Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 4, 2025

Group Synchronization During Collaborative Drawing Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Published on: August 5, 2022
What are friends for? The impact of friendship on communicative efficiency and cortisol response during collaborative
Michelle A Rodrigues1,2, Si On Yoon3, Kathryn B H Clancy1,4
1Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
Conversation is a skilled activity that depends on cognitive and social processes, both of which develop through adulthood. We examined the effects of age and partner familiarity on communicative efficiency and cortisol reactivity. Younger and older women interacted with familiar or unfamiliar partners in a dyadic collaborative conversation task (N = 8 in each group). Regardless of age, referential expressions among familiar and unfamiliar partners became more efficient over time, and cortisol concentrations were lower for speakers interacting with familiar partners. These findings suggest that communicative effectiveness is largely preserved with age, as is the stress-buffering effect of a familiar partner.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Friendships and Close Friendships
Relationship Formation
Cognitive Development During Adolescence
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...
The Influence of Affect on Cognition
Language and Cognition

