The Synchrony-Prosociality Link Cannot Be Explained Away as Expectancy Effect: Response to Atwood et al. ()

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Synchronous behaviors, observed in activities like dance and music, are theorized to foster prosociality.
• A recent study by Atwood et al. (2022) proposed that observed links between synchrony and prosociality may stem from experimenter and participant expectancy effects (placebo effects).

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the argument that expectancy effects primarily explain the link between synchrony and prosociality.
• To provide evidence supporting a genuine connection between synchronous behavior and increased prosociality.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing studies on synchrony and prosociality that minimize or exclude experimenter expectancy bias.
• Examining developmental psychology literature to understand how participant expectations from lived experiences of synchrony do not invalidate findings.

Main Results:

• Studies lacking experimenter expectancy effects still demonstrate a positive correlation between synchrony and prosociality.
• Developmental insights suggest that expectations from real-world synchronous interactions do not inherently undermine the validity of synchrony-prosociality links.

Conclusions:

• The positive impact of synchronous behaviors on prosociality is robust and not solely attributable to expectancy or placebo effects.
• Sufficient evidence supports a genuine causal link between engaging in synchronous activities and enhanced prosocial behavior.