Uniform hyperscanning paradigm to study cooperation and competition.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Interbrain synchronization via hyperscanning is assumed to underlie social interactions like cooperation and competition.
• Distinguishing genuine interpersonal synchrony from synchrony due to common external stimuli is challenging.
• Existing experimental paradigms often use short, discrete tasks, hindering continuous analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel experimental protocol for hyperscanning studies of social interaction.
• To enable the use of a consistent paradigm across different social modalities (e.g., cooperation, competition).
• To facilitate the analysis of continuous, long-duration interactions.

Main Methods:

• The protocol employs a continuous task design lasting several minutes.
• It incorporates two distinct control conditions.
• These controls help differentiate between interaction-driven and stimulus-driven interbrain synchronization.

Main Results:

• The presented protocol allows for a unified experimental paradigm across different social modalities.
• Tasks are designed for continuous interaction over minutes, facilitating retrospective analysis.
• The control conditions effectively isolate genuine interpersonal synchrony.

Conclusions:

• This protocol offers a robust method for investigating interbrain synchronization during social interactions.
• It provides a means to differentiate between true social synchrony and artifactual synchrony.
• The continuous nature of the tasks and inclusion of controls enhance the validity of hyperscanning research in social neuroscience.