Previous studies on extroversion and introversion demonstrated that extraverts are more successful in achieving affiliation in relationships with other people. However, results of earlier studies did not explain why extroverts are more successful in establishing good relationships with others (Duffy & Chartrand, 2015).
According to the first model, the sociability is a personal trait of extroverts, and this feature exists independently of a communicative situation, context, and motivation. According to the second model, the sociability of extroverts arises only in those situations when extroverts have some affiliation goals. On the base of postulates of these two theories authors of the study suggested that if the assumptions of the first model were correct, extroverts would mimic a lot even in the communicative situation without any affiliation goals. In the case if the second model is more justified extrovert individuals will mimic actively only in the situation when they have some affiliation goals or motivation to affiliate (Duffy & Chartrand, 2015).
The results of the current study demonstrated that extroverts tend to build rapport through the mimicry more than introverts. Also, the study has shown that those extroverts who had some affiliation goals were more active in using their mimicry for building rapport than those extroverts who interacted with confederates without having an affiliation goal (Duffy & Chartrand, 2015).
Although, I think that the results of the current study can be recognized as reliable and validate, there were some aspects of the experiment for which, in my opinion, the study can be criticized. First of all, I did not understand and did not find clear explanations about how experimenters measured rapports between participants and confederates.
For example, we know that blind observers evaluated mimicry of participants of the study by identifying how much individuals touched their hair and face, or moved their foot, but the authors of the study did not indicate definitely how a rapport was evaluated and measured.
Although the results of the research proved the hypothesis about reward-sensitivity-as-core model, I think that authors in their future studies must concentrate not on that how to confirm that one model is better than another, but try to find the balance between assumptions of two models.
I mean that despite the current study showed that extroverts tended to use their communicative skills to achieve the affiliation when some goals had motivated them, we also must remember that sociability of extroverts does not arise only because of particular motivation. It exists as some innate characteristic or ability of extroverts even when they do not show it. It means that both models are valid, and they must be combined instead of being compared with each other.
I think that an alternative design of the experiment is possible for this study. In the current study, researchers divided all participants into two groups. Both groups had the same task but different conditions. But I believe it would be better to provide both conditions and different tasks for all participants of the study.
For example, all female participants could be exposed to experimental condition “without an affiliation goal” on the first stage of the research. On the second stage, the same participants could be exposed to the condition “with an affiliation goal”. I believe that such design of the study would help to see how the same participants of the study behave in both conditions and if there is any correlation between mimic behaviors of participants in both conditions.
Future studies on mimicry, affiliation goals, extraversion, and introversion can include studies of how mimicry of extroverts varies in different age groups and between males and females. Also, I think that imitation and its use by individuals in social interactions can significantly vary among different ethnic and cultural groups.
It can be expected that females and males motivated by a particular affiliation goals use different ways to build a rapport with a partner. Also, we can expect that mimicry increases with age, life experience, and that older people will mimic their partner's actions more actively than younger people do it in the context of the presence of affiliation goals.
Also, it will be interesting to examine in future studies what other ways of mimicry extraverts use for building rapport. I mean that there must be other mimic the actions (except touching hair and face and moving foot) which help extroverts to achieve affiliation in relationships.
I think that the result of the study can be useful for those people who are shy, who have problems with establishing affiliation in relationships with other people, but who want to learn how to be more efficient in social interactions. The information about the study can become the base for social-psychological training or training of development of communicative skills.
Also, the results of this study can be applied to management and organizational psychology. For example, a manager using knowledge from the current study will understand that if he wants some of his/her extravert-employee achieves a compromise decision or collaboration with the company`s partners, others, this employee must be motivated. It means that according to the results of the study, an extravert-worker will not demonstrate his sociability without special motivation or some particular goals, benefits for him/her. But it also means, that if a company creates a motivating context for the worker-extravert, this worker will apply his/her social skills for achieving company`s goals, etc.
References
Duffy, K. A., & Chartrand, T. L. (2015). The Extravert Advantage How and When Extraverts Build Rapport With Other People. Psychological Science, 2015, Vol. 26(11) 1795 –1802
