Abstract
Mind attribution to nonhuman agents is claimed to be the base of ascribing moral rights to them. It is sufficiently common to be considered a human universal, and the way it is done is related with a range of personal and animal-related factors. The aim of the present study was to identify the folk representations that underlie the attribution of emotions and complex mental states to two local primate species and a range of wild and domestic animals. For this, we conducted a series of semi-structured interviews to a convenience sample of 23 women and men from the community of Conhuas, Campeche, situated near the Biosphere Reserve of Calakmul in southern Mexico. Data from the interviews were analyzed via a qualitative content analysis. We found that the nature of mental states ascribed to animals is based on a set of triggering factors that include behavioral expressions, animal characteristics, and circumstances in which these behaviors occur that altogether point to an underlying mental state. We discuss these results considering the potential cognitive processes involved in these attributions.
Resumen
Se argumenta que la atribución de estados mentales a agentes no-humanos constituye la base para la asignación de derechos morales a éstos. La atribución de emociones y otros estados mentales a especies animales es común y se ha encontrado relacionada a una serie de factores personales y de características de los animales, entre otros. El presente estudio tuvo por objetivo conocer las representaciones mentales populares que subyacen la adscripción de estados mentales complejos y emociones a dos especies locales de primates, así como a una serie de animales domésticos y silvestres. Para ello realizamos entrevistas semi-estructuradas a una muestra de 23 hombres y mujeres en la comunidad de Conhuas, Campeche, situada cerca de la Reserva de la Biosfera de Calakmul en el sur de México. Las entrevistas se analizaron mediante un análisis de contenido cualitativo. Encontramos que la atribución de estados mentales se asocia a una serie de factores desencadenantes como expresiones conductuales, características de los animales y circunstancias en las que estas conductas ocurren, que en conjunto reflejan un estado mental subyacente. Los resultados se discuten a la luz de los potenciales procesos cognitivos asociados a estas atribuciones.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Sociodemographic Information of Participants
Folio |
Sex |
Age |
Occupation |
State of origin |
Actual place of residencea |
Did one of your parents spoke an indigenous language? (indigenous language) |
Do you speak an indigenous language? |
Last study grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Male |
18 |
Farmer |
Campeche |
Conhuas |
No |
No |
Secondary education |
2 |
Female |
26 |
Museum worker |
Campeche |
Conhuas |
Yes (Chol and Tzeltal) |
Yes |
Secondary education |
3 |
Male |
35 |
Farmer |
Chiapas |
Concepcion |
No |
No |
Secondary education |
4 |
Male |
28 |
Unemployed |
Campeche |
Conhuas |
Yes (Totonac) |
No |
Secondary education |
5 |
Female |
21 |
Student |
Campeche |
Xpujil |
No |
No |
None |
6 |
Male |
30 |
Gardener |
Chiapas |
Becam |
No |
No |
Primary education |
7 |
Female |
54 |
Housewife |
Tabasco |
Conhuas |
Yes |
No |
Primary education |
8 |
Female |
36 |
Housewife |
Chiapas |
Conhuas |
No |
No |
Secondary education |
9 |
Male |
33 |
Farmer |
Campeche |
Conhuas |
No |
No |
Secondary education |
10 |
Male |
31 |
Farmer |
Veracruz |
Conhuas |
No |
No |
High school |
11 |
Female |
58 |
Housewife |
Veracruz |
Conhuas |
No |
No |
Primary education |
12 |
Male |
37 |
Farmer |
Veracruz |
Conhuas |
Yes (Totonac) |
No |
Secondary education |
13 |
Male |
82 |
Farmer |
Campeche |
Conhuas |
Yes (Maya) |
Yes |
None |
14 |
Female |
22 |
Unemployed |
Campeche |
Conhuas |
Yes (Tzeltal and Chol) |
Yes |
Secondary education |
15 |
Male |
40 |
Farmer |
Chiapas |
Conhuas |
Yes (Zoque) |
Yes |
Primary education |
16 |
Male |
34 |
Farmer |
Veracruz |
Conhuas |
No |
No |
Primary education |
17 |
Male |
23 |
Museum worker |
Chiapas |
Huehuejuez |
No |
No |
None |
18 |
Male |
66 |
Farmer |
Veracruz |
Conhuas |
Yes (Totonac) |
No |
Primary education |
19 |
Female |
36 |
Housewife |
Campeche |
Conhuas |
Yes (Maya) |
No |
Secondary education |
20 |
Female |
35 |
Housewife |
Veracruz |
Conhuas |
No |
No |
Primary education |
21 |
Male |
45 |
Gardener |
Campeche |
Santa Lucía |
No |
No |
Secondary education |
22 |
Female |
30 |
Housewife, beekeeper |
Campeche |
Conhuas |
Yes (Tzeltal) |
Yes |
Secondary education |
23 |
Male |
45 |
Employee |
Campeche |
Timun |
Yes (Maya) |
Yes |
High school |
Appendix 2: List of Animal Cards Shown to Participants
Order |
Common name |
Taxonomic name |
|---|---|---|
Primate |
Howler monkey |
Alouatta pigra |
Spider monkey |
Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis |
|
Carnivora |
Dog |
Canis lupus familiaris |
Gray fox |
Urocyon cinereoargenteus |
|
Jaguar |
Panthera onca |
|
Raccoon |
Procyon lotor |
|
Artiodactyla |
Cow |
Bos taurus |
Deer |
Odocoileus virginianus |
|
Pig |
Sus scrofa ssp. domesticus |
|
White collared peccary |
Pecari tajacu |
|
Pilosa |
Anteater |
Tamandua mexicana |
Galliformes |
Chicken |
Gallus gallus domesticus |
Ocellated Turkey |
Meleagris ocellata |
|
Piciformes |
Toucan |
Ramphastos sulfuratus |
Psittaciformes |
Yellow-lored amazon |
Amazona xantholora |
Passeriformes |
Yucatan magpie |
Cyanocorax yucatanicus |
Rodentia |
Yucatec mouse |
Peromyscus yucatanicus |
Squamata |
Snake |
Bothrops asper |
Hymenoptera |
Ant |
Atta cephalotes |
Bee |
Apis mellifera |
|
Scorpiones |
Scorpion |
Centruroides gracilis |
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Urquiza-Haas, E.G., Martínez, R.I.O., Kotrschal, K. (2020). Mental State Attribution to Nonhuman Primates and Other Animals by Rural Inhabitants of the Community of Conhuas Near the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. In: Urbani, B., Lizarralde, M. (eds) Neotropical Ethnoprimatology. Ethnobiology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27504-4_2
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