The Folk Concept of Intentionality

@article{Malle1997TheFC,
  title={The Folk Concept of Intentionality},
  author={Bertram F. Malle and Joshua Knobe},
  journal={Journal of Experimental Social Psychology},
  year={1997},
  volume={33},
  pages={101-121}
}
  • B. Malle, J. Knobe
  • Published 1 March 1997
  • Psychology
  • Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Abstract When perceiving, explaining, or criticizing human behavior, people distinguish between intentional and unintentional actions. To do so, they rely on a shared folk concept of intentionality. In contrast to past speculative models, this article provides an empirically based model of this concept. Study 1 demonstrates that people agree substantially in their judgments of intentionality, suggesting a shared underlying concept. Study 2 reveals that when asked to define directly the… 
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