The spillover effect of mimicry: Being mimicked by one person increases prosocial behavior toward another person

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

People have the automatic tendency to mimic their interaction partners. Mimicry theories propose that such mimicking behavior is beneficial for the mimicker as mimicked persons tend to like, trust and help the mimicker more. Yet an open question remains as to whether prosocial effects translate to parties other than the mimicker. To test for the presence of such a spillover effect, we ran two field experiments (total N = 460). In all experiments, participants interacted with an experimenter. The experimenter either verbally mimicked the participants or behaved naturally. Afterwards, either the experimenter or another person asked participants to donate to a charity. Across all experiments, our results indicate that irrespective of whether a donation request is made by the mimicker or another person, mimicry increases the likelihood to donate to a charity, but not the amount that participants are willing to donate. Bayesian analyses suggest that this effect is less strongly pronounced than assumed by previous research and theories.
Original languageEnglish
Article number104620
JournalJournal of Experimental Social Psychology
Volume113
Number of pages12
ISSN0022-1031
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.07.2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier Inc.

    Research areas

  • Verbal mimicry, Nonverbal mimicry, Imitation, The chameleon effect, Spillover effect of mimicry, Prosocial behavior, Charity donation, Field study, Social influence
  • Psychology

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. The Interplay Between Supply Chain Transparency and NGO Pressure
  2. Kultur in Interaktion
  3. Hydration and Dehydration of CaO/ Ca(OH)2 and CaCl2 / CaCl2 * 6 H2O– TGA/ DSC studies
  4. The impacts of rare disasters on asset returns and risk premiums in advanced economies (1870–2015)
  5. Verkleben
  6. Gynandromorphy in Eulaema atleticana Nemésio (Apidae, Euglossini)
  7. Crossmodal Associations Between Olfaction and Vision
  8. INSA – Indicator System Sustainable Agriculture
  9. What do first-year students need? Digital badges for academic support to enhance student retention
  10. Nachhaltigkeit als Treiber des Unternehmenserfolgs
  11. Running off the road
  12. Labrets in Africa and Amazonia
  13. Konfliktlösung durch Verhandlung
  14. Mehrsprachigkeit und Interkulturalität in Fremdsprachenportfolios
  15. The romanian grassland database (RGD)
  16. Forming-induced damage and its effects on product properties
  17. ASE
  18. Recent Capital Market Regulatory Developments in Germany and the EU
  19. Opening Minds
  20. Stratification of stakeholders for participation in the governance of coastal social-ecological systems
  21. Assistenz
  22. An Arab Predecessor to Western (Trans-)Secular Thought
  23. Beyond the Market
  24. Multiple
  25. Productivity and the Product Scope of Multi-Product Firms: A Test of Feenstra-Ma
  26. Socioecological Interactions amid Global Change
  27. "Thinking about the unthinkable"
  28. MännerWeltWald
  29. Die Aufgabe der Erinnerung in der Pädagogik
  30. Schreibfähigkeit
  31. Strom aus der Wüste
  32. Monster und Freaks
  33. Armut und Reichtum
  34. Lernumgebungen
  35. Abstimmen wie Zuhause.
  36. Die unsichtbaren Geister des Zuhauses
  37. Maschine
  38. Acs, Zoltan J. and Audretsch, David B. (eds.): Small Firms and Entrepreneurship: An East-West Perspective, Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993.240 pp. E 30.00. ISBN 0-52143115-8.
  39. Organizational Context and Collaboration on International Projects
  40. Militainment als "banaler" Militarismus
  41. Commodity Chains, Rural Development and the Global Agri-food System
  42. Article 3 Universal Application
  43. When You Share, You Should Care