关键词: 联合行动, 具身认知, 人际距离, 趋近-回避动作

Abstract: This study examined how interpersonal embodied actions, specifically approach-avoidance movements, influence joint action in social contexts. While previous research has largely focused on individual-level embodied effects, fewer studies have explored how such bodily interactions affect collaborative processes between individuals. The present research combined interpersonal action paradigms with a joint Flanker task to investigate whether and how interpersonal actions shape joint action performance, with a focus on the boundary conditions of partner sociality and interaction effectiveness.
A series of experiments employed a within-subjects 3 × 2 design, with factors of condition (interpersonal approach, neutral, and avoidance actions) and compatibility (baseline vs. incompatible). Each trial presented a letter stimulus (e.g., UUHUU) centrally, which remained visible until a response occurred or 2000 ms elapsed. In the approach condition, participants moved the joystick toward their partner to embody approach; in the avoidance condition, they moved it away to convey avoidance; in the neutral condition, movements were parallel and carried no interpersonal meaning. Experiments 1a (joint context) and 1b (individual context) investigated how interpersonal embodied actions modulate interpersonal distance perception and the joint Flanker effect. Experiments 2a and 2b further tested whether these effects depended on the partner's social nature (human vs. nonsocial agent) and interaction quality (unidirectional vs. bidirectional). In Experiment 2b, one participant performed actions under all three conditions while the partner always responded neutrally.
In Experiment 1a, interpersonal embodied actions modulated the joint Flanker effect in a joint context. Specifically, the approach condition led to a larger joint Flanker effect, accompanied by closer interpersonal distance perceptions. By contrast, the avoidance condition eliminated the joint action effect and yielded significantly greater interpersonal distances. A Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between psychological distance and the magnitude of the joint Flanker effect. However, in the individual context (Experiment 1b), embodied actions did not significantly modulate the Flanker effect. Although interpersonal embodied actions influenced interpersonal distance in Experiment 2b, neither Experiment 2a nor 2b showed a significant effect of these actions on the joint action effect itself.
These findings demonstrate that interpersonal embodied actions modulate joint action performance, but only when the partner is socially relevant and the interaction is effective. This study extends embodied cognition theory to joint action research and provides empirical evidence clarifying the mechanism by which embodied actions influence joint performance.

Key words: joint action, embodied cognition, interpersonal distance, approach-avoidance actions