Cognitive mechanisms for responding to mimicry from others
- PMID: 26877104
- DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.02.006
Cognitive mechanisms for responding to mimicry from others
Abstract
Compared to our understanding of neurocognitive processes involved producing mimicry, the downstream consequences of being mimicked are less clear. A wide variety of positive consequences of mimicry, such as liking and helping, have been reported in behavioural research. However, an in-depth review suggests the link from mimicry to liking and other positive outcomes may be fragile. Positive responses to mimicry can break down due to individual factors and social situations where mimicry may be unexpected. It remains unclear how the complex behavioural effects of mimicry relate to neural systems which respond to being mimicked. Mimicry activates regions associated with mirror properties, self-other processing and reward. In this review, we outline three potential models linking these regions with cognitive consequences of being mimicked. The models suggest that positive downstream consequences of mimicry may depend upon self-other overlap, detection of contingency or low prediction error. Finally, we highlight limitations with traditional research designs and suggest alternative methods for achieving highly ecological validity and experimental control. We also highlight unanswered questions which may guide future research.
Keywords: Imitation; Mimicry; Neurocognitive models; Nonverbal behaviour.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Similar articles
-
The antecedents and consequences of human behavioral mimicry.Annu Rev Psychol. 2013;64:285-308. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143754. Epub 2012 Sep 27. Annu Rev Psychol. 2013. PMID: 23020640 Review.
-
Cognitive underpinnings of social interaction.Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2015;68(3):417-32. doi: 10.1080/17470218.2014.973424. Epub 2014 Nov 18. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2015. PMID: 25405540 Review.
-
Social Mimicry Enhances Mu-Suppression During Action Observation.Cereb Cortex. 2015 Aug;25(8):2076-82. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhu016. Epub 2014 Feb 13. Cereb Cortex. 2015. PMID: 24532320
-
Resisting motor mimicry: control of imitation involves processes central to social cognition in patients with frontal and temporo-parietal lesions.Soc Neurosci. 2010;5(4):401-16. doi: 10.1080/17470911003687905. Epub 2010 Apr 15. Soc Neurosci. 2010. PMID: 20401807
-
Mimicry and helping behavior: an evaluation of mimicry on explicit helping request.J Soc Psychol. 2011 Jan-Feb;151(1):1-4. doi: 10.1080/00224540903366701. J Soc Psychol. 2011. PMID: 21375122
Cited by
-
Embodied self-other overlap in romantic love: a review and integrative perspective.Psychol Res. 2021 Apr;85(3):899-914. doi: 10.1007/s00426-020-01301-8. Epub 2020 Feb 15. Psychol Res. 2021. PMID: 32062730 Review.
-
Post-interaction neuroplasticity of inter-brain networks underlies the development of social relationship.iScience. 2024 Jan 4;27(2):108796. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108796. eCollection 2024 Feb 16. iScience. 2024. PMID: 38292433 Free PMC article.
-
Mimicking and anticipating others' actions is linked to Social Information Processing.PLoS One. 2018 Mar 28;13(3):e0193743. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193743. eCollection 2018. PLoS One. 2018. PMID: 29590127 Free PMC article.
-
Testing the relationship between mimicry, trust and rapport in virtual reality conversations.Sci Rep. 2016 Oct 14;6:35295. doi: 10.1038/srep35295. Sci Rep. 2016. PMID: 27739460 Free PMC article.
-
Social signalling as a framework for second-person neuroscience.Psychon Bull Rev. 2022 Dec;29(6):2083-2095. doi: 10.3758/s13423-022-02103-2. Epub 2022 Jun 1. Psychon Bull Rev. 2022. PMID: 35650463 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources