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Knowledge central: A central role for knowledge attributions in social evaluations.

John Turri1, Ori Friedman2, Ashley Keefner3

  • 1a Philosophy Department and Cognitive Science Program , University of Waterloo , Waterloo , ON , Canada.

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|January 30, 2016
PubMed
Summary

People judge agents should act when they possess knowledge, not just belief or certainty. Knowledge attributions, not certainty, explain how people make decisions based on statistical evidence, known as the Wells effect.

Keywords:
Knowledgedecision makingoutside/inside evidencesocial evaluationstheory of mind

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Social evaluations often depend on an agent's mental states regarding propositions.
  • The distinction between belief, certainty, and knowledge in influencing judgments is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of knowledge attributions versus belief and certainty in social evaluations.
  • To determine if knowledge attributions mediate the Wells effect in decision-making based on statistical evidence.

Main Methods:

  • Five experiments involving 1710 participants were conducted.
  • Participants rated agent actions based on manipulated agent mental states (belief, certainty, knowledge).
  • The mediating role of knowledge and certainty attributions in the Wells effect was examined.

Main Results:

  • Knowledge attributions, more than belief or certainty, significantly predicted judgments about whether an agent should act.
  • Knowledge attributions, but not certainty attributions, were found to mediate the Wells effect.

Conclusions:

  • Knowledge attributions play a central role in guiding social evaluations and action judgments.
  • Understanding knowledge attribution is crucial for explaining decision-making processes, particularly concerning statistical evidence.