Perceivers can judge acts intentional even when causes are unconscious background factors.

Evidence

Some behavior can be explained in terms of more distal background factors, and yet may be regarded as intentional. Such distal factors summoned for intentionality judgments are termed “causal history of reason” (CHR). Typical examples of CHR include situational forces, actor’s dispositions, social categories and roles, and life history such as their upbringing. CHR may certainly result in beliefbased or desire-based intentions, but the actor does not consciously recognize the causal relationship under normal conditions. To take a concrete example, person may attack someone else because of his aggressive trait or because of psychological stress due to his social circumstances, but normally he would not make a deliberate decision such as “I will hurt him because I am an aggressive person” or “because I am under enormous stress.” — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 146

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the CHR construct distinguishing distal causal factors from conscious reason-based explanations.
• XREF: CHR distinctions could complicate prior claims about how outgroup acts are read as intentional slights or attacks in the prejudice thread.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 146