AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF REAL-TIME GOAL CONTAGION AND INTERPERSONAL SIMILARITY

Abstract

Goal contagion refers to the tendency for people to spontaneously pursue a goal that others are perceived to be striving for. While the phenomenon has been extensively studied, little is known about whether it could occur in real-time and whether any interpersonal factors could moderate it. Using a novel methodology, the present study sought to obtain evidences for a real-time goal contagion effect as well as the moderating influence of interpersonal similarity. It was hypothesized that when participants performed the task with a "partner" pursuing a speed- or accuracy-focused goal, they would shift their response strategy to match that of their partners'. It was further hypothesized that this predicted pattern of response was more likely to occur either amongst participants paired with a partner who appeared similar to or dissimilar from them. The results do not provide supportive evidences for the hypotheses. Possible reasons are suggested and alternative uses for the paradigm are discussed.