Inter-brain ERPs alignment during a joint Simon task: An EEG hyperscanning study

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Social Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• The joint Simon task (JST) is crucial for understanding collaborative action mechanisms.
• The co-representation hypothesis suggests individuals integrate partners' actions during joint tasks.
• A key question is whether co-representation involves inter-brain synchronization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate inter-brain dynamics during the JST.
• To determine if neural activity synchronizes between partners performing the JST.
• To explore the relationship between behavioral joint Simon effect (JSE) and inter-brain synchronization.

Main Methods:

• Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) hyperscanning with 88 participants in dyads performing the JST.
• Calculated the EEG-JSE, an index of the neural joint Simon effect, based on ERP peak latencies (N2 and P3 components).
• Examined the synchronization of EEG-JSEs between interacting participants.

Main Results:

• Found evidence of temporal alignment between responding and non-responding participants in JST performance.
• The neural joint Simon effect (EEG-JSE) showed synchronization between partners.
• This synchronization highlights unique inter-brain interaction dynamics specific to joint action.

Conclusions:

• Joint action performance, as measured by the JST, involves synchronized neural activity between partners.
• Inter-brain synchronization is a key component of the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying collaborative activity.
• The findings support and extend the co-representation hypothesis by demonstrating neural synchrony.