruelty and being mentally and/or physically abused, influence such behavior. In the current study, those who were physically abused as children reported engaging in recurrent animal cruelty. Those who reported witnessing animal cruelty at a younger age also reported engaging in animal cruelty at an earlier age. Respondents who reported witnessing a parent commit acts of animal abuse reported that they committed animal abuse themselves at an older age, while those who witnessed a brother/sister commit animal abuse reported engaging in it at an earlier age.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Browne, John A."],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Hensley, Christopher","Garland, Tammy; McGuffee, Karen","College of Arts and Sciences"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:11Z","subjects":["Violence in children","Animal welfare -- Psychological aspects","Children and animals","Conduct disorders in children -- Risk factors","Human-animal relationships"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/106","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Hensley, Christopher","Garland, Tammy; McGuffee, Karen","College of Arts and Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Browne, John A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2014-05-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters theses","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Violence in children","Animal welfare -- Psychological aspects","Children and animals","Conduct disorders in children -- Risk factors","Human-animal relationships"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/106"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of Criminal Justice and Legal Assistant Studies","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Few studies have examined how animal cruelty can be a learned behavior. Using data collected from 257 male inmates at a Southern state medium-security prison, the current study seeks to replicate the Hensley, Tallichet and Dutkiewicz (2012) study. It examines the potential for the onset and recurrence of childhood animal cruelty to become a learned behavior, specifically in terms of how demographic characteristics and childhood experiences, such as witnessing animal cruelty and being mentally and/or physically abused, influence such behavior. In the current study, those who were physically abused as children reported engaging in recurrent animal cruelty. Those who reported witnessing animal cruelty at a younger age also reported engaging in animal cruelty at an earlier age. Respondents who reported witnessing a parent commit acts of animal abuse reported that they committed animal abuse themselves at an older age, while those who witnessed a brother/sister commit animal abuse reported engaging in it at an earlier age."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Can childhood animal cruelty be learned?: examining age of onset and recurrency"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Hensley, Christopher","Garland, Tammy; McGuffee, Karen","College of Arts and Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Browne, John A."],"dc:date":["2014-05-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Criminal Justice and Legal Assistant Studies","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."],"dc:description.abstract":["Few studies have examined how animal cruelty can be a learned behavior. Using data collected from 257 male inmates at a Southern state medium-security prison, the current study seeks to replicate the Hensley, Tallichet and Dutkiewicz (2012) study. It examines the potential for the onset and recurrence of childhood animal cruelty to become a learned behavior, specifically in terms of how demographic characteristics and childhood experiences, such as witnessing animal cruelty and being mentally and/or physically abused, influence such behavior. In the current study, those who were physically abused as children reported engaging in recurrent animal cruelty. Those who reported witnessing animal cruelty at a younger age also reported engaging in animal cruelty at an earlier age. Respondents who reported witnessing a parent commit acts of animal abuse reported that they committed animal abuse themselves at an older age, while those who witnessed a brother/sister commit animal abuse reported engaging in it at an earlier age."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/106"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"dc:subject":["Violence in children","Animal welfare -- Psychological aspects","Children and animals","Conduct disorders in children -- Risk factors","Human-animal relationships"],"dc:title":["Can childhood animal cruelty be learned?: examining age of onset and recurrency"],"dc:type":["Masters theses","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:11Z"}