Intentionality of a co-actor influences sensorimotor synchronisation with a virtual partner

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Interpersonal sensorimotor synchronisation involves anticipating and adapting to a partner's movement timing.
• While co-actor intentionality impacts joint action planning, its effect on sensorimotor synchronisation remains less understood.
• Beliefs about a partner's intentionality may modulate temporal anticipation and adaptation processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how perceived intentionality of a synchronisation partner affects sensorimotor synchronisation.
• To examine the influence of partner adaptivity and explicit instructions on coordination.
• To explore the role of subjective preferences in human-computer interaction during synchronisation tasks.

Main Methods:

• A computer-controlled virtual partner (VP) delivered tempo-changing auditory pacing sequences.
• The VP simulated varying degrees of error correction (low/moderate adaptivity) to mimic human partners.
• Participants were explicitly instructed they were synchronising with either a human or a computer.

Main Results:

• Synchronisation performance improved with a more adaptive VP.
• Explicit partner instructions influenced synchronisation, but this effect depended on VP adaptivity.
• Subjective preferences for human or computer partners modulated the impact of explicit instructions.

Conclusions:

• Beliefs about a synchronisation partner's intentionality can influence interpersonal sensorimotor synchronisation.
• The degree of partner adaptivity and individual preferences play a crucial role in this influence.
• Future research should consider the interplay between perceived intentionality, adaptivity, and user preferences in collaborative tasks.