Publication details
Mezi lidmi a věcmi: Experimentální výzkum vlivu prostředí na prosociální jednání
| Title in English | Between humans and things: Effect of environmental cues on prosocial behavior |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Sociální studia |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | webová stránka periodila |
| Field | Philosophy and religion |
| Keywords | material culture prosocial behavior environmental structures |
| Description | Religious worlds are from a great extent built-up with the help of materiality. They consist of variety of votive objects a complex architectural structures as well as artifacts of everyday use. In this paper I present a theoretical background that render religious places as an active cognitive environment. Paper also discusses several experimental studies to support this argument. I will start with the notion of natural life environment and its influence on behavior through direct perception to later portray the culturally modified environment as interlocked set of material objects and surrounding social practices. Thinking as a situated process can be understood as sort of interaction between humans and other objects within their life environment. This point becomes clearer as we intentionally seek to uncover the links and interfaces between humans and things and more so so as we bring forward those types of connections where external objects are a vital part of thinking whole with their specific contributions in higher cognitive competencies of humans. Prosocial behavior can be one of those abilities deemed as a specifically human competence. I will present the example of recent research of influence of anthropomorphic representations in prosocial behavior and offer some possible explanations for these interactions. |