Imitation as social influence
Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Chapter › peer-review
Authors
People have the automatic tendency to imitate their interaction partner. Such imitative behavior can operate as a form of social influence through two different pathways. On the one hand, the imitation pathway considers imitative behavior itself as a form of social influence, where the actions of others influence one's own behavior by triggering engagement in the same actions. On the other hand, the being imitated pathway relates to the idea that being imitated by a person has several downstream consequences for the person being mimicked, but also other parties. In this chapter, we review the underlying mechanisms of these two pathways and critically evaluate its supporting evidence. At the end, we propose avenues for future research to further investigate the link between imitation and social influence.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Research Handbook on social influence |
Editors | Radmila Prislin |
Number of pages | 16 |
Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing |
Publication date | 28.02.2025 |
Pages | 227-242 |
ISBN (print) | 978 1 03530 966 5 |
ISBN (electronic) | 9781035309672 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 28.02.2025 |
- Psychology - automatic imitation, mimicry, social influence, being imitated, being mimicked, pro-social consequences