The Effects of Synchronization With Either Joyful or Angry People on Perception of an Emotionally Neutral Person

Synchronization has been shown to play an important role in social life through its effects on interactions between people and the quality of these interactions. However, little is known about how observing synchronization affects perceptions of the synchronized individuals. This paper examines how...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mikołaj Biesaga, Paweł Motyka, Andrzej Nowak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for Psychology 2018-12-01
Series:Social Psychological Bulletin
Online Access:https://spb.psychopen.eu/article/26821/download/pdf/
_version_ 1828080613501960192
author Mikołaj Biesaga
Paweł Motyka
Andrzej Nowak
author_facet Mikołaj Biesaga
Paweł Motyka
Andrzej Nowak
author_sort Mikołaj Biesaga
collection DOAJ
description Synchronization has been shown to play an important role in social life through its effects on interactions between people and the quality of these interactions. However, little is known about how observing synchronization affects perceptions of the synchronized individuals. This paper examines how observed synchronization influences perceptions of a neutral person depending on the emotional valence of the faces with which they are synchronized. Two different forms of synchronization were used in these studies: synchronous flashing of faces and faces moving in a common direction. We hypothesized that observed synchronization biases the perception of emotions expressed by a neutral person and an observer’s attitude towards this person. These effects are expected to be congruent with the valence of the synchronizing faces. The results showed a divergent pattern of effects for different forms of synchronization. In Study 1, synchronous flashing biased only the perceived emotions. In Study 2, synchrony of movement affected participants’ attitudes towards the observed person. Our findings suggest that the form of observed synchrony is an important factor in drawing inferences about individuals.
first_indexed 2024-04-11T03:21:36Z
format Article
id doaj.art-954f3ff8984b4778bd0b7f1606186c35
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1896-1800
2569-653X
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-11T03:21:36Z
publishDate 2018-12-01
publisher PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for Psychology
record_format Article
series Social Psychological Bulletin
spelling doaj.art-954f3ff8984b4778bd0b7f1606186c352023-01-02T08:43:33ZengPsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for PsychologySocial Psychological Bulletin1896-18002569-653X2018-12-0113411910.32872/spb.v13i4.2682126821The Effects of Synchronization With Either Joyful or Angry People on Perception of an Emotionally Neutral PersonMikołaj Biesaga0Paweł Motyka1Andrzej Nowak2University of WarsawUniversity of Warsaw University of Social Sciences and Humanities in WarsawSynchronization has been shown to play an important role in social life through its effects on interactions between people and the quality of these interactions. However, little is known about how observing synchronization affects perceptions of the synchronized individuals. This paper examines how observed synchronization influences perceptions of a neutral person depending on the emotional valence of the faces with which they are synchronized. Two different forms of synchronization were used in these studies: synchronous flashing of faces and faces moving in a common direction. We hypothesized that observed synchronization biases the perception of emotions expressed by a neutral person and an observer’s attitude towards this person. These effects are expected to be congruent with the valence of the synchronizing faces. The results showed a divergent pattern of effects for different forms of synchronization. In Study 1, synchronous flashing biased only the perceived emotions. In Study 2, synchrony of movement affected participants’ attitudes towards the observed person. Our findings suggest that the form of observed synchrony is an important factor in drawing inferences about individuals.https://spb.psychopen.eu/article/26821/download/pdf/
spellingShingle Mikołaj Biesaga
Paweł Motyka
Andrzej Nowak
The Effects of Synchronization With Either Joyful or Angry People on Perception of an Emotionally Neutral Person
Social Psychological Bulletin
title The Effects of Synchronization With Either Joyful or Angry People on Perception of an Emotionally Neutral Person
title_full The Effects of Synchronization With Either Joyful or Angry People on Perception of an Emotionally Neutral Person
title_fullStr The Effects of Synchronization With Either Joyful or Angry People on Perception of an Emotionally Neutral Person
title_full_unstemmed The Effects of Synchronization With Either Joyful or Angry People on Perception of an Emotionally Neutral Person
title_short The Effects of Synchronization With Either Joyful or Angry People on Perception of an Emotionally Neutral Person
title_sort effects of synchronization with either joyful or angry people on perception of an emotionally neutral person
url https://spb.psychopen.eu/article/26821/download/pdf/
work_keys_str_mv AT mikołajbiesaga theeffectsofsynchronizationwitheitherjoyfulorangrypeopleonperceptionofanemotionallyneutralperson
AT pawełmotyka theeffectsofsynchronizationwitheitherjoyfulorangrypeopleonperceptionofanemotionallyneutralperson
AT andrzejnowak theeffectsofsynchronizationwitheitherjoyfulorangrypeopleonperceptionofanemotionallyneutralperson
AT mikołajbiesaga effectsofsynchronizationwitheitherjoyfulorangrypeopleonperceptionofanemotionallyneutralperson
AT pawełmotyka effectsofsynchronizationwitheitherjoyfulorangrypeopleonperceptionofanemotionallyneutralperson
AT andrzejnowak effectsofsynchronizationwitheitherjoyfulorangrypeopleonperceptionofanemotionallyneutralperson