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Exploring the psychological origin of religious beliefs: A re-examination of the "Theory of Mind hypothesis"

Research Project

Project/Area Number 19K14370
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section Basic Section 10010:Social psychology-related
Research InstitutionJapan Women's University (2022)
Waseda University (2019-2021)

Principal Investigator

ISHII Tatsunori  日本女子大学, 人間社会学部, 准教授 (40708989)

Project Period (FY) 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
Keywords宗教的信念 / 心の理論 / 共感的関心 / 宗教認知科学 / メタ分析 / 潜在連合テスト / 潜在的指標 / 潜在的態度
Outline of Research at the Start

たとえ特定の宗教への信仰を持たずとも、例えば「困ったときには思わず神頼みをしてしまう」とか「神社・仏閣で神聖な何かがいるように感じてしまう」といった経験を持つ人は少なくないだろう。このように信仰の有無とは別に、素朴に神様や精霊といった存在を素朴に認める人は多くいる。ではこうした“神・精霊を信じる気持ち”は、一体どこからやってくるのだろう?本研究では、この問題について近年提唱された“心の理論仮説”の妥当性を検証することを目的とする。具体的には、メタ分析、“神を信じる気持ち”の非意識的側面を測定する測度の開発、そして文化比較研究を実施し、“神・精霊を信じる気持ち”の心理的な由来を探求する。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that mentalizing ability is the cognitive foundation of belief in supernatural agents or religious belief. To test this "mentalizing hypothesis," we recruited large samples of Japanese adults and children. We also assessed mentalizing ability from multiple perspectives using the Empathy Quotient (EQ, Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright, 2004), the Reading Minds in the Eyes test (RMET, Baron-Cohen et al., 2001), and the Empathic Concern subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI-EC, Davis, 1983). As a result, the EQ and the IRI-EC showed a stronger relationship (i.e., effect size) to the individual differences in religious belief, rather than the RMET. We discussed that the emotional aspect of mentalizing plays an important role in the development of religious beliefs.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

神仏や精霊などの超自然的存在が存在すると信じる気持ちを宗教的信念と呼ぶ。この宗教的信念がどのような心的基盤から形成されているのかを探るための研究を実施した。その結果、生物・非生物問わずに対象の動きに「心」を見出す能力である「心の理論」の関与が認められた。特に、対象の心に注意を向けてしまう人ほど、物理的実体としては存在しないはずの神仏や精霊を心を持つ存在と認識する結果、「存在する」と信じる可能性が示唆された。

Report

(5 results)
  • 2022 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • 2019 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (14 results)

All 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 Other

All Journal Article (4 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results,  Peer Reviewed: 3 results,  Open Access: 4 results) Presentation (8 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 3 results) Book (1 results) Remarks (1 results)

  • [Journal Article] The rationality of religion as adaptive heuristics2022

    • Author(s)
      中分遥・石井辰徳
    • Journal Title

      Cognitive Studies: Bulletin of the Japanese Cognitive Science Society

      Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Pages: 433-445

    • DOI

      10.11225/cs.2022.035

    • ISSN
      1341-7924, 1881-5995
    • Year and Date
      2022-09-01
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Do Empathetic People Have Strong Religious Beliefs? Survey Studies with Large Japanese Samples2022

    • Author(s)
      Ishii Tatsunori、Watanabe Katsumi
    • Journal Title

      The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion

      Volume: 0 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-18

    • DOI

      10.1080/10508619.2022.2057059

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Caring about you: the motivational component of mentalizing, not the mental state attribution component, predicts religious belief in Japan2021

    • Author(s)
      Ishii Tatsunori、Watanabe Katsumi
    • Journal Title

      Religion, Brain & Behavior

      Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Pages: 361-370

    • DOI

      10.1080/2153599x.2021.1939767

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Theory of Mind or Moral Concern? Social Cognitive Ability and Religious Belief in Japan2019

    • Author(s)
      Ishii, T., & Watanabe, K.
    • Journal Title

      PsyArXiv

      Volume: -

    • DOI

      10.31219/osf.io/98k4v

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] 公募シンポジウム「宗教的信念の形成・獲得に対する発達科学アプローチ」2022

    • Author(s)
      石井辰典
    • Organizer
      日本心理学会第86回大会
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] 公募シンポジウム「宗教の認知科学とその文化普遍性・文化特異性:日本の視座から基盤理論を問い直す」2021

    • Author(s)
      石井辰典
    • Organizer
      日本心理学会第85回大会
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] Religious belief and social cognitive ability in Japan: A meta-analytic assessment.2021

    • Author(s)
      Ishii, T., & Watanabe, K.
    • Organizer
      The 32nd International Congress of Psychology
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report 2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] 宗教的信念と共感性の関連:向社会的宗教の文化進化理論に基づく検討2020

    • Author(s)
      石井辰典・渡邊克巳
    • Organizer
      日本人間行動進化学会第13回大会
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] Belief in gods and cultural transmission: Pre-registered replication of Gervais & Najle (2015) using the International Social Survey Programme Data2020

    • Author(s)
      Ishii, T., & Watanabe, K.
    • Organizer
      The 21st Annual Convention of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Theory of mind or moral concern? Social cognitive ability and religious belief in Japan.2019

    • Author(s)
      Ishii, T., & Watanabe, K.
    • Organizer
      The 58th Annual Conference of Taiwan Psychological Association
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] 宗教的信念と文化伝達:International Social Survey Programme データによる Gervais & Najle (2015) の事前登録済み追試2019

    • Author(s)
      石井辰典・渡邊克巳
    • Organizer
      日本社会心理学会第60回大会
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] 心の理論か、道徳的関心か?:宗教的信念と社会的認知能力の関連2019

    • Author(s)
      石井辰典・渡邊克巳
    • Organizer
      日本心理学会第83回大会
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
  • [Book] 広がる! 進化心理学2023

    • Author(s)
      小田亮・大坪庸介(編) 鮫島和行・大平英樹・竹澤正哲・坂口菊恵・齋藤慈子・中西大輔・玉井颯一・村山航・三船恒裕・小林春美・豊川航・内藤淳・石井辰典・平石界・安藤寿康・喜入暁
    • Total Pages
      196
    • Publisher
      朝倉書店
    • ISBN
      9784254523065
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Remarks] 第5回犬山認知行動研究会議・プログラム

    • URL

      https://sites.google.com/view/inu-kai5/home/program?authuser=0

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report

URL: 

Published: 2019-04-18   Modified: 2024-01-30  

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