# The Role of Control in Attributing Intentional Agency to Inanimate Objects **Abstract:** Previous research into the perception of agency has found that objects in twodimensional displays that move along non-inertial-looking paths are frequently attributed intentional agency, including beliefs and desires. The present experiment re-addressed this Žnding using a tangible, interactive, electromagnetic puzzle. The experimental manipulation was whether or not participants controlled the electromagnet that moved the marbles along unexpected trajectories. Thirty-one college undergraduates participated. Participants who lacked control over the movement of the marbles were signiŽcantly more likely to attribute agency to the marbles. Participants in control of the display rarely attributed intentional agency to the marbles. Implications are discussed for the identiŽcation of agents in the real world. The role of control in attributing intentional agency to inanimate objects “You stupid computer!” is not an uncommon exclamation heard within ofŽce buildings. Likewise, perfectly intelligent, rational adults frequently talk to their cars, tools, and other inanimate objects as if they were intentional agents with minds. “Ah ha! That’s where you have been hiding, you naughty keys.” One of the most important cognitive competencies people have for surviving and thriving in the natural world and as social beings is the ability to detect intentional agents in the environment. Intentional agents, ¤ 170 Spring House Road, Goshen, VA, 24439; e-mail: [email protected] ¤¤ Calvin College **Authors:** [[barrett and johnson]]