A substantial body of research supports the idea that we unconsciously copy the behavior of others. Under what circumstances are we most likely to copy the behavior of other people? Reflect on circumstances in which you have imitated others, and then evaluate and attempt to explain the underlying causes for your behavior

What will be an ideal response?

ANSWER:
One possible answer is that we mimic others to avoid or repair social exclusion. Jessica Lakin and her colleagues (2008) made their participants feel socially excluded (temporarily, of course) and then observed that these excluded participants were more likely to mimic another person than were participants who had not been socially excluded. This process extends to group membership as well. Participants excluded by an in-group were subsequently more likely to mimic an in-group member than an out-group member. These results suggest that mimicry developed as an automatic behavior that we could use to respond to threats to our social connectivity, which could have been a matter of life or death to our hunter?gatherer ancestors. Because this mimicry is automatic and unconscious, we are usually not aware that we are behaving this way. A person’s own experience with mimicry might involve a social situation, such as at a party or an organizational event, or when the person is around a romantic interest.