Week 5 - Lecture 5 Flashcards
What is a commonly accepted definition of religion (Iron, 2016)?
A belief in an unseen order that defines the highest good, accompanied by symbols that help people live in harmony with it, and emootional commiment to that harmony
How does Durkheim define religion?
A unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, which unites people into a moral community
What is religiosity?
The adherence to beliefs, doctrines, ethics, rituals and practices associated with a higher power and organized group
What are the dimensions of religiosity?
Affiliation (membership), Participation (eg. service attendance), and Identity (eg. belonging or importance)
What does it mean to say “humans are a religious animal”?
most humans, globally, hold some form of supernatural belief, often shaped by geographical upbringing
What does geographical determinism in religion mean?
The religion a person follows is most strongly predicted by where they were raised
Why might randomness lead to religious belief? (Kay et al., 2010)
When people feel a lack of control due to randomness, belief in a controlling higher power can reduce anxiety
In the Kay et al. study, what increased belief in God?
Priming participants with words related to randomness and not giving them an alternative explanation (eg. pill)
What is the moral oversight hypothesis for religion?
Religion evolved to act as a “moral monitor” in large groups where individual behaviour can’t be directly observed
What experimental evidence supports religion as oversight?
Participants who were primed to believe in a ghost (or saw eye images) were less likely to to cheat in experiment
What is Theory of Mind (ToM)?
The ability to understand that others can have beliefs different from your own
At what age do children typically pass false belief tasks?
Between 4 and 6 years old
How does ToM relate to belief in God?
Children can distinguish fallible human minds, but consistently attribute omniscience to God
What did Barrett et al. find about children’s beliefs in God?
Even at age 6, children believed that God knows what’s in a trick box, while humans do not
What was the role of novel agents like Heroman and Mr. Smart?
Children attributed extraordinary knowledge to new fictional agents after brief introduction - like they do to God
What does this suggest about children’s reasoning?
Children are predisposed to accept agents with extraordinary mental capacities, even when just introduced
How do children judge religious vs non-religious stories?
By age 6, they were more likely to believe religious stories (with references to God) were real
What increased belief in religious stories?
Familiarity with the story and high family religiosity.
Did family religiosity affect belief in non-religious stories?
No, only religious stories were affected.
Where do most people get their religious beliefs?
From trusted members of their social group, especially family (Boyer, 2001).
What are the main functions of ritual in religion?
Transmit norms, signal commitment, build cohesion, trigger emotion, reinforce morality, and indoctrinate.
What is causal opacity in ritual?
It’s unclear how the action leads to any specific outcome.
What is goal demotion in ritual?
The reason for the action is unclear or unnecessary for a goal.
What increases the chance that a child will copy a behavior as a ritual?
High causal opacity, goal demotion, and repetition.
