Let's dance together: synchrony, shared intentionality and cooperation.

Previous research has shown that the matching of rhythmic behaviour between individuals (synchrony) increases cooperation. Such synchrony is most noticeable in music, dance and collective rituals. As well as the matching of behaviour, such collective performances typically involve shared intentional...

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Main Authors: Paul Reddish, Ronald Fischer, Joseph Bulbulia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23951106/?tool=EBI
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author Paul Reddish
Ronald Fischer
Joseph Bulbulia
author_facet Paul Reddish
Ronald Fischer
Joseph Bulbulia
author_sort Paul Reddish
collection DOAJ
description Previous research has shown that the matching of rhythmic behaviour between individuals (synchrony) increases cooperation. Such synchrony is most noticeable in music, dance and collective rituals. As well as the matching of behaviour, such collective performances typically involve shared intentionality: performers actively collaborate to produce joint actions. Over three experiments we examined the importance of shared intentionality in promoting cooperation from group synchrony. Experiment 1 compared a condition in which group synchrony was produced through shared intentionality to conditions in which synchrony or asynchrony were created as a by-product of hearing the same or different rhythmic beats. We found that synchrony combined with shared intentionality produced the greatest level of cooperation. To examinef the importance of synchrony when shared intentionality is present, Experiment 2 compared a condition in which participants deliberately worked together to produce synchrony with a condition in which participants deliberately worked together to produce asynchrony. We found that synchrony combined with shared intentionality produced the greatest level of cooperation. Experiment 3 manipulated both the presence of synchrony and shared intentionality and found significantly greater cooperation with synchrony and shared intentionality combined. Path analysis supported a reinforcement of cooperation model according to which perceiving synchrony when there is a shared goal to produce synchrony provides immediate feedback for successful cooperation so reinforcing the group's cooperative tendencies. The reinforcement of cooperation model helps to explain the evolutionary conservation of traditional music and dance performances, and furthermore suggests that the collectivist values of such cultures may be an essential part of the mechanisms by which synchrony galvanises cooperative behaviours.
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spelling doaj.art-9fe223658bb3422c99c2e61dd2b394712022-12-21T21:43:36ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0188e7118210.1371/journal.pone.0071182Let's dance together: synchrony, shared intentionality and cooperation.Paul ReddishRonald FischerJoseph BulbuliaPrevious research has shown that the matching of rhythmic behaviour between individuals (synchrony) increases cooperation. Such synchrony is most noticeable in music, dance and collective rituals. As well as the matching of behaviour, such collective performances typically involve shared intentionality: performers actively collaborate to produce joint actions. Over three experiments we examined the importance of shared intentionality in promoting cooperation from group synchrony. Experiment 1 compared a condition in which group synchrony was produced through shared intentionality to conditions in which synchrony or asynchrony were created as a by-product of hearing the same or different rhythmic beats. We found that synchrony combined with shared intentionality produced the greatest level of cooperation. To examinef the importance of synchrony when shared intentionality is present, Experiment 2 compared a condition in which participants deliberately worked together to produce synchrony with a condition in which participants deliberately worked together to produce asynchrony. We found that synchrony combined with shared intentionality produced the greatest level of cooperation. Experiment 3 manipulated both the presence of synchrony and shared intentionality and found significantly greater cooperation with synchrony and shared intentionality combined. Path analysis supported a reinforcement of cooperation model according to which perceiving synchrony when there is a shared goal to produce synchrony provides immediate feedback for successful cooperation so reinforcing the group's cooperative tendencies. The reinforcement of cooperation model helps to explain the evolutionary conservation of traditional music and dance performances, and furthermore suggests that the collectivist values of such cultures may be an essential part of the mechanisms by which synchrony galvanises cooperative behaviours.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23951106/?tool=EBI
spellingShingle Paul Reddish
Ronald Fischer
Joseph Bulbulia
Let's dance together: synchrony, shared intentionality and cooperation.
PLoS ONE
title Let's dance together: synchrony, shared intentionality and cooperation.
title_full Let's dance together: synchrony, shared intentionality and cooperation.
title_fullStr Let's dance together: synchrony, shared intentionality and cooperation.
title_full_unstemmed Let's dance together: synchrony, shared intentionality and cooperation.
title_short Let's dance together: synchrony, shared intentionality and cooperation.
title_sort let s dance together synchrony shared intentionality and cooperation
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23951106/?tool=EBI
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