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The perceived intentionality of groups.

P Bloom1, C Veres

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721, USA. bloom@u.arizona.edu

Cognition
|July 8, 1999
PubMed
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People readily attribute intentionality to moving groups, similar to how they perceive moving objects. This perception of purposeful action extends beyond simple shapes to complex social entities.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Perception Studies

Background:

  • Heider and Simmel (1944) demonstrated that humans spontaneously attribute intentionality to simple moving objects.
  • This attribution of purpose is often extended to non-object entities like groups (e.g., countries, teams).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if the Heider and Simmel effect extends to groups as stimuli.
  • To determine if moving groups are perceived as intentional entities comparable to moving objects.

Main Methods:

  • Replication and extension of the original Heider and Simmel study.
  • Utilized both geometric objects and groups as visual stimuli.
  • Included control conditions with groups not engaged in structured movement.

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Main Results:

  • Under optimal conditions, moving groups were perceived as purposeful and goal-directed to the same degree as moving objects.
  • The attribution of intentionality was robust for group stimuli.

Conclusions:

  • The psychological distinction between 'intentional entity' and 'object' is evident even in the perception of abstract moving figures.
  • Perception of intentionality is not limited to discrete objects but extends to collective entities.