Methodological problems in the study of contagious yawning

• Authors: Matthew W. Campbell, Emory University; Franciscus de Waal, Emory University
• Journal Title: Frontiers of Neurology and Neuroscience
• Volume: Volume 28
• Publisher: Karger | 2010-03-25, Pages 120-127
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1159/000307090
• Subjects: Biology, Neuroscience; Psychology, Behavioral
• Keywords: Animals; Empathy; Humans; Imitative Behavior; Research; Research Design; Yawning

Abstract

The recent interest in contagious yawning has raised several challenges as the varied methods of testing have left some unresolved issues. We do not know how differences in key variables affect the observed rates of yawning, and we highlight these as being in need of direct testing. Different researchers analyze their results differently, and we make some recommendations for more rigorous, thorough and informative analyses. Ultimately, problems arise when authors compare studies that used different methods and different analyses without acknowledging how these differences may have affected the results. In these cases, authors make inappropriate comparisons, which lead to conclusions that add confusion to the literature. Our goal in raising awareness of these issues is to generate new experiments and improve the discussion of existing research. With its link to empathy, a more standardized study of contagious yawning may be a useful tool for a variety of disciplines.