Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, 64 Banbury Rd, Oxford, OX2 6PN, UK.
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX 1 3UD, UK.
Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 27;8(1):3693. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-21765-4.
Synchronising movements in time with others can have significant positive effects on affiliative attitudes and behaviors. To explore the generalizability of synchrony effects, and to eliminate confounds of suggestion, competence and shared intention typical of standard laboratory and field experiments, we used an Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) environment. Participants, represented as virtual humans, took part in a joint movement activity with two other programmed virtual humans. The timings of the co-participant characters' movements were covertly manipulated to achieve synchrony or non-synchrony with the focal participant. Participants in the synchrony condition reported significantly greater social closeness to their virtual co-participants than those in the non-synchrony condition. Results indicate that synchrony in joint action causes positive social effects and that these effects are robust in a VR setting. The research can potentially inform the development of VR interventions for social and psychological wellbeing.
与他人同步运动可以对亲和态度和行为产生显著的积极影响。为了探索同步效应的普遍性，并消除标准实验室和现场实验中典型的暗示、能力和共同意图的混淆，我们使用了沉浸式虚拟现实（VR）环境。参与者被表示为虚拟人，与另外两个编程的虚拟人一起参加联合运动活动。通过秘密操纵共同参与者角色的动作时间，使焦点参与者与他们同步或不同步。与非同步条件相比，同步条件下的参与者报告与虚拟共同参与者的社交亲密感显著增强。结果表明，联合行动中的同步会产生积极的社会影响，并且这些影响在 VR 环境中是稳健的。这项研究有可能为社会和心理健康的 VR 干预措施的发展提供信息。
