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Complexity matching: adaptive strong anticipation enhances motor coordination
Zhibin Zhou1,2,3, Javier Garcia4, Ramesh Srinivasan5,6
1Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA. zbzhou@health.ucdavis.edu.
Experimental Brain Research
|May 11, 2026
Summary
Human movement coordination relies on anticipating partner actions. This study reveals that complex coordination tasks, like syncopation, utilize strong anticipation, while simpler tasks, like synchronization, use weak anticipation, supported by distinct brain networks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Social Behavior
Background:
- Human social behavior frequently involves coordinated movement.
- Successful coordination requires individuals to adapt their movement timing.
- Anticipation, either weak (error correction) or strong (environmental statistics), is key to coordination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if motor coordination between dyads (pairs) reflects weak or strong anticipation.
- To explore the role of long-range correlations and complexity in movement dynamics during coordination.
- To differentiate brain network dynamics associated with weak versus strong anticipation.
Main Methods:
- Two finger tapping coordination tasks (synchronization and syncopation) were used.
- On-screen responses between participants modulated the tasks.
- Simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) recordings and graph-theoretic analysis assessed brain network dynamics.
Main Results:
- Motor timing exhibited long-range correlations and complexity (Hurst exponents).
- Coordination showed adaptive strong anticipation via complexity matching, especially in syncopation.
- Synchronization primarily involved weak anticipation with leader-follower dynamics.
- Distinct brain network hubs were observed: occipital/parietal for syncopation, frontal for synchronization.
Conclusions:
- Motor coordination is supported by distinct brain networks for strong and weak anticipation.
- Strong anticipation, particularly in syncopation, facilitates more precise coordination through mutual adaptation.
- Weak anticipation dominates synchronization, suggesting a leader-follower dynamic.
- Movement coordination involves adaptive anticipation strategies reflected in brain network organization.
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