Imitation and interindividual differences: Belief in free will is not related to automatic imitation

It is well known that individuals have the tendency to automatically imitate each other and that such imitative behavior is fostered by perceiving intentions in others’ actions. That is, past research has shown that perceiving an action as internally driven enhances the shared representation of observed and executed actions increasing automatic imitation. An interpersonal factor that increases the perception that a behavior is internally driven is belief in free will. Consequently, we hypothesized that the more individuals believe in free will, the more they automatically imitate others. To test this prediction, we conducted two high-powered (total N = 642) and preregistered studies in which we assessed automatic imitation with the imitation-inhibition task. Contrary to our predictions, belief in free will did not correlate with automatic imitation. This finding contributes to current findings challenging the assumption that automatic imitation is modulated by interindividual differences. Further theoretical implications are discussed.

Anticipated Action and Attention

Past research has shown that merely anticipating a certain action in someone else leads observers to engage in the anticipated action—a phenomenon called anticipated action. In a standard experiment on anticipated action, participants watch video clips of a model engaging in triggering events such as nose wrinkling or hair falling. A typical finding is that when observing nose wrinkling, participants engage in more nose scratching actions than hair stroking actions and vice versa for observing hair falling. While past research suggested that this effect is due to inferring a desire in others to act, an alternative explanation is that observing a triggering event in someone else guides attention towards respective body parts facilitating any action towards this body part. In two experiments we set this explanation to a critical test. The results speak against attention as driving process and in favor of inferring a desire in others to act, because guiding attention to the location of the triggering event did not result in anticipated action effects. This result has important implications for research on anticipative processes and imitative behavior.

Childhood Abuse and Adult Sociocognitive Skills: Distinguishing Between Self and Other Following Early Trauma

Experience of childhood abuse (CA) impairs complex social functioning in children; however, much less is known about its effects on basic sociocognitive processes and even fewer studies have investigated these in adult survivors. Using two behavioral tasks, this study investigated spontaneous theory of mind (ToM) and imitative behavior in 41 women with CA and 26 unaffected comparison (UC) women. In the spontaneous ToM task, UCs showed a larger ToM index than CAs, indicating more facilitation by knowledge of another’s false belief. In the imitation–inhibition task, CAs experienced less interference than UCs when observing another’s incongruent movements. After controlling for depression, differences in ToM became marginally significant, yet remained highly significant for inhibiting imitative behavior. The findings suggest CA survivors have altered perspective-taking and are less influenced by others’ perspectives, potentially due to changes in self-other distinction. Clinical implications regarding therapeutic practice with survivors of CA are discussed.

Childhood abuse and adult socio-cognitive skills: Distinguishing between self and other following early trauma

Experience of childhood abuse impairs complex social functioning in children; however, much less is known about its effects on basic socio-cognitive processes and even fewer studies have investigated these in adult survivors. Using two behavioral tasks, this study investigated spontaneous theory of mind (ToM) and imitative behavior in 41 women with childhood abuse (CA) and 26 unaffected comparison women (UC). In the spontaneous ToM task, UCs showed a larger ToM index than CAs, indicating more facilitation by knowledge of another’s false belief. In the imitation-inhibition task, CAs experienced less interference than UCs when observing another’s incongruent movements. After controlling for depression, differences in ToM became marginally significant, yet remained highly significant for inhibiting imitative behavior. The findings suggest childhood abuse survivors have altered perspective-taking, and are less influenced by others’ perspectives, potentially due to changes in self-other distinction. Clinical implications regarding therapeutic practice with survivors of childhood abuse are discussed.

Fanaticism of a Korean Boy Band, “Shinee” as Perceived by K-Popers “Shinee World Indonesia” in Karawang Regency

Korean popular music, or broadly known as K-Pop, is the most noticeable example of hallyu-wave products. Actors, actresses, soloists, duos, and groups consisting of several members are considered as K-Pop performers. In Korea, such performers are popular by the term “idol”. Those who idolize a particular idol, whether it is soloist or group, often join a fans-club called “fandom”. Teenagers as common members of fandom will identify and try to behave in similar way to their idols. Looking at that phenomenon, this study aims to find the motive behind K-Popers “SHINee World Indonesia” fanaticism of a Korean boy band, SHINee.This study applies qualitative method, a research method which is defined as an attempt to get a better understanding regarding the complexity of human interaction. It results in several keywords of qualitative research: process, understanding, complexity, interaction, and human. The researchers adopt qualitative method with phenomenology approach, due to the fact that the research object is closely related to the motive behind K-popers fanatics and their imitative behavior. The researchers realize that the motive and imitative behavior of K-Popers fanatics are processed within themselves, not by the visible behaviors in the outside.This phenomenology research tries to gain knowledge regarding how an early fan constructs the important meaning and concepts in inter-subjectivity frame. Fanaticism process is triggered by a motive which is divided into four reasons: (1) generating interest, (2) knowledge, (3) satisfaction, and (4) absorbing “SHINee” as a part of fanaticism lifestyles.