New social influence research has implications for tackling Covid-19

Dr Fergus Neville, lecturer in Organisational Studies in the School of Management, has published a new study which sheds fresh light on the conditions under which people in groups follow the behaviour of others, which can help understand human behaviour in relation to Covid-19 restrictions. The research was funded by the ESRC and published in the journal PLOS ONE (Friday 30 October 2020). It reveals that copying others' behaviour depends on shared group membership. Traditionally it has been assumed that this is a rather mindless and automatic process which has been called 'contagion'. However, the new study reveals that things are not that simple – people do not follow just anyone.

Over 1000 volunteers took part in the study's interactive experiment, which took place at the Science Museum in London. Each person had the ability to control a dot on a shared screen using a mobile phone or tablet. This meant that groups of participants could take part in virtual collective tasks such as following a maze.

The results showed that participants mimicked the behaviour of others – but only when they psychologically identified as being a member of the same social group, and if the task was not irrelevant to their group membership.

The findings suggest that mimicry is not passive or automatic, and that other group members are diagnostic of how one should act oneself. The conclusions of this research have important implications for designing behavioural interventions and could be significant in understanding human compliance in relation to Covid-19 restrictions.

Dr Neville explained:

The fact that people are more likely to copy the behaviours of people with whom they share a social identity is crucial for maximising compliance with Covid-19 public health measures. If the authorities issuing guidance are seen as 'we' rather than 'they' by the public then their messages will lead to greater adherence. Moreover, the results from this study help to explain the variability in social imitation during emergency evacuations, such that people are more likely to be influenced by those whom they see as fellow group members.

See University of St Andrews press release, Covid-19 and public compliance.

Read the paper, Self-categorization as a basis of behavioural mimicry: Experiments in The Hive.