The role of free will beliefs in social behavior: Priority areas for future research

Tom St Quinton; David Trafimow; Oliver Genschow

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2023.103586

The role of free will beliefs in social behavior: Priority areas for future research

Conscious Cogn. 2023 Oct:115:103586. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103586. Epub 2023 Oct 12.

Authors

Tom St Quinton¹, David Trafimow², Oliver Genschow³

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology and Therapeutic Studies, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds, UK. Electronic address: t.stquinton@leedstrinity.ac.uk.
² Department of Psychology, New Mexico State University, NM, USA. Electronic address: dtrafimo@nmsu.edu.
³ Institute for Management and Organization, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany. Electronic address: oliver.genschow@leuphana.de.

PMID: 37837797
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103586

Abstract

Recent research has examined the consequences that holding views about free will has on social behavior. Specifically, through manipulating people's belief in free will, researchers have tested the psychological and behavioral consequences of free will belief change. However, findings of such manipulations have been shown to be relatively small and inconsistent. The purpose of this paper is to outline four key areas for researchers in this area to consider. We believe considering these areas will give a more nuanced understanding of the role of free will beliefs.

Keywords: Belief in free will; Beliefs; Manipulation; Social behavior.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Personal Autonomy*
Social Behavior*