Abstract
To coordinate our actions with those of others, it is crucial to not only choose an appropriate category of action but also to execute it at an appropriate timing. It is widely documented that people tend to unconsciously mimic others' behavior. The present study show that people also tend to modify their movement timing according to others' movements even when the observed and the to-be-executed movements are unrelated. Observers viewed either point-light biological motion, scrambled biological motion, or solid object motion. The stimulus sequence was presented at three different (half, normal, and double) rates. After a 300-2400-ms blank period, the observers performed a simple choice reaction-time task that was unrelated to the presented stimulus sequence. The observation of the biological motion produced a negative correlation between reaction time and stimulus speed, whereas no such trend was observed with the scrambled or solid object motion. Furthermore, speed-dependent modulation occurred only when the task was imposed within approximately 1 s after the offset of the biological motion. These results suggest that behavioral tempo may be contagious; the speed of others' movements may automatically influence the timing of movement execution by the observer.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1514-1524 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Cognition |
| Volume | 106 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 Mar |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Biological motion
- Imitation
- Reaction time
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Language and Linguistics
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Linguistics and Language
Cite this
Behavioral speed contagion : Automatic modulation of movement timing by observation of body movements. / Watanabe, Katsumi.
In: Cognition, Vol. 106, No. 3, 03.2008, p. 1514-1524.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Behavioral speed contagion
T2 - Automatic modulation of movement timing by observation of body movements
AU - Watanabe, Katsumi
PY - 2008/3
Y1 - 2008/3
N2 - To coordinate our actions with those of others, it is crucial to not only choose an appropriate category of action but also to execute it at an appropriate timing. It is widely documented that people tend to unconsciously mimic others' behavior. The present study show that people also tend to modify their movement timing according to others' movements even when the observed and the to-be-executed movements are unrelated. Observers viewed either point-light biological motion, scrambled biological motion, or solid object motion. The stimulus sequence was presented at three different (half, normal, and double) rates. After a 300-2400-ms blank period, the observers performed a simple choice reaction-time task that was unrelated to the presented stimulus sequence. The observation of the biological motion produced a negative correlation between reaction time and stimulus speed, whereas no such trend was observed with the scrambled or solid object motion. Furthermore, speed-dependent modulation occurred only when the task was imposed within approximately 1 s after the offset of the biological motion. These results suggest that behavioral tempo may be contagious; the speed of others' movements may automatically influence the timing of movement execution by the observer.
AB - To coordinate our actions with those of others, it is crucial to not only choose an appropriate category of action but also to execute it at an appropriate timing. It is widely documented that people tend to unconsciously mimic others' behavior. The present study show that people also tend to modify their movement timing according to others' movements even when the observed and the to-be-executed movements are unrelated. Observers viewed either point-light biological motion, scrambled biological motion, or solid object motion. The stimulus sequence was presented at three different (half, normal, and double) rates. After a 300-2400-ms blank period, the observers performed a simple choice reaction-time task that was unrelated to the presented stimulus sequence. The observation of the biological motion produced a negative correlation between reaction time and stimulus speed, whereas no such trend was observed with the scrambled or solid object motion. Furthermore, speed-dependent modulation occurred only when the task was imposed within approximately 1 s after the offset of the biological motion. These results suggest that behavioral tempo may be contagious; the speed of others' movements may automatically influence the timing of movement execution by the observer.
KW - Biological motion
KW - Imitation
KW - Reaction time
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=38649124025&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=38649124025&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cognition.2007.06.001
DO - 10.1016/j.cognition.2007.06.001
M3 - Article
VL - 106
SP - 1514
EP - 1524
JO - Cognition
JF - Cognition
SN - 0010-0277
IS - 3
ER -