A third person perspective on mimicry: Inferences regarding observed mimicry along the affiliation and control dimension

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Oliver Genschow
• Subject Area: Social Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 548887513

Individuals have the propensity to automatically imitate each other. An impressive number of studies has shown that such mimicking behavior fulfills an important social function, because it bonds interaction partners more strongly together. Interestingly, past research has almost exclusively investigated consequences of mimicry within interacting dyads. However, many social interactions are not taking place in isolation, but are witnessed by third-party observers. For example, during job interviews, interactions among friends, or televised political debates, interactions between two people are typically observed by other people. This raises the crucial question which impressions third-party observers form from observing mimicry behavior. Surprisingly, this research question has not yet been systematically investigated and we believe that this lack leaves the understanding of the mimicry phenomenon highly incomplete. The present research proposal therefore takes a third-person perspective and systematically investigates possible inferences that people draw from observing mimicry behavior. Previous research suggests that individuals use two primary orthogonal dimensions when perceiving other people: the affiliation and the control dimension (e.g., Carson, 1969). While the control dimension is anchored by dominance and submissiveness, the affiliation dimension is anchored by agreeableness and quarrelsomeness. Our recent empirical finding that individuals mimic others’ behaviors, as compared to those who initiate the behaviors, are perceived as submissive and thus less dominant provides first evidence for a relation between observed mimicry and the control dimension. In the proposed research project, we aim at extending this line of research. The proposed project involves three Work Packages (WPs). WP 1 extends our previous investigations by testing whether observing mimicry causes inferences not only along the control, but also along the affiliation dimension. In addition, we will test the hypothesis that third-party observers perceive a mimicking person as having less power and status than a person who is mimicked. WPs 2 and 3 are conceptualized to increase external validity. WP 2 investigates real-life implications and downstream consequences of the inferences that people draw from observing mimicry by assessing inferences in the work context, the gender backlash effect, voting behavior, as well as punishing decisions. WP 3 investigates real-life social interactions. Specifically, we will videotape participants engaging in actual social interactions and then test whether the amount of mimicry predicts third-party inferences.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Hans Alves