TY - JOUR

T1 - Anticipated imitation of multiple agents

AU - Galang, Carl Michael

AU - Cracco, Emiel

AU - Brass, Marcel

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors

PY - 2024/8/1

Y1 - 2024/8/1

N2 - It is well-established that people tend to mimic one another's actions, a crucial aspect of social interactions. Anticipating imitation has been shown to boost motor activation and reaction times for congruent actions. However, prior research predominantly focused on dyads, leaving gaps in our knowledge regarding group dynamics. This study addresses this gap, conducting three experiments using extensive online data. Participants engaged in anticipated imitation tasks with one versus three virtual agents. The results across all three experiments (n = 77; n = 239; n = 457) consistently support the existence of an anticipated imitation effect, with faster reaction times for congruent actions. Furthermore, the research unveils a social facilitation effect, with participants reacting more swiftly when anticipating three agents compared to one. However, we did not find the expected increase of the congruency effect with multiple agents; rather, the data indicates that anticipating multiple agents instead decreases this effect. These findings are discussed within the framework of ideomotor theory, offering insights into how they relate to recent research on the automatic imitation of multiple agents.

AB - It is well-established that people tend to mimic one another's actions, a crucial aspect of social interactions. Anticipating imitation has been shown to boost motor activation and reaction times for congruent actions. However, prior research predominantly focused on dyads, leaving gaps in our knowledge regarding group dynamics. This study addresses this gap, conducting three experiments using extensive online data. Participants engaged in anticipated imitation tasks with one versus three virtual agents. The results across all three experiments (n = 77; n = 239; n = 457) consistently support the existence of an anticipated imitation effect, with faster reaction times for congruent actions. Furthermore, the research unveils a social facilitation effect, with participants reacting more swiftly when anticipating three agents compared to one. However, we did not find the expected increase of the congruency effect with multiple agents; rather, the data indicates that anticipating multiple agents instead decreases this effect. These findings are discussed within the framework of ideomotor theory, offering insights into how they relate to recent research on the automatic imitation of multiple agents.

KW - Action anticipation

KW - Anticipated imitation

KW - Multiple agents

KW - Management studies

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85193929392&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105831

DO - 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105831

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 38797053

VL - 249

JO - Cognition

JF - Cognition

SN - 0010-0277

M1 - 105831

ER -