INTERHYTHM · Rhythms In Social Interaction

Rhythms In Social Interaction

What is the problem/ issue being addressed? This project investigates behavioural mimicry, which is a form of interpersonal coordination, whereby people unconsciously and effortlessly copy each other's postures or body movement during conversation. It is believed to act as a “social glue” in social interactions, by helping to build relationships and bond people together. Indeed, many research findings attest the positive and social consequences associated with mimicry like: increased rapport, trust, pro-social behaviour, and perceived smoothness in interaction. However, such positive consequences of mimicry have been inconsistently replicated. A closer look at the various movement factors that might modulate mimicry perception might shed some more light on the issue of positive consequences of being mimicked. Moreover, the neural mechanisms which detect and respond to mimicry from another are not known. Why is it important for society? It has been suggested that mimicry is an ‘honest signal’ used in all human societies. People increase mimicry toward others when they have a motivation to, for example when the other person is attractive or nice. In return, people who are mimicked may show positive responses including liking and trust towards the mimicker, although these effects are not always reliable. Mimicry is thought to make social interactions run more smoothly, and has been shown to improve negotiation outcomes. On the basis of these positive effects, mimicry has been recommended as a technique for business schools & police training. By better understanding the factors that modulate the reception of mimicry, we can understand how more applied approaches to achieve its positive consequences can be implemented. The overall objectives of the projects are twofold: 1. To understand the movement factors that modulate behavioural and neural responses to being mimicked and 2. To develop and validate a novel paradigm, combining VR, motion tracking and fNIRS, to investigate the influence of these factors in a naturalistic yet experimentally controlled way.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union