Does interpersonal liking lead to interpersonal synchrony in musical contexts?

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Human Interaction

Background:

• The link between interpersonal liking and synchrony is debated.
• Previous research suggests liking influences synchrony, but findings are inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if interpersonal liking enhances behavioral and perceived synchrony.
• To determine if individuals synchronize with agreeable partners over competing music.

Main Methods:

• College students (N=25) engaged in egg-shaker tasks with agreeable/disagreeable confederates.
• Conditions included no music, music, and explicit synchronization instructions.
• Measures assessed liking, perceived synchrony, and behavioral synchrony.

Main Results:

• Participants liked agreeable confederates more but synchrony was unaffected by confederate agreeableness.
• Perceived synchrony correlated positively with liking and team perception.
• Behavioral synchrony showed no relation to social perceptions.

Conclusions:

• Confederate agreeableness did not influence behavioral or perceived synchrony in this auditory context.
• Perceived synchrony, not behavioral synchrony, is crucial for social bonding.
• Findings challenge previous replications and highlight the role of perception in social connection.