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Mistaking Randomness for Free Will

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Ebert, J. P., and D. M. Wegner. Mistaking randomness for free will. Consciousness and Cognition 20 (2011) 965-971.pdf (146.34 KB)

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2011

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10.1016/j.concog.2010.12.012

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Elsevier
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Ebert, Jeffrey P. and Daniel M. Wegner. 2011. Mistaking randomness for free will. Consciousness and Cognition 20(3): 965-71.

Abstract

Belief in free will is widespread. The present research considered one reason why people may believe that actions are freely chosen rather than determined: they attribute randomness in behavior to free will. Experiment 1 found that participants who were prompted to perform a random sequence of actions experienced their behavior as more freely chosen than those who were prompted to perform a deterministic sequence. Likewise, Experiment 2 found that, all else equal, the behavior of animated agents was perceived to be more freely chosen if it consisted of a random sequence of actions than if it consisted of a deterministic sequence; this was true even when the degree of randomness in agents’ behavior was largely a product of their environments. Together, these findings suggest that randomness in behavior—one’s own or another’s—can be mistaken for free will.

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free will, determinism, randomness, illusion of conscious will, choice, control, animacy, mind perception

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http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:9029778

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Mistaking Randomness for Free Will… : DASH Story 2013-06-28
The moment I graduated with my BA, I was brutally cut off from the world of scholarship. Even though I'm planning to apply to graduate school, I now have highly restricted access to expensive journal articles that could otherwise help broaden my knowledge base and guide my research interests. Usually I am reduced to reading abstracts, a poor substitute for the in-depth analysis a full journal article will provide. It has been really difficult simply gathering the article base I need to move forward with my studies and my preparation for graduate school. My position is this: knowledge should be free. When I publish my research, I hope to make it as widely accessible to the public as technology permits. Thanks for spear-heading that process!