Publication details

Autonomic arousal and group cohesion

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Authors

KUNDT Radek

Year of publication 2012
Type Appeared in Conference without Proceedings
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Description Religion has been theorized to help produce social solidarity amongst a group (Durkheim, 2001 [1912]). A number of empirical studies have supported this theory with cross-cultural evidence (e.g. Norenzayan & Shariff, 2008; Sosis & Ruffle, 2003). How does religion increase group cohesion? A number of mechanisms have been highlighted: e.g. costly signaling (Sosis, 2003), supernatural punishment (Irons, 1996), synchrony (Reddish et al, submitted). Here I concentrate on the potential role of arousal as a number of religious traditions involve high arousal rituals. Key research question: does arousal play an important role in the development of group cohesion? Results from experimental field research suggest that there is a correlation between higher arousal and higher pro-social behavioural traits (Xygalatas et al, 2011). Here I experimentally test the arousal-cohesion link in the laboratory to help establish causation. I operationalize arousal as an increase in heart rate. I operationalize cohesion as a perceived entitativity ["The degree to which a collective of people (aggregate of persons/individuals) are perceived as a group." (Campbell, 1958)].
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