Interpersonal synchrony and affiliation in children: a transdiagnostic approach

Bowsher-Murray, Claire, von dem Hagen, Elisabeth ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1056-8196 and Jones, Catherine R G ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0541-0431 2025. Interpersonal synchrony and affiliation in children: a transdiagnostic approach. Neurodiversity

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Abstract

Social partners often co-ordinate their non-verbal behavior in time, leading to interpersonal synchrony (IPS). IPS is known to positively influence neurotypical children’s assessment of affliation between social partners, but it is unclear whether IPS informs the social judgements of children who are not neurotypical. Children aged 4-8 years identified as experiencing emotional, behavioral and/or cognitive difficulties (N=136) completed a computer-based task in which they listened to tapping interactions between social partners. The simultaneity and regularity of partner tapping was independently manipulated. Participants rated partner affliation and the ‘togetherness’ of partner tapping. Parents reported on children’s: emotional and behavioral diffculties, autistic traits and inattention/hyperactivity. IPS did not significantly influence affliation judgements across the sample as a whole. However, when analyzed by gender, regularity (but not simultaneity) positively influenced boys’ perceptions of partner aƯiliation, whereas simultaneity (but not regularity) positively influenced girls’ affliation judgements. Sensitivity to the social effects of IPS was not associated with parent-reported levels of diffculties or neurodivergent traits. Overall, children identified as experiencing emotional, behavioral and/or cognitive dfficulties showed limited sensitivity to the social effcts of IPS. Further research is required to understand the factors that explain variation in sensitivity to IPS as a social cue.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Psychology Research Institutes & Centres > Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)
Additional Information:	RRS policy applied 28/10/2025 AB
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	2754-6330
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	28 October 2025
Date of Acceptance:	27 October 2025
Last Modified:	28 Oct 2025 13:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/181934

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