Scientific Definition
We treat AI as more humanlike than it is.
Plain-English Definition
We treat AI as more humanlike than it is.
Feynman Explanation
It said 'I think' and we believed it.
Core Principle
We treat AI as more humanlike than it is.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
We treat AI as more humanlike than it is.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
It said 'I think' and we believed it.
Examples
- Users attributing intent and emotion to LLMs.
- Risk of misreading model behavior as agency.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Design interfaces that resist anthropomorphic cues where they mislead.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Design interfaces that resist anthropomorphic cues where they mislead.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Outsourcing thinking to tools shifts what we remember and learn.
Naming an emotion reduces its intensity.
Cumulative physiological wear from chronic stress.
Emotional override of rational processing.
Brain region tracking conflict, error, and effort.
Attention is the most contested resource in modern work.
Task switches leave cognitive residue that degrades performance.
Self-direction is one of the deepest motivational levers.
Willpower fails; structure works.
Boredom triggers creative wandering.
How options are presented changes which ones get chosen.
Too many options produces worse decisions and less satisfaction.