Introduction to the Special Issue on Psychology and Property

I briefly introduce a Special Issue on the psychological study of property law, theory, and doctrine. The Issue builds on a 2008 Panel at the annual American Psychology/Law Society Conference that brought together legal academics, psychologists, and policy-makers working at the crossroads of psychology and property. Our goal is to lay the groundwork for a mutually beneficial relationship between legal psychologists and property scholars. In this Introduction I preview the Issue's four Articles, which review or present original empirical research in four areas: the psychology of quot;home;quot; intuitions about first possession and ownership; how individuals see property rights in art; and whether notions of ownership rights change simply because of how quot;propertyquot; is defined. Our goal is to prompt empirical research in four broad areas with implications for property law, theory, and policy: (1) What benefits emerge from a psychological view of property law, and what questions can the law give to empirical researchers? (2) Does property law reflect lay intuitions, and does empirical research support black-letter law? (3) Are views of property and ownership innate? (4) Are those views malleable; if so, with what policy implications?