journal.pone.0241227.pdf (1.14 MB)
Self-categorization as a basis of behavioural mimicry: experiments in The Hive
Version 2 2023-06-12, 09:34
Version 1 2023-06-09, 22:00
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-12, 09:34 authored by Fergus G Neville, John DruryJohn Drury, Stephen D Reicher, Sanjeedah ChoudhurySanjeedah Choudhury, Clifford Stott, Roger Ball, Daniel C RichardsonIntroduction Do we always do what others do, and, if not, when and under what conditions do we do so? In this paper we test the hypothesis that mimicry is moderated by the mere knowledge of whether the source is a member of the same social category as ourselves. Methods We investigated group influence on mimicry using three tasks on a software platform which interfaces with mobile computing devices to allow the controlled study of collective behaviour in an everyday environment. Results Overall, participants (N = 965) were influenced by the movements of confederates (represented as dots on a screen) who belonged to their own category in both purposive and incidental tasks. Conclusion Our results are compatible with collective level explanations of social influence premised on shared social identification. This includes both a heuristic of unintended mimicry (the acts of group members are diagnostic of how one should act), and communication of affiliation (based on a desire to make one’s group cohesive). The results are incompatible with traditional ‘contagion’ accounts which suggest mimicry is automatic and inevitable. The results have practical implications for designing behavioural interventions which can harness the power of copying behaviour, for example in emergency evacuations.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
PLoS OneISSN
1932-6203Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)External DOI
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10Volume
15Page range
1-17Article number
a0241227Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2020-10-30First Open Access (FOA) Date
2020-11-03First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2020-10-29Usage metrics
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