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Ownership and willingness to compete for resources
1Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Canada friedman@uwaterloo.ca; https://uwaterloo.ca/psychology/people-profiles/ori-friedman.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|October 9, 2023
Summary
Boyer's ownership theory suggests intuitions stem from resource competition cues. However, this account may inaccurately predict ownership perceptions and be cognitively demanding.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Ownership intuitions are fundamental to social cognition.
- Existing theories struggle to fully explain the psychological underpinnings of ownership.
- Boyer's proposal links ownership to tracking resource competition motivations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate Boyer's proposed account of ownership intuitions.
- To identify potential limitations and predictive inaccuracies in Boyer's theory.
- To suggest avenues for developing alternative, more robust theories of ownership.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of Boyer's ownership theory.
- Examination of the cognitive feasibility of the proposed mechanisms.
- Comparison of the theory's predictions with existing empirical findings and intuitions.
Main Results:
- Boyer's account may mis-predict certain ownership intuitions.
- The proposed reliance on tracking competitive motivations may be cognitively costly.
- The theory offers valuable insights into handling complex ownership psychology issues.
Conclusions:
- Boyer's ownership theory, while insightful, faces challenges in predictive accuracy and cognitive feasibility.
- Alternative ownership theories can benefit from Boyer's approach to complex psychological issues.
- Further research is needed to refine theories of ownership psychology.
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