How People Attribute Minds to Non-Living Entities

Cognitive biases are a central element of human cognition. One of the biases that intriguing cognitive scientist and psychologist most would be Theory of Mind, the cognitive capacity to ascribe mental states to others, animals, and even non-living entities. According to previous studies on mind perception, mental states people perceive can be classified into two categories, “Experience” and “Agency.” “Experience” is referred to the capacity for sensation and feeling, while “Agency” is the capacity to intend and to act. Moreover, perceived lower “Experience” was the critical element in the perception of non-living entities (e.g., robots). However, it is unclear whether these findings of mind perception have the cultural universality. The present study investigated the two-dimensional structure of mind perception and the characteristics of the perception of non-living entities with a sample of Japanese youth. The results of two surveys showed that Japanese youth perceived mind on the same two dimensions as previous studies and that they attributed lower “Experience” to non-living entities than living entities. These results support the view that mind perception structure may be similar among cultures.