Perceptual teleology: expectations of action efficiency bias social perception.

ABSTRACT: Primates interpret conspecific behaviour as goal-directed and expect others to achieve goals by the most efficient means possible. While this teleological stance is prominent in evolutionary and developmental theories of social cognition, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. In predictive models of social cognition, a perceptual prediction of an ideal efficient trajectory would be generated from prior knowledge against which the observed action is evaluated, distorting the perception of unexpected inefficient actions. To test this, participants observed an actor reach for an object with a straight or arched trajectory on a touch screen. The actions were made efficient or inefficient by adding or removing an obstructing object. The action disappeared mid-trajectory and participa

SUBMITTER: Hudson M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6111183 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature