User:Prokope45/Agent detection
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Evolutionary origins
It is believed that humans evolved agent detection as a survival strategy. In situations where one is unsure of the presence of an intelligent agent (such as an enemy or a predator), there is survival value in assuming its presence so that precautions can be taken. For example, if a human came across an indentation in the ground that might be a lion's footprint, it is advantageous to err on the side of caution and assume that the lion is present.[1]
Psychologists Kurt Gray and Daniel Wegner wrote:[2]
| “ | The high cost of failing to detect agents and the low cost of wrongly detecting them has led researchers to suggest that people possess a Hyperactive Agent Detection Device, a cognitive module that readily ascribes events in the environment to the behavior of agents. | ” |
Detecting false positives enabled animals to survive and have higher fitness as missing a false positive can result in injury or death. This decision process can be mapped as below using Signal Detection Theory:
| Response Present | Response Absent | |
|---|---|---|
| Stimuli Present | Miss | Hit |
| Stimuli Absent | Correct Rejection | False Positive |
Many animals exhibit agency detention when avoiding or hunting other animals. To avoid or approach, an animal must be able to observe and interpret another animal’s action tendency and decide whether to flee or resist an attack. Often, this response is facilitated through instinctual reactions. However, humans and other primates are capable of projecting a theory of mind to other agents to better understand them. Humans in particular attribute intentions to agents to project beliefs or to infer emotions, and involves two steps[3]:
- An action tendency is recognized by the hypersensitive agency detection.
- After recognition of the action, attribution of the agent is considered to understand the agent’s beliefs, desires, and intentions.
- Second step represents mentalization (theory of mind) for humans in particular.
References
- ^ Henig, Robin Marantz (Mar 4, 2007). "Darwin's God (Page 4)". The Times Magazine. NYTimes.com. Retrieved Dec 21, 2010.
- ^ Gray, Kurt; Daniel Wegner (Feb 2010). "Blaming God for Our Pain: Human Suffering and the Divine Mind". Personality and Social Psychology Review. 14 (1). Sage: 9–10. doi:10.1177/1088868309350299. PMID 19926831. S2CID 18463294. Archived from the original on 2014-11-06. Retrieved Dec 21, 2010.
- ^ Kühnen, Ulrich (July 2021). "Agency-Detection". Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3011-1. Retrieved 28 March 2024.