Traditionally, ritual has been studied from broad sociocultural perspectives, with little
consideration of the psychological processes at play. Recently, however, psychologists have …

Social norms are communally agreed upon, morally significant behavioral standards that
are, at least in part, responsible for uniquely human forms of cooperation and social …

Human cooperation is highly unusual. We live in large groups composed mostly of non-
relatives. Evolutionists have proposed a number of explanations for this pattern, including …

In this paper we outline a framework for the study of the mechanisms involved in the
engagement of human agents with cultural affordances. Our aim is to better understand how …

Around the world and throughout history, in cultures as diverse as ancient Mesopotamia and
modern America, human beings have been compelled by belief in gods and developed …

Why do religious people believe what they shouldn't--not what others think they shouldn't
believe, but things that don't accord with their own avowed religious beliefs? D. Jason Slone …

The cognitive science of religion is a rapidly growing field whose practitioners apply insights
from advances in cognitive science in order to provide a better understanding of religious …

Newell (1980; 1990) proposed that cognitive theories be developed in an effort to satisfy
multiple criteria and to avoid theoretical myopia. He provided two overlapping lists of 13 …

Long a fascinating but problematic category of religious studies," syncretism" is an elastic
term that describes a wide range of practices characterized by the mixing or overlap of …

Following decades of prohibition and widespread concern about their mind-altering
properties, there is increasing public, scholarly, and clinical interest in the therapeutic …