Emergent Shared Intentions Support Coordination During Collective Musical Improvisations

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Social Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Human interactions often rely on improvisation, suggesting coordination can arise from underspecified plans.
• Emergent mechanisms like entrainment and mimicry explain some joint actions, but not all complex improvisations.
• Collective free improvisation presents a unique case of unplanned creative practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the emergence of shared intentions in collective musical improvisation.
• To determine if shared intentions support coordination beyond mere information influence.
• To explore the role of communicative strategies in fostering group coordination during improvisation.

Main Methods:

• Four experiments involving collective musical improvisation.
• Analysis of subjective reports and interaction complexity.
• Assessment of communicative strategies and coordination levels.

Main Results:

• Shared intentions spontaneously emerge during collective musical improvisations.
• Emergent shared intentions foster multi-level coordination, exceeding shared information effects.
• Communicative strategies used by musicians predict enhanced coordination within the group.

Conclusions:

• Improvised and scripted joint actions exist on a continuum, differing in reliance on emergent vs. planned coordination.
• Shared intentions play a crucial role in supporting coordination during unplanned, creative joint actions.
• Understanding emergent coordination mechanisms offers insights into human social interaction and collaboration.