Why and how people perceive special anthropomorphic agents? How do gods and spirits become real for them? In her research, Jana will focus on the role of culture, which contextually specifies the forms that the special anthropomorphic agents can take in a given environment.
Relying on experimental manipulation, Jana plans to investigate how situational context and priming transform the anthropomorphic agents’ forms and the intensity of the encounter’s experience for people in a state of sensory deprivation. She expects that genetically inherited intuitions on the presence of predators and fear of them in combination with the sensory deprivation and semantic priming will lead to more frequent and more culturally specific experiences of special anthropomorphic agents.
In a new study published in Human Nature, LEVYNA was part of a team lead by A.K. Willard, studying how witchcraft beliefs affect social norms and behaviors. Specifically, researchers investigated whether witchcraft is regarded to be motivated by envy and how this notion influences community interactions. The findings show that, while witchcraft accusations were common, they were mostly directed at persons suspected of acting out of envy.
In an ethnographic survey-based study published in the journal Religions, D. Xygalatas and P. Maňo looked at variation in motivations for ritual practice and how it relates to the socioeconomic status of respondents. The findings indicate that whereas people of lower socioeconomic standing address more immediate concerns related to material security and safety in their ritual practices, people at the other end of the socioeconomic spectrum tend to focus on the fulfillment of spiritual, social, or cultural needs.
