What is social referencing?

Social referencing is people's ability to use vocal and nonverbal cues to evaluate ambiguous events and regulate their behaviours accordingly. Social referencing is an aspect of social cognition (Pelaez, Virues-Ortega, Field, Amir-Kiaei, & Schnerch, 2013). For example, suppose we're in a social gathering with people we don't know well. Someone tells a story that has an unexpected ending, and we don't know whether to laugh or extend sympathy. So, we wait to see how others react in an effort to behave appropriately.