March for unity: A study on an effect of synchronized actions to perceived closeness

Abstract

The ability to imitate allows rapid learning. Through imitation, similarity in behaviors promotes a sense of belonging and closeness among individuals. This study investigated whether the relationship between synchronized movements and psychological closeness is also found from an observer’s perspective. Participants in this study generally attributed a higher degree of closeness to demonstrators who shared identical or reverse-synchronized walking patterns. The results suggest that walking synchronicity referred not only to identical movements but also other possible forms of patterned movements. Secondly, participants in three age groups shared similar judgments on closeness, which suggests a basic pattern-hunting tendency which is not constrained by age or experience. Thirdly, even autistic participants showed use of synchronicity cues in closeness ranking judgments. In general, the findings indirectly support the embedded cognition that bodily movement could be one of the factors which are engaged directly in cognitive processing.