Rhythm in joint action: psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms for real-time interpersonal coordination
Open accessAbstract
Human interaction often requires simultaneous precision and flexibility in the coordination of rhythmic behaviour between individuals engaged in joint activity, for example, playing a musical duet or dancing with a partner. This review article addresses the psychological processes and brain mechanisms that enable such rhythmic interpersonal coordination. First, an overview is given of research on the cognitive-motor processes that enable individuals to represent joint action goals and to anticipate, attend and adapt to other's actions in real time. Second, the neurophysiological mechanisms that underpin rhythmic interpersonal coordination are sought in studies of sensorimotor and cognitive processes that play a role in the representation and integration of self- and other-related actions within and between individuals' brains. Finally, relationships between social–psychological factors and rhythmic interpersonal coordination are considered from two perspectives, one concerning how social-cognitive tendencies (e.g. empathy) affect coordination, and the other concerning how coordination affects interpersonal affiliation, trust and prosocial behaviour. Our review highlights musical ensemble performance as an ecologically valid yet readily controlled domain for investigating rhythm in joint action.
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Synchronized behavior between individuals in a dyadic joint activity increases cooperation, liking and rapport.
“Synchronized behavior between individuals in a dyadic joint activity increases cooperation, liking and rapport39,40.”
From Physiological and Behavioral Synchrony Predict Group Cohesion and Performance (2020) · cites this paper as [40]
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“Thus, we can assume that social rapport and interpersonal synchrony bidirectionally reinforce each other acting as a ‘social glue’ that binds individuals together (Lakin et al., 2003; Keller et al., 2014).”
BackgroundPhysiological and Behavioral Synchrony Predict Group Cohesion and Performance
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- Authors
- Keller, P. E., Novembre, G., & Hove, M. J.
- Affiliations
- Western Sydney University (AU)
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Keller, Peter E.
- Venue
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2014-12-19
- Volume
- 369
- Issue
- 1658
- Pages
- 20130394
- ISSN
- 0962-8436 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-2970
- PMC
- PMC4240961
- OpenAlex
- W2320899008
- Cited by
- 466
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 56 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 74 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 2.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH16259-31, T32MH016259)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
- Keywords
- joint action, interpersonal coordination, rhythm, action prediction, sensorimotor processing, empathy, trust, prosocial behavior, social cognition
- MeSH terms
- Cognition, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Joints, Movement, Music, Periodicity, Psychomotor Performance
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