The Role of Control in Attributing Intentional Agency to Inanimate Objects

By A. Johnson, Justin L. Barrett. 2003

88 citations recorded by the source corpus.

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

WHEN WE NEED A HUMAN: MOTIVATIONAL DETERMINANTS OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM (2008, background): “…with another agent (Berger & Douglas, 1981; Berscheid, Graziano, Monson, & Dermer, 1976), interacting with an apparently unpredictable agent (Barrett & Johnson, 2003), or having a high “need for control” (Burger & Cooper, 1979)—should increase effectance motivation and anthropomorphism,…”
From Trolley to Autonomous Vehicle: Perceptions of Responsibility and Moral Norms in Traffic Accidents with Self-Driving Cars (2016, background): “This effect may be particularly salient with autonomous vehicles because people are more likely to attribute intentional agency to a moving object when they lack control over its movement [18].”
On seeing human: a three-factor theory of anthropomorphism. (2007, background): “In another experiment, participants were more likely to attribute intentionality to the movement of marbles when they were unable to control them (with a magnet) than when they were able to control them (J. L. Barrett & Johnson, 2003).”