Action Alters Object Identification: Wielding a Gun Increases The Bias to See Guns

作者：Witt Jessica K^*; Brockmole James R

来源：Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance , 2012, 38(5): 1159-1167.

DOI：10.1037/a0027881

• object perception
• common coding
• threat perception
• guns

Stereotypes, expectations, and emotions influence an observer%26apos;s ability to detect and categorize objects as guns. In light of recent work in action-perception interactions, however, there is another unexplored factor that may be critical: The action choices available to the perceiver. In five experiments, participants determined whether another person was holding a gun or a neutral object. Critically, the participant did this while holding and responding with either a gun or a neutral object. Responding with a gun biased observers to report %26quot;gun present%26quot; more than did responding with a ball. Thus, by virtue of affording a perceiver the opportunity to use a gun, he or she was more likely to classify objects in a scene as a gun and, as a result, to engage in threat-induced behavior (raising a firearm to shoot). In addition to theoretical implications for event perception and object identification, these findings have practical implications for law enforcement and public safety.

• 出版日期2012-10