University of Geneva.
Cogn Emot. 2022 Aug;36(5):781-784. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2022.2115614.
Mimicry of appearance or of facial, vocal, or gestural expressions emerges frequently among members of different species. When such mimicry directly relates to affective aspects of an interaction, researchers talk about "emotional mimicry". Emotional mimicry has been amply documented but its functionality is still debated. Why and when do people mimic the expressions of others, who benefits, the mimicker or the mimicked, and how do they benefit? Which processes underlie emotional mimicry? Is it completely automatic and unconscious or can it be deliberate and conscious? The current Theory Section addresses these questions from different theoretical perspectives. The invited article by Hess and Fischer focused on the role of mimicry in social regulation and social bonding. The invited comment by Krets and Akyüz highlights information gathering and prediction in social interaction. The invited comment by Bernhold and Giles emphasizes vocal communication and its role in interpersonal accommodation. In this editorial, I propose the different theoretical perspectives may be integrated by assuming a multilevel appraisal and response generation mechanism. I also suggest that emotional mimicry research may be broadened by including social learning, vocal imitation, interspecies comparisons, and affective computing approaches.
外观或面部、声音或手势表情的模仿在不同物种的成员中经常出现。当这种模仿直接涉及到互动的情感方面时，研究人员称之为“情感模仿”。情感模仿已经得到了充分的证明，但它的功能仍存在争议。人们为什么会模仿他人的表情，谁受益，是模仿者还是被模仿者，他们是如何受益的？情感模仿的背后是什么过程？它是完全自动和无意识的，还是可以是故意和有意识的？本期理论版块从不同的理论视角探讨了这些问题。由 Hess 和 Fischer 撰写的特邀文章重点关注了模仿在社会调节和社会联系中的作用。由 Krets 和 Akyüz 撰写的特邀评论强调了社会互动中的信息收集和预测。由 Bernhold 和 Giles 撰写的特邀评论强调了声音交流及其在人际适应中的作用。在这篇社论中，我提出可以通过假设一个多层次的评价和反应生成机制来整合不同的理论视角。我还建议，可以通过纳入社会学习、声音模仿、种间比较和情感计算方法，来拓宽情感模仿研究的范围。
