Abstract:
We attempt to extend previous research that mirroring behaviors increase levels of liking
and persuasiveness between individuals. We set up dyad discussions where participants
marked their position regarding opening a bar on campus. Then, the participant discussed
the issue with a confederate who disagreed with him and her, and the confederate either
imitated or did not imitate the participant¿s total body language throughout the entire
interaction. Results did not support the notion that imitating behaviors increase
perceptions of likeability and friendliness of the imitating participant. But they did
support the idea that participants whose behaviors were imitated would rate the
interaction as more enjoyable and the confederate as more knowledgeable about the
situation. Similarly, our self-report measure of whether participants perceived their
partner as being more persuasive found that participants rated the confederate as more
persuasive in the imitation than the non-imitation condition. However, being imitated did
not cause participants to significantly change their position towards having a campus bar.
