Group membership does not modulate automatic imitation

Bibliographic Data

ID21533041
AuthorsOliver Genschow (0000-0001-6322-4392, TH Köln - University of Applied Sciences, corresponding author), Mareike Westfal (0000-0003-4693-6835, University of Cologne), Emiel Cracco (0000-0003-4043-5992, Ghent University), Jan Crusius (0000-0002-9403-6084, University of Cologne)
Year2022
Volume86
Issue3
Pages780-791
Publication date2022-04-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychological Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0340-0727 • E-ISSN: 1430-2772
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s00426-021-01526-1
PMID34109471
OpenAlexW3168452305
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited71

Individuals have the automatic tendency to imitate each other. A key prediction of different theories explaining automatic imitation is that individuals imitate in-group members more strongly than out-group members. However, the empirical basis for this prediction is rather inconclusive. Only a few experiments have investigated the influence of group membership using classic automatic imitation paradigms and these experiments led to mixed results. To put the group membership prediction to a critical test, we carried out six high-powered experiments (total N = 1538) in which we assessed imitation with the imitation-inhibition task and manipulated group membership in different ways. Evidence across all experiments indicates that group membership does not modulate automatic imitation. Moreover, we do not find support for the idea that feelings of affiliation or perceived similarity moderate the effect of group membership on automatic imitation. These results have important implications for theories explaining automatic imitation and contribute to the current discussion of whether automatic imitation can be socially modulated

Cognitive psychology · Feeling · Imitation · Action Observation and Synchronization · Computer Science · Engineering · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access