Exploring Inter-Brain Electroencephalogram Patterns for Social Cognitive Assessment During Jigsaw Puzzle Solving.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Social interaction is crucial for daily life.
• Hyperscanning neuroimaging reveals insights into social behavior via inter-brain oscillations and connectivity.
• Understanding inter-brain networks and neurocognitive theories of social information sharing remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate inter-brain activities during cooperation and competition using a jigsaw puzzle game.
• To analyze event-related potentials (ERPs), brain oscillations, and inter-brain functional connectivity.
• To demonstrate the potential of hyperscanning EEG in real-life scenarios for assessing social cognitive interactions.

Main Methods:

• Developed a multiplayer jigsaw puzzle game.
• Recorded 32-channel electroencephalography (EEG) hyperscanning signals from participant dyads.
• Analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs), brain oscillations, and inter-brain functional connectivity.

Main Results:

• Observed distinct P3 event-related potential (ERP) patterns in competitive versus cooperative contexts.
• Identified low-frequency brain oscillations as potential indicators of social cognitive activities.
• Found increased inter-brain functional connectivity across delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands during competition compared to cooperation.

Conclusions:

• Hyperscanning EEG in game-playing scenarios can quantitatively assess social cognitive interactions.
• Competition enhances inter-brain functional connectivity more than cooperation.
• This approach offers a platform for assessing psychiatric disorders related to social functioning.