Exploring Individual Factors Influencing Interpersonal Objectification: The Role Of Theory Of Mind Activation II - Info and Reading Options

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Interpersonal objectification refers to a specific form of dehumanization where others are perceived as mere objects. According to Martha Nussbaum (1995), this psychological process involves treating other individuals as instruments to achieve personal goals, perceiving them as passive, violable, interchangeable, and lacking autonomy, subjectivity, and self-determination, either partially or entirely. Such denial of others' humanity often leads to the legitimization of immoral actions against individuals or entire groups, resulting in numerous negative psychological and social effects (Volpato, 2011). Research on this topic primarily focused on analyzing the effects of objectification in the context of sexuality (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997; Heflick & Goldenberg, 2014). More recently, an increasing number of studies have shifted attention to the objectification of others in the workplace. These studies have revealed that individuals in positions of power tend to systematically objectify their subordinates (Gruenfeld et al., 2008), and job characteristics themselves can occasionally lead to perceiving certain types of workers as objects or tools (Andrighetto, 2017). However, knowledge regarding objectification beyond the realms of sexuality and the workplace remains limited, with little understanding of the factors that may facilitate or inhibit this process in everyday social exchanges. Insights from social cognition studies indicate that behavior towards others is often influenced by perceived characteristics and attributed qualities, and recognizing others as human beings is an operation that yields variable outcomes (Fiske, 2009). A key aspect in acknowledging others' humanity is the assumption of the other's perspective, a multidimensional process based on the ability to understand one's own and others' mental (cognitive level) and emotional (affective level) states (Oswald, 1996). The capacity of an individual to attribute mental and emotional states to oneself and others, and to utilize this knowledge in understanding and predicting one's own and others' behavior, has long been analyzed by theorists in the Theory of Mind (ToM) framework (Premack & Woodruff, 1978). Scholars in this field have primarily focused on the development of this capacity during childhood and any psychological issues arising from deficiencies in ToM (Baron Cohen, Leslie, & Frith, 1985; Leslie, 1987; Baron Cohen, 1995). Given that the ability to recognize and comprehend others' mental and emotional states can vary significantly among individuals (Schurz, 2021), and that the level of attributing such states can influence the formation of attitudes towards others and subsequent behaviors (Fiske, 2009), it is crucial to understand the relationships between the ability to understand and assume the perspective of others and the tendency towards objectification. Furthermore, considering that studies on the need for cognitive closure (NFCC) have revealed a diminished capacity for empathy and perspective-taking (Webster et al., 2003; Webster & Kruglanski, 2011), and this effect has been attributed to the specific cognitive effort required to activate ToM (Lin et al., 2010; Bradford et al., 2015), which is undesired by individuals with high NFCC, it is vital to investigate whether this individual factor also plays a role in the objectification of others. The present study is part of a broader research project aimed at investigating whether individual Theory of Mind (ToM) stimulation can mitigate objectifying behaviors towards others. Building upon the findings of our previous correlational study (registered on OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5Y2XZ), which revealed a negative association between ToM and objectification of both others and relationships, the current study seeks to experimentally validate these findings. Participants will be activated ToM by exposing them to an extract from an animated film including scenes that elicits mentalizing (for a similar procedure, see Hortensius et al., 2021). More specifically, depending on the experimental condition, participants will be asked to focus on emotions felt by the characters (condition of activation of affective TOM) or on their intentions and states of mind (condition of activation of cognitive TOM). These two experimental conditions will be compared with a control one, in which participants will be exposed to a short documentary about a big European city. After the experimental manipulation, all three groups will be asked to imagine a scenario in which the possibility of winning a large sum of money through a fictional TV quiz show will be made salient. They will participate in the quiz with one of two partners, each described with either a focus on social and emotional aspects (partner A) or specific quiz-related skills (partner B). The tendency to objectify others will be measured by the propensity to choose partner B. We hypothesize that participants in the condition of affective and cognitive TOM activation will display a lesser inclination to objectify others in the subsequent task, compared to participants who do not receive a prompt to utilize ToM (Hypothesis 1a). Moreover, considering the outcomes of our aforementioned study regarding the differential impact of cognitive and affective ToM on the objectification of others, the present study aims to examine whether affective ToM exerts a more substantial influence in reducing objectification compared to cognitive ToM. Consequently, we propose an alternative hypothesis whereby participants prompted to utilize affective ToM, when exposed to an objectifying situation, are expected to demonstrate lower levels of objectification compared to participants prompted to employ cognitive ToM or those not prompted to utilize ToM at all (Hypothesis 1b). Furthermore, it is hypothesized that the relationship between ToM and objectification will be moderated by the individual's need for cognitive closure (NFCC). Specifically, the effect of ToM stimulation is expected to be more pronounced among participants with lower levels of NFCC and attenuated among those with higher levels of NFCC (Hypothesis 2). Finally, given that narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy (Dark Triad) are personality traits commonly associated with a greater propensity for manipulating others and a diminished regard for others' emotional states (Schimmenti et al., 2019), it is hypothesized that these traits will moderate the relationship between ToM and objectification of others. Specifically, the effect of ToM stimulation is anticipated to be stronger among participants with lower levels of Dark Triad traits and weaker among those with higher levels of Dark Triad traits (Hypothesis 3). It is noteworthy that all the outlined hypotheses will be verified by controlling for the participants’ general tendency to recognize mental and affective states in others and self, which will be measured before exposing participants to the experimental manipulation.

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