Automatic imitation in a rich social context with virtual characters.

Xueni Pan,Antonia F De C Hamilton

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00790

Abstract

It has been well established that people respond faster when they perform an action that is congruent with an observed action than when they respond with an incongruent action. Here we propose a new method of using interactive Virtual Characters (VCs) to test if social congruency effects can be obtained in a richer social context with sequential hand-arm actions. Two separate experiments were conducted, exploring if it is feasible to measure spatial congruency (Experiment 1) and anatomical congruency (Experiment 2) in response to a VC, compared to the same action sequence indicated by three virtual balls. In Experiment 1, we found a robust spatial congruency effect for both VC and virtual balls, modulated by a social facilitation effect for participants who felt the VC was human. In Experiment 2 which allowed for anatomical congruency, a form by congruency interaction provided evidence that participants automatically imitate the actions of the VC but do not imitate the balls. Our method and results build a bridge between studies using minimal stimuli in automatic interaction and studies of mimicry in a rich social interaction, and open new research venue for future research in the area of automatic imitation with a more ecologically valid social interaction.

Highlights

Mapping one’s own body and actions to the body and actions of others is a core mechanism for social cognition
This is in line with our prediction that spatial congruency between the participant’s drums and the Virtual Characters (VCs) drums should lead to purely spatial effects
When taking into account participant’s reported level of social evaluation (SE) of the VC, we found a main effect of form and a formSE interaction

Summary

Introduction

Mapping one’s own body and actions to the body and actions of others is a core mechanism for social cognition. Multiple studies have shown that people respond faster and more accurately when they have the chance to perform an action that is congruent with an observed action than when they respond with an incongruent action (Brass et al, 2000; Stürmer et al, 2000; Cook and Bird, 2011). The majority of these studies use very minimal stimuli (e.g., an image of an isolated hand). We test if social congruency effects can be obtained in a richer social context with sequential hand-arm actions performed by a virtual character (VC). We further explore if these effects are modulated by spatial congruency or by anatomical congruency. We review past studies on social action congruency effects, and on the use of VCs to explore social interaction

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion