The mind in the object-Psychological valuation of materialized human expression

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Consumer Psychology
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Symbolic material objects, like art and artifacts, derive value from the fusion of expression and materialization.
• Handmade and original items are often valued over machine-made or duplicate ones, suggesting a psychological basis for this preference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the psychological mechanism behind the heightened valuation of symbolic material objects.
• To determine the conditions under which creators' agency and the symbolic properties of objects influence perceived value.
• To differentiate this valuation mechanism from other psychological explanations like uniqueness or scarcity.

Main Methods:

• Six experiments were conducted where participants rated various objects.
• Object properties (symbolic, functional, aesthetic), production methods (handmade, machine-made), and information origin (person, software) were systematically varied.
• Participant perceptions of creator agency and object symbolism were assessed.

Main Results:

• The proposed mechanism, linking creator agency and symbolic salience to value, was confirmed for symbolic objects.
• This effect was not observed for functional or aesthetic objects.
• Established psychological theories (e.g., uniqueness, scarcity) did not fully explain the observed valuation of symbolic objects.

Conclusions:

• The coactivation of an object's symbolic property and the creator's perceived agency significantly increases its perceived value.
• This valuation mechanism is specific to symbolic objects and represents a uniquely human capacity for appreciating embodied personal expression.
• The findings offer a universal framework for understanding value judgments in the domain of symbolic material culture.