Interactional Synchrony Research Articles

Relationship evolution shapes inter-brain synchrony in affective sharing: The role of self-expansion.

The development of social relationships influences a person's self-concept, which in turn affects their perceptions and neural correlates in social interactions. This study employed an EEG-based hyperscanning technique and a longitudinal design to investigate how the evolution of interpersonal relationships impacts inter-brain synchrony during nonverbal social-emotional interactions. The framework for this study is based on the self-expansion model. We found that dyads exhibited enhanced affective sharing abilities and increased brain-to-brain synchrony, particularly in the gamma rhythm across the frontal, parietal, and left temporoparietal regions, after seven months together compared to when they first met. Additionally, the results indicate that inter-brain coupling evolves as relationships develop, with synchrony in nonverbal social-emotional interactions increasing as self-expansion progresses. Crucially, in the deep learning model, interpersonal closeness can be successfully classified by inter-brain synchrony during emotional-social interactions. The longitudinal EEG-hyperscanning design of our study allows for capturing dynamic changes over time, offering new insights into the neurobiological foundations of social interaction and the potential of neural synchrony as a biomarker for relationship dynamics.

Hyperscanning literature after two decades of neuroscientific research: A scientometric review

Hyperscanning, a neuroimaging approach introduced in 2002 for simultaneously recording the brain activity of multiple participants, has significantly contributed to our understanding of social interactions. Nevertheless, the existing literature requires systematic organization to advance our knowledge. This study, after two decades of hyperscanning research, aims to identify the primary thematic domains and the most influential documents in the field. We conducted a scientometric analysis to examine co-citation patterns quantitatively, using a sample of 548 documents retrieved from Scopus and their 32,022 cited references. Our analysis revealed ten major thematic domains in hyperscanning research, with the most impactful document authored by Czeszumski and colleagues in 2020. Notably, while hyperscanning was initially developed for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), our findings indicate a substantial influence of research conducted using electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The introduction of fNIRS and advancements in EEG methods have enabled the implementation of more ecologically valid experiments for investigating social interactions. The study also highlights the need for more research that combines multi-brain neural stimulation with neuroimaging techniques to understand the causal role played by interpersonal neural synchrony in social interactions.

The discovery of synchrony: By means of the projector as a scientific instrument

This article considers the implications for film analysis of the presence or absence of a manual crank. More specifically, it looks at the 16 mm Time and Motion Study Projector as used in behavioral research in the 1960s and 1970s. The controversial concept of ‘interactional synchrony’, or the dance-like coordination of people in conversation, emerged from the use of this hand-turned projector. William S. Condon developed the concept along with the technique of microanalysis. Starting with the projector manufactured by Bell & Howell, he made numerous improvements to facilitate observation—‘sweeping’ over segments of very short duration to discover the rhythmic synchrony of all filmed participants. It led him to a theory of ‘process’ in communication, and in the reception of speech in particular. People always ‘danced’ to the tune of their own voice, and their listeners ‘danced’ to the tune of the speaker—at intervals of one-sixth or one-eighth of a second. This also led Condon to an epistemology of discovery derived partly from philosophy but mostly from his machinery. The universe, he said, is a ‘continuum of order’ whose structures are preserved through translations of order: of thought into speech, speech into vibrations, vibrations into neurons, and back into behavior. The only exceptions are people with disabilities, like the autistics Condon studied from the 1970s onward. But the very distinction of normal and pathological was epiphenomenal to his scanning technique; it was rooted in material and formal qualities of film and of the projector whose crank he turned often.

When the Mess Is the Message: Simultaneous Signing in an ASL Multiparty Interaction

Abstract: This article presents the results of a microanalysis of sequences when two or more deaf signers overlap. This contribution focuses on cooperative overlap —which consists of extended moments of turn-exchanges that move along the unfolding discourse while cohering interlocutors in relation to each other. This aspect of signed interaction has received little scholarly attention but appears to be one crucial part of the "enchronic glue" (Enfield 2022) of language binding interactions (and interactants) together. Little is known about the specific underpinnings of these seemingly messy interactive moments. We seek here to understand how such extended overlaps are achieved by deaf coparticipants where the outcome results in a forward move of the interaction. A total of thirty-three instances of collaborative overlapping signing were identified, accounting for approximately seven out of the seventy-five minute multiparty interaction between four American Sign Language (ASL) signers. Out of these, specific interactional sequences were analyzed using techniques from ethnomethodology and conversation analysis to answer the following question: What embodied practices are used to negotiate overlaps while maintaining interactional synchrony? In addition to lexical repetition strategies identified in earlier work, these closely timed sequences of overlap are successful because they engage multiple articulators coordinated across signers. Further, it appears that these practices that are symbolic of the joint coordination of co-constructed discourse are a behavior that signers both willingly engage in to achieve specific interactive tasks, namely clarification-seeking, confirmation, and coordinated depiction. Results do not only account for how deaf signers achieve collaborative overlaps but also reveal the interactive reasons why signers engage in these seemingly messy moments of interaction.

Interactive synchrony and infants' vagal tone as an index of emotion regulation: associations within each mother- and father-infant dyad and across dyads.

Studies have shown that infants' emotion regulation capacities are closely linked to the quality of parent-infant interactions. However, these links have been mostly studied in mother-infant dyads and less is known about how the quality of father-infant interactions contributes to the development of emotion regulation during infancy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the links between interactive synchrony (i.e., an index of the quality of parent-infant coordination of interactive behaviors) and infants' vagal tone (i.e., a physiological index of emotion regulation). To understand the respective contributions of both parents, as well as the interrelations between the functioning of both dyads within a family, we observed mothers and fathers from 84 families interacting with their infants. Synchrony was assessed by using the CARE-Index; infants' vagal tone was derived from the analysis of infants' electrocardiograms recorded during the interactions. Moreover, to take the play's order into account, we counterbalanced the procedure, so that approximately half of the mothers played first. We specified a first structural equation modeling (SEM) model to investigate the associations between interactive synchrony and the infants' root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), an index of vagal regulation, in the two successive parts of the play. We conducted a multigroup analysis in a second SEM model to investigate the associations of the first SEM model in two groups based on the order of interaction. The results of the SEM models showed that greater synchrony was related to greater infant RMSSD within mother-infant dyads and across one dyad to the other dyad in the full sample and in the group of fathers who interacted first with the infants. The associations between synchrony and infant vagal tone within father-infant dyads never appeared to be significant, nor did any associations within each dyad and across dyads when mothers interacted first. This study highlights that the links between interactions and infants' vagal tone are sensitive to family members' interdependencies and some conditions (the order of interaction).

Women in science: myth, harsh reality, or advantage.

To initiate discussion on women in science, we begin with Gerald Edelman's definition: "Science is imagination in the service of the verifiable truth," which underscores "verifiability," truth reached by evidence, as the pathway science charts to Truth. "Verifiability" is named after the Roman Goddess Veritas, the daughter of Cronos and the mother of Virtus, suggesting that mythology viewed science as embodied by a female, embedded in its historical time, and aimed to breed values. We contemplate three perspectives on the topic and discuss their potential risks. The Veracity (Veritas) Perspective holds that science is impartial to the gender, race, political camp, or religious affiliation of its practitioner and from this perspective "women in sciences" is an oxymoron; science is, essentially, genderless. We argue that this perspective is misleading. Becoming a scientist requires education, resources, encouragement, training, role models, time, and funding, and the lack of such provisions banned women from the gates of Truth. The Harsh Reality perspective brings data presenting a grim picture. From 1902 to 2022 only 3.6% of Nobel Prizes in sciences were awarded to women and percentages of women in top academic positions are a third or lower across the US and Europe despite earning about 50% of PhDs in sciences. We contemplate internal and external reasons for this reality. Finally, the Potential Advantage position asks whether women may have unique sensitivities in the road to cumulative knowledge. We base our discussion on 20th century philosophical models that call to move from the metaphysical and abstract to the daily and contextual in the acquisition of knowledge and on research describing the distinct neural pathways to motherhood and fatherhood. We conclude by highlighting our unique historical time and the emergence of novel topics in neuroscience through the work of female and male scientists; interaction synchrony, inter-brain communication, and social and affiliative neuroscience.

Hyperscanning Studies on Interbrain Synchrony and Child Development: A Narrative Review.

Social interactions between parents and children are closely linked with children's development, and interbrain synchrony has been shown to be a neural marker of social interaction. However, to truly capture the essence of social interactions through interbrain synchrony, it is necessary to simultaneously discuss the parental and child brains and adequately record neurological signals during parent-child interactions in interactive tasks. In the current review, we have reviewed three main contents. First, we discuss the correlation between parent-child interbrain synchrony and the development of cognitive (e.g., emotion regulation, attention, and learning) and behavioral abilities (e.g., cooperation, problem-solving) in children. Second, we examine the different neural mechanisms of interbrain synchrony in mother-child and father-child interactions, aiming to highlight the separate roles of mother and father in child development. Last, we have integrated four methods to enhance interbrain synchrony, including communication patterns, nonverbal behavior, music, and multichannel stimulation. A significant correlation exists between parent-child interbrain synchrony and the development of children's cognitive and behavioral abilities. This summary may be useful for expanding researchers' and practitioners' understanding of the ways in which parenting and the parent-child relationship shape children' cognitive and behavioral abilities.

Using online learner trace data to understand the cohesion of teams in higher education

AbstractBackgroundMaintaining cohesion is critical for teams to achieve shared goals and performance outcomes within a work‐integrated learning (WIL) environment. Cohesion is an emergent state that develops over time, representing the synchrony of different behavioural interactions. Cohesive teams will exhibit such phenomena by their temporal coordination of micro‐level relations.ObjectivesThe primary aim of this study is to examine the cohesion of teams in learning environments using a learning analytics approach.MethodThis study examines teams from higher education who participate in a WIL environment platform working in teams to develop their collaborative problem‐solving skills. Here we show that temporal network motifs can be used as a proxy to measure cohesion.Results and ConclusionsWe illustrate three clusters represented by team learning behaviours and found that each cluster has distinctive interactions with learning resources, performance outcomes, temporal network motif group characteristics and emergence over time using learning analytics.ImplicationsApplying temporal motifs as an analytics‐based measure of cohesion is a starting point for understanding how cohesion develops over time without relying on surveys. We anticipate that the same approaches can be applied in most learning management systems containing trace data of teams and their interactions with learning resources to understand cohesion.

Synchrony in psychotherapy: High physiological positive concordance predicts symptom reduction and negative concordance predicts symptom aggravation.

Therapeutic alliance is often considered as a predictor for therapeutic success. This study explored dyadic synchrony of skin conductance response (SCR) during naturalistic therapeutic interactions and investigated its potential as an objective biomarker for predicting therapy effectiveness. In this proof-of-concept study, skin conductance from both dyad members was continuously measured via wristbands during psychotherapy. Patients and therapists completed post-session reports capturing their subjective appraisal of therapeutic alliance. Additionally, patients completed symptom questionnaires. Each therapeutic dyad was recorded twice in a follow-up design. The first session of the follow-up group was assessed for physiological synchrony (Single Session Index (SSI)). Therapy outcome was captured by the difference between symptom severity scores over time. SCR synchrony significantly predicted the outcome variable of change in patients' global severity index (GSI). High positive SCR concordance was linked to a reduction in patients' GSI, while negative or small positive SSI values were linked to an increase in patients' GSI. The results demonstrate the presence of SCR synchrony in clinical interactions. Skin conductance response synchrony was a significant predictor for change in patients' symptom severity index, emphasizing its potential as an objective biomarker in the context of evidence-based psychotherapy.

Empirical Evidence of Shared Intentionality: Towards Bioengineering Systems Development

This expanded conference paper reports the results of a psychophysiological research study on shared intentionality conducted in 24 online experiments with 405 subjects (208 recipients and 197 contributor-confederates). In this research, we created a bioengineering system for assessing shared intentionality in human groups by modeling mother-neonate dyad properties in subjects during solving unintelligible multiple-choice puzzles. In this model, only the mother (contributor-confederate) knows the correct stimulus and shares this knowledge with the neonate (participant-recipient). The bioengineering system induced interpersonal dynamics in the subjects by stimulating their interactional synchrony, emotional contagion and neuronal coherence. The system collected data by confronting recipients' performance in "primed" and "unprimed" conditions of confederates. These informed contributors knew correct responses only in the "primed" condition and confidently responded on "primed" items. Specifically, in 13 online experiments in mother-child dyads, evidence showed a recipients' performance increase of 48-394%, P-value < 0.001 (62 recipients and 54 confederates) in the “primed” condition of confederates; and in 7 experiments in primary group adults, it showed a performance increase of 143-300%, P-value < 0.002. In experiments in the secondary group, evidence showed a recipients' performance increase only with the UL3 items (a translation of an unfamiliar language, 20 recipients from 41 subjects in experiment No.12). In 3 experiments in 207 secondary group subjects, non-semantic tasks–SL3 (synthetic language) and US3 (two-color unintelligible symbols)–did not stimulate the effect. We also analyzed data confronting the outcome of recipients' performance in the "primed" condition and random value (possible recipients' responses by chance). Comparing the outcomes of these two data-collecting methods and the sample size of the experiments allow for discussing the research method's validity and reliability. The article also shows four factors' domains that contribute to shared intentionality magnitude.

Synchrony in parent-offspring social interactions across development: A cross-species review of rodents and humans.

In humans, parent-child neural synchrony has been shown to support early communication, social attunement and learning. Further, some animal species (including rodents and bats) are now known to share neural synchrony during certain forms of social behaviour. However, very little is known about the developmental origins and sequelae of neural synchrony, and whether this neural mechanism might play a causal role in the control of social and communicative behaviour across species. Rodent models are optimal for exploring such questions of causality, with a plethora of tools available for both disruption/induction (optogenetics) and even mechanistic dissection of synchrony-induction pathways (in vivo electrical or optical recording of neural activity). However, before the benefits of rodent models for advancing research on parent-infant synchrony can be realised, it is first important to address a gap in understanding the forms of parent-pup synchrony that occur during rodent development, and how these social relationships evolve over time. Accordingly, this review seeks to identify parent-pup social behaviours that could potentially drive or facilitate synchrony and to discuss key differences or limitations when comparing mouse to human models of parent-infant synchrony. Uniquely, our review will focus on parent-pup dyadic social behaviours that have particular analogies to the human context, including instrumental, social interactive and vocal communicative behaviours. This review is intended to serve as a primer on the study of neurobehavioral synchrony across human and rodent dyadic developmental models.

Functional interactions among neurons within single columns of macaque V1.

Recent developments in high-density neurophysiological tools now make it possible to record from hundreds of single neurons within local, highly interconnected neural networks. Among the many advantages of such recordings is that they dramatically increase the quantity of identifiable, functional interactions between neurons thereby providing an unprecedented view of local circuits. Using high-density, Neuropixels recordings from single neocortical columns of primary visual cortex in nonhuman primates, we identified 1000s of functionally interacting neuronal pairs using established crosscorrelation approaches. Our results reveal clear and systematic variations in the synchrony and strength of functional interactions within single cortical columns. Despite neurons residing within the same column, both measures of interactions depended heavily on the vertical distance separating neuronal pairs, as well as on the similarity of stimulus tuning. In addition, we leveraged the statistical power afforded by the large numbers of functionally interacting pairs to categorize interactions between neurons based on their crosscorrelation functions. These analyses identified distinct, putative classes of functional interactions within the full population. These classes of functional interactions were corroborated by their unique distributions across defined laminar compartments and were consistent with known properties of V1 cortical circuitry, such as the lead-lag relationship between simple and complex cells. Our results provide a clear proof-of-principle for the use of high-density neurophysiological recordings to assess circuit-level interactions within local neuronal networks.

Exploring Conditions That Strengthen or Weaken the Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Phenological Synchrony.

AbstractClimate change-driven phenological shifts alter the temporal distributions of natural populations and communities, but we have little understanding of how these shifts affect natural populations. Using agent-based models, we show that the interaction of within-population synchrony (individual variation in timing) and timing of interspecific interactions shapes ecological and evolutionary dynamics of populations within a seasonal cycle. Low-synchrony populations had lower survival and biomass but relatively stronger individuals. These effects were surprisingly robust and did not require size-based competitive asymmetries. However, reducing population synchrony could either negatively or positively affect population demography depending on whether the phenology of the focal species was advanced or delayed relative to its competitor. Furthermore, selection for earlier hatching increased when the interspecific competitor arrived earlier and when population synchrony was high. These results emphasize the importance of variation in the phenology of individuals within populations to better understand species interactions and predict ecological and evolutionary outcomes of phenological shifts.

Towards a re‐conceptualization of flow in social contexts

AbstractThe antecedents and outcomes of individual‐level flow are well documented in a large body of literature. However, flow does not only occur in isolation ‐ quite to the contrary, recent evidence suggests that social interaction can facilitate the experience of flow. Therefore, we propose a taxonomy, which distinguishes five different flow states according to two global factors: interactional synchrony and self‐other overlap. Solitary flow bears all characteristics developed by Csikszentmihalyi. Co‐active flow is facilitated or hampered by the presence of other people. Private interactive flow emerges on the grounds of a minimal unidirectional interaction with more passive others; only the active subject is in flow. In shared interactive flow, a fully synchronized activity between group members takes place and all group members are in flow. In group flow, all members reach a level of complete self‐other overlap with the group, which leads to a collective experience of flow on the group‐level. In addition to differences and commonalities of the different types of flow, suggestions for how to induce and study social flow are discussed.

A Case for Playful Engagement: Synchrony and Interaction Quality During Mirroring in ASD. Conceptual Framework and Case Study

The social challenges in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can present as qualitative differences in interactions that make individuals on the autism spectrum appear less engaged with others. Limited interactional synchrony and other nonverbal movement patterns may contribute to these qualitative differences. This article uses the case of Hans, an adult on the autism spectrum, to describe patterns of synchrony and interaction quality during mirroring activities in dance/movement therapy. Raters scored videos of Hans and his partners on affective engagement, flow of the interaction, and interpersonal synchrony. They also qualitatively described his movements and interactions. Hans consistently participated in mirroring, but showed different patterns of attention and engagement when leading, following, interacting, or dancing in an open-ended dance. Hans was able to move in synchrony with partners, showed positive affect, and increased his movement repertoire by returning to others’ movements in later sessions. He was the most engaged when following a playful movement theme with a dance/movement therapy student partner. His affective engagement increased, but only in the less structured open-ended dance and only across the five sessions with this same dance/movement therapy student partner, and not when the sessions with his other partners, including others on the autism spectrum, were included. This points to a potential need to have dance/movement therapists model developing a movement relationship using flexible and playful contexts to emotionally engage the individual and reflect the complexity of everyday social situations. We present clinical recommendations and suggestions for future studies.

Climate-driven variation in biotic interactions provides a narrow and variable window of opportunity for an insect herbivore at its ecological margin.

Climate-driven geographic range shifts have been associated with transitions between dietary specialism and generalism at range margins. The mechanisms underpinning these often transient niche breadth modifications are poorly known, but utilization of novel resources likely depends on phenological synchrony between the consumer and resource. We use a climate-driven range and host shift by the butterfly Aricia agestis to test how climate-driven changes in host phenology and condition affect phenological synchrony, and consider implications for host use. Our data suggest that the perennial plant that was the primary host before range expansion is a more reliable resource than the annual Geraniaceae upon which the butterfly has become specialized in newly colonized parts of its range. In particular, climate-driven phenological variation in the novel host Geranium dissectum generates a narrow and variable 'window of opportunity' for larval productivity in summer. Therefore, although climatic change may allow species to shift hosts and colonise novel environments, specialization on phenologically limited hosts may not persist at ecological margins as climate change continues. We highlight the potential role for phenological (a)synchrony in determining lability of consumer-resource associations at range margins and the importance of considering causes of synchrony in biotic interactions when predicting range shifts. This article is part of the theme issue 'Species' ranges in the face of changing environments (Part II)'.

Parent-Child Synchrony After Early Childhood: A Systematic Review.

Parent-child synchrony, or the coordination of biological and behavioral processes between parent and child, is thought to promote healthy relationships and support youth adjustment. Although extensive work has been conducted on parent-child synchrony during infancy and early childhood, less is known about synchrony in middle childhood and adolescence and the contextual factors that impact synchrony, particularly physiological synchrony. This is a systematic and qualitative review of 37 studies of behavioral and physiological synchrony in parent-child interactions after early childhood (parents with youth ages 5-18). Behavioral and physiological synchrony were typically identified in youth and their parents beyond early childhood and related to positive outcomes; however, research on father-child synchrony is rarer with mixed findings. Multiple factors are associated with synchrony, including parent and youth psychological symptoms and disorders, parenting factors, such as over-controlling parenting, and parent characteristics, such as interparental aggression and conflict. Few studies have examined behavioral and physiological synchrony simultaneously and longitudinally, limiting our ability to understand the relationship between types of synchrony and later adjustment. Available studies suggest that the context, such as presence of psychopathology or exposure to trauma, influences whether synchrony is associated with positive or negative outcomes. This review highlights the need for additional research to understand the relationship between types of synchrony and the long-term effects and contextual factors that impact youth outcomes.

Improvisation and Music Education: From the Sonic to Social Attunement

In order to create a relationship to music, artists first need to create a relationship with their inner sound, and the way in which they approach the manifestation of sound from their instrument (whether it'd be through the use of hands, voice, or a plain manifestation of thoughts). Since this process is dialectic in its nature, the ability to develop this type of responsiveness, sometimes referred to as "attunement", is as important in the musical sphere as it is in social exchanges. Therefore, musical practice can play an important role in developing such aptitude among people of all ages. This paper focuses on the factors that stimulate or inhibit expression, through the lens of western classical and Javanese gamelan musical practice. It will be argued that the change of awareness in individual experience, gained through music improvisation can find its reflection on the interactive synchrony in a larger social and cultural frame.

Impairment of interpersonal synchrony of head rotation movement and its association with autistic traits in childrenwith autism spectrum disorder

<p indent="0mm">A noteworthy characteristic of most social interactions is the coordination of behaviours. One of these is interpersonal motor synchrony, which relates to various aspects of successful social interactions, such as feelings of rapport, formation of a social unity and the quality of relationships. The importance of interpersonal motor synchrony in social interactions makes it a pathway to understanding mental disorders with social deficits, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Individuals with ASD have shown reduced interpersonal motor synchrony in structured interpersonal motor tasks or naturalistic conversations. Moreover, the degree of synchrony of individuals with ASD correlates to symptom severity, social cognition competence, attention problems and communication abilities. However, existing literature mainly focuses on movements of the entire body or limbs. In addition to these aspects, head movements convey communicative information in social interactions. To the best of our knowledge, only one study has examined the interpersonal synchrony of head movement for children with ASD, although the focus was the head displacement in space. Another aspect of head movement, which is rotation, has been overlooked. Therefore, the current study explores the characteristics of the interpersonal synchrony of head rotation movement for children with ASD and the associations between head rotation synchrony and autistic traits. Free play with teachers was selected as the scenario of social interactions. Autistic traits were quantified using the Chinese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children’s Version (AQ-Child). A manual coding method was used to distinguish the episodes of two-way social engagement and one-way adult social engagement, which may affect the interpretation of results. The extraction of head rotation measures was based on the head angles in the directions of yaw, pitch and roll, which were estimated with a deep learning-based algorithm automatically. After pre-processing the raw time series of head angles and segmentation according to social engagement states, angular displacement and velocity were computed in each segment. Windowed cross-correlation was used to compute the interpersonal synchrony. A surrogate analysis method was then used to generate the level of synchrony and thus confirmed the presence of significant synchrony. The coding of social interactions revealed deficits in social reciprocity of children with ASD. The analysis showed that both the children with and without ASD exhibited the interpersonal synchronies of head rotation, which were greater than chance. However, the degree of synchrony of the ASD group was reduced compared with the typically developing control group in the directions of yaw and roll. In addition, the synchrony of head angular displacement in the direction of yaw was negatively correlated with AQ sub-scores of attention switching. Results help to complete the depiction of characteristics of the interpersonal motor synchrony in individuals with ASD, and extend the impairments of the motor synchrony to head rotation movement. More importantly, in contrast to synchrony of entire body and limb movements that relate to a broader set of traits of ASD, synchrony of head rotation specifically relates to attention problems, at least in the areas included in AQ. The decreased synchrony of head rotation indicates that children with ASD may have difficulties in coordinating their attention to the object of their social partners’ attention during naturalistic social interactions, which may contribute to their deficits in social understanding and their odd and one-sided social behaviours.

Empathic accuracy and interpersonal coordination: behavior matching can enhance accuracy but interactional synchrony may not

ABSTRACT The study considered two major facets of interpersonal coordination, namely, behavior matching (posture mirroring) and interactional synchrony, and investigated whether interpersonal coordination enhanced empathic accuracy. Interactional synchrony was further classified into simultaneous movement and interaction rhythms. Participants engaged in an eight-minute conversation with a same-gender unacquainted partner and an empathic accuracy task. Each participant viewed the interaction video and reported their thoughts and feelings at pre-determined points of time. Afterward, they rewatched the video and inferred the thoughts and feelings of their partners. The study employed OpenPose, 2D pose estimation software of human body, to quantify posture and bodily movement, which were used to determine coordination. The results indicated that behavior matching was positively associated with empathic accuracy, whereas rhythmic convergence in synchrony was negatively associated with accuracy in female dyads. The additional analysis explored the temporal relationship between coordination and accuracy, which indicated a cause–effect tendency during interactions.