Self-categorization as a basis of behavioural mimicry: Experiments in The Hive

Abstract

Introduction Do we always do what others do, and, if not, when and under what conditions do we do so? In this paper we test the hypothesis that mimicry is moderated by the mere knowledge of whether the source is a member of the same social category as ourselves. Methods We investigated group influence on mimicry using three tasks on a software platform which interfaces with mobile computing devices to allow the controlled study of collective behaviour in an everyday environment. Results Overall, participants (N = 965) were influenced by the movements of confederates (represented as dots on a screen) who belonged to their own category in both purposive and incidental tasks. Conclusion Our results are compatible with collective level explanations of social influence premised on shared social identification. This includes both a heuristic of unintended mimicry (the acts of group members are diagnostic of how one should act), and communication of affiliation (based on a desire to make one’s group cohesive). The results are incompatible with traditional ‘contagion’ accounts which suggest mimicry is automatic and inevitable. The results have practical implications for designing behavioural interventions which can harness the power of copying behaviour, for example in emergency evacuations.

Behavioural responses to Covid-19 health certification: a rapid review

“…Group processes have the potential to amplify these behavioural effects. When those with certificates reduce their protective behaviours, such changes can be seen as normative, leading others in their ingroupincluding those without certificatesto do the same [65][66][67].…”

Re-opening live events and large venues after Covid-19 ‘lockdown’: Behavioural risks and their mitigations

“…Compared to being in a physical crowd (e.g., a shopping centre crowd), among people in a psychological crowd there tends to be more: proximity-seeking ( Neville et al, 2020b , Novelli et al, 2010 , Novelli et al, 2013 ); interaction/talking Drury et al, 2015 ); intimacy/touching ( Hopkins et al, 2019 , Neville and Reicher, 2011 ); mirroring of actions and emotions ( Neville et al, 2020a ); coordinated movement/joint action ( Templeton et al, 2018 ); mutual trust ( Cruwys et al, 2020 ); mutual concern and helping ( Drury et al 2015 ); and willingness to make personal sacrifices for others and for the collective good ( Hopkins and Reicher, 2017 ). Crucially, this will be the case among strangers and casual acquaintances in the crowd, as well as within groups of friends/family.…”

Evacuation Behavior in a Subway Train Emergency: A Video-based Analysis

“…Specifically, unrelated individuals within the same emergency may come to identify with one another and to share an identity as a realization of the common threat and fate they share together. This can have a profound impact on how individuals coordinate, self-organize, and offer help to one another (Drury, 2018; Neville et al, 2020). In order to better understand the emergence of shared identity we need to know more about the process.…”