Joint action is when two or more people work together on purpose, using their knowledge, communication, and planning to make a positive change in the world around them. It can happen in different ways. Sometimes one person does something and another person helps. Other times, a whole group of people work together. Joint action is when people intentionally coordinate their actions. On the other hand, interpersonal coordination usually happens without people planning it. They just naturally do things at the same time.
Scientists study how people coordinate their actions by looking at rhythmic movements that are easy to do, like swinging a pendulum or rocking in a chair or more random and subtle movements, like how our bodies sway when we stand (Marsh et al., 2009). Different tasks are used to study joint action, like having two pilots do a flight simulator test or two soldiers complete a physical test together. There is currently not a tool that can measure joint action in sports accurately.
Sebanz et al. (2006) suggests that there are five things that are important for joint action. First, people need to pay attention to what the other person is seeing or thinking to have a common understanding. Second, they need to be able to predict what the other person will do. Third, they need to share knowledge about the task they’re working on. The fourth thing is adjusting their actions to match each other’s in time and space. Finally, they need to know the difference between their own actions and the actions of the other person.
Marsh, K. L., Richardson, M. J., & Schmidt, R. C. (2009). Social connection through joint action and interpersonal coordination. Topics in Cognitive Science, 1, 320 339.
Sebanz, N., Bekkering, H., & Knoblich, G. (2006). Joint action: Bodies and minds moving together. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10, 70 76.
