Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 16, 2026
08:08
Author Spotlight: Capturing Infant-Caregiver Interactions Through Synchronized Multimodal Data Collection
Published on: May 31, 2024
1.5K
A BIO-EEG Hyperscanning Study of Moral Dyadic Negotiation
Angelica Daffinà1,2, Laura Angioletti1,2, Michela Balconi1,2
1International Research Center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 20123 Milan, Italy.
Brain Sciences
|September 27, 2025
Summary
Neural and autonomic responses during moral negotiation differ based on dyad orientation. Homologous dyads showed greater heart rate variability dissimilarity, suggesting complementary autonomic activity supports successful joint moral decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Social neuroscience
- Interpersonal decision-making
- Moral psychology
Background:
- Research is shifting from individual moral decisions to interpersonal moral negotiation.
- Understanding neural and autonomic synchronization during joint moral dilemmas is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how initial differences in moral decision-making orientation within dyads affect neural and autonomic synchronization during joint moral negotiation.
- Explore the relationship between dyad orientation and inter-brain and autonomic synchrony.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a multimethod hyperscanning approach with 14 dyads.
- Classified dyads as homologous or heterologous based on decision-making orientation similarity.
- Recorded simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic signals (heart rate variability) during moral dilemma negotiation.
Main Results:
- EEG showed greater left frontal delta band dissimilarity across all dyads.
- Homologous dyads exhibited greater heart rate variability dissimilarity compared to heterologous dyads.
- Results indicated patterns opposite to initial hypotheses regarding orientation effects.
Conclusions:
- Left frontal delta dissimilarity may serve as a marker for dyadic moral negotiation.
- Greater heart rate variability dissimilarity in homologous dyads suggests complementary autonomic responses facilitate successful negotiation.
- The study highlights the complex, dissociable roles of neural and autonomic processes in shared moral decision-making.
