3-dimensional agent representations increase generosity in a naturalistic setting
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | One particularly common and salient aspect of the environment involves cues related to intentional agents, whether they be our conspecifics, non-human species or supernatural beings. A number of studies have found that exposing participants to cues of agency increase prosocial or cooperative behavior. In two separate studies, we investigated the role dimensionality plays in priming inferences of agency. In contrast with previous studies utilizing 2-dimensional images, 3-dimensional representations share many more morphological elements with real life agents which may enhance the salience of the cues. Higher activation of agency detection, in turn, ought to trigger stronger reputational concerns and thus further amplify prosocial behaviour. |
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