Between humans and things: effect of environmental cues on prosocial behavior
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| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | The relation of material culture and human behavior has always been one of the key issues in the study of culture and social life. Last few decades has witnessed theoretical debates and new methodological developments that brought up some very promising insights into the profound connections between humans and things. Newly emerged cognitive theories and related methods understand thinking to be an environmentally seated process. They bring together both humanists and experimentally oriented researchers since expertize from both camps is very often needed. Currently, there are several experimental approaches from which scholars of religion can benefit when studying the influence of materiality on cognitive processes in religious rituals. Here I would like to present two methods. The first one refers to effects of environmental cues on the cooperative behavior and decision making. The second approach shows how the use of culturally appropriated tools helps to understand the ongoing activity and foresee its future direction. I will present several studies both from field and laboratory that shows the practical usefulness of these approaches. |