Anthropomorphism, social understanding, and imaginary companions

Tahiroglu, Deniz; Taylor, Marjorie

doi:10.1111/bjdp.12272

Cited by 33 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(57 reference statements)

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“…Upon closer inspection, the literature does not provide a clear picture either. A recent behavioural study found no relationship between measures of dispositional anthropomorphism and direct and indirect measures of Theory-of-Mind in children and adults (Tahiroglu & Taylor, 2019). In the same study, no relationship between situational (e.g., task-based) anthropomorphism and Theoryof-Mind was observed.…”

Section: Main Analysesmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Anthropomorphising the situation might help us to become more familiar, predict or master a situation, but people that have a higher tendency to anthropomorphise in general do not show a better understanding of a specific situation nor exhibit increased Theory-of-Mind. However, care is warranted in term of how generalisable this finding is, as the evidence on a relationship between situational anthropomorphism and Theory-of-Mind remains mixed at best (Tahiroglu & Taylor, 2019;.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the relationship between anthropomorphism and Theory-of-Mind in brain and behaviour

Hortensius¹,

Kent²,

Darda³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The process of understanding the minds of other people, such as their emotions and intentions, is mimicked when individuals try to understand an artificial mind. The assumption is that anthropomorphism, attributing human-like characteristics to non-human agents and objects, is an analogue to Theory-of-Mind, the ability to infer mental states of other people. Here, we test to what extent these two constructs formally overlap. Specifically, using a multi-method approach, we test if and how anthropomorphism is related to Theory-of-Mind using brain (Experiment 1) and behavioural (Experiment 2) measures. In a first exploratory experiment, we examine the relationship between dispositional anthropomorphism and activity within the Theory-of-Mind brain network (n = 108). Results from a Bayesian regression analysis showed no consistent relationship between dispositional anthropomorphism and activity in regions of the Theory-of-Mind network. In a follow-up, pre-registered experiment, we explored the relationship between Theory-of-Mind and situational and dispositional anthropomorphism in more depth. Participants (n = 311) watched a short movie while simultaneously completing situational anthropomorphism and Theory-of-Mind ratings, as well as measures of dispositional anthropomorphism and general Theory-of-Mind. Only situational anthropomorphism predicted the ability to understand and predict the behaviour of the film’s characters. No relationship between situational or dispositional anthropomorphism and general Theory-of-Mind was observed. Together, these results suggest that while anthropomorphism and Theory-of-Mind might share some overlap in certain situations, they are separate and possibly unrelated at the personality level. These findings point to a possible dissociation between brain and behavioural measures when considering the relationship between Theory-of-Mind and anthropomorphism.

show abstract

Section: Main Analysesmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the relationship between anthropomorphism and Theory-of-Mind in brain and behaviour

Hortensius¹,

Kent²,

Darda³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Upon closer inspection, the literature does not provide a clear picture either. A recent behavioural study found no relationship between measures of dispositional anthropomorphism and direct and indirect measures of theory‐of‐mind in children and adults (Tahiroglu & Taylor, 2019 ). In the same study, no clear relationship between situational (e.g., task‐based) anthropomorphism and theory‐of‐mind was observed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the relationship between anthropomorphism and theory‐of‐mind in brain and behaviour

Hortensius

Kent

Darda

et al. 2021

Human Brain Mapping

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The process of understanding the minds of other people, such as their emotions and intentions, is mimicked when individuals try to understand an artificial mind. The assumption is that anthropomorphism, attributing human‐like characteristics to non‐human agents and objects, is an analogue to theory‐of‐mind, the ability to infer mental states of other people. Here, we test to what extent these two constructs formally overlap. Specifically, using a multi‐method approach, we test if and how anthropomorphism is related to theory‐of‐mind using brain (Experiment 1) and behavioural (Experiment 2) measures. In a first exploratory experiment, we examine the relationship between dispositional anthropomorphism and activity within the theory‐of‐mind brain network (n = 108). Results from a Bayesian regression analysis showed no consistent relationship between dispositional anthropomorphism and activity in regions of the theory‐of‐mind network. In a follow‐up, pre‐registered experiment, we explored the relationship between theory‐of‐mind and situational and dispositional anthropomorphism in more depth. Participants (n = 311) watched a short movie while simultaneously completing situational anthropomorphism and theory‐of‐mind ratings, as well as measures of dispositional anthropomorphism and general theory‐of‐mind. Only situational anthropomorphism predicted the ability to understand and predict the behaviour of the film's characters. No relationship between situational or dispositional anthropomorphism and general theory‐of‐mind was observed. Together, these results suggest that while the constructs of anthropomorphism and theory‐of‐mind might overlap in certain situations, they remain separate and possibly unrelated at the personality level. These findings point to a possible dissociation between brain and behavioural measures when considering the relationship between theory‐of‐mind and anthropomorphism.

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“…Research shows that both adults and children readily anthropomorphize non-human entities (Severson and Lemm, 2016;Tahiroglu and Taylor, 2018;Waytz et al, 2010a), though several individual difference and situational contexts promote its occurrence. Epley and colleagues (2007) theorized that anthropomorphism is most likely to occur (1) in contexts in which anthropocentric knowledge is current in the mind and relevant to the situation, (2) when people are motivated to interact effectively with nonhumans, and (3) among individuals who, chronically or situationally, lack a sense of social connection to other humans.…”

Section: Anthropomorphism: Concept and Consequencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropomorphism in comparative affective science: Advocating a mindful approach

Williams

Brosnan

Clay

2020

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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Anthropomorphism, social understanding, and imaginary companions

Cited by 33 publications

References 55 publications

Exploring the relationship between anthropomorphism and Theory-of-Mind in brain and behaviour

Exploring the relationship between anthropomorphism and Theory-of-Mind in brain and behaviour

Exploring the relationship between anthropomorphism and theory‐of‐mind in brain and behaviour

Anthropomorphism in comparative affective science: Advocating a mindful approach

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