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Humanness beliefs about behavior: an index and comparative human-nonhuman behavior judgments
1Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia. samuel.wilson@monash.edu
Behavior Research Methods
|September 21, 2012
Summary
People perceive humanness through species-typical (human nature) and species-unique (human uniqueness) behaviors. Unique behaviors distinguish humans from animals, while typical behaviors differentiate humans from robots.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Lay conceptions of humanness are understood through species-typical (human nature) and species-unique (human uniqueness) dimensions.
- Previous research has focused on traits and states, neglecting lay beliefs about human behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate lay beliefs about the humanness of human behaviors.
- To identify behaviors exemplifying species-typical and species-unique senses of humanness.
- To provide validated stimuli for future research on the boundaries of humanity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a diverse set of 60 prosocial, nonsocial, and antisocial behaviors.
- Assessed lay perceptions of these behaviors concerning species typicality and uniqueness.
- Provided statistical data including rankings, raw scores, and z-scores.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that people discriminate between species-typical and species-unique behaviors.
- Found that species-unique behaviors distinguish humans from animals.
- Established that species-typical behaviors distinguish humans from robots.
Conclusions:
- Expanded understanding of lay conceptions of humanness by examining behaviors.
- Identified specific behaviors associated with human nature and human uniqueness.
- Offered a validated set of stimuli for researchers exploring the concept of humanness.
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