In a joint action, two or more individuals coordinate their actions in space and time to create a change in the environment. Knoblich, Butterfill, and Sebanz (2011) distinguished between two types of coordination that can occur during a joint action: planned coordination and emergent coordination. In planned coordination, the agents’ behavior is driven by representations that specify the joint action outcome and one’s own part in a joint action. In emergent coordination, coordinated behavior occurs because of entrainment, common affordances, perception–action matching, or action simulation, independently of any joint plans or common knowledge. This paper reviews the current empirical findings on joint action as examples of “wisdoms” between individuals. The implications of these findings for research on social cognition are discussed.
