God's Mind on Morality

Most research on cognition behind religious belief assumes understanding of other minds is culturally uniform and follows the Western model of mind, which posits (a) others’ thoughts can be known, and (b) action is best explained by mental state inference. This is potentially problematic if, as a growing body of evidence suggests, other populations view minds differently. We recruit Indigenous iTaukei Fijians who hold 1) a model of mind that discourages mental state inference and 2) co-existing Christian (Western) and traditional supernatural agent beliefs. Study 1 (N=108), uses free-listing to examine how Western and local models of mind relate to beliefs. The Christian God cares about internal states and traits (aligning with the Western model of mind). Study 2 tests whether evoking God triggers intent focus in moral reasoning. Instead, God appears to enforce cultural models of mind in iTaukei (N=151) and North Americans (N=561). Expected divine judgment mirrors human judgment; iTaukei (N=90) expect God to emphasize outcome, while Indo-Fijians (N=219) and North Americans (N=412) expect God to emphasize intent. When reminded to think about thoughts, iTaukei (N=72) expect God to judge outcomes less harshly. Results suggest cultural/ cognitive co-evolution: introduced cultural forms can spread new cognitive approaches, while Indigenous beliefs can persist as a reflection of local institutions.