Implicit measures of anthropomorphism: affective priming and recognition of apparent animal emotions

It has long been recognized that humans tend to anthropomorphize. That is, we naturally and effortlessly interpret the behaviors of nonhuman agents in same way human behaviors. This tendency only recently become a subject empirical research. Most this work uses explicit measures. Participants are asked whether they attribute some human-like trait agent on scale. These measures, however, have two limitations. First, do not capture automatic components anthropomorphism. Second, generally track one anthropomorphic result: attribution (or non-attribution) particular trait. However, anthropomorphism can affect how animal behavior other ways as well. For example, grin primate often looks us like smile, but it actually signals state more fear or anxiety. In present work, tested for implicit based an affective priming paradigm. Previous suggests with faces displaying emotional expressions facilitated categorization words into congruent emotion categories. Experiments 1–3, primed participants images animals appear express happy sad emotions, categorize positive negative. Experiment 4 used control. Overall, found consistent congruency effects accuracy response time. appeared be robust older adults. They also emerge processing time, pattern was faces. demonstrates role processes recognition provides potential measure further exploration