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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
Inter-Brain Synchrony in Open-Ended Collaborative Learning: An fNIRS-Hyperscanning Study
Published on: July 21, 2021
Neural synchrony and cognitive map formulation in collaborative navigation: leader-follower couplings revealed by EEG
Chun-Hsiang Chuang1, Po-Hsun Peng2, Yi-Chieh Chen3
1Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, College of Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Abstract:
This study aims to address a theoretical gap in how people formulate cognitive maps in a social context. The concept of a cognitive map, a mental representation of spatial relations, has been widely used to explain individual navigation. When navigating with others, the exchange of spatial knowledge and the formation of cognitive maps in leaders and followers are natural and ubiquitous, yet their neural underpinnings remain insufficiently understood. We investigated these mechanisms by recording hyperscanning electroencephalography (EEG) from 70 participants engaged in dyadic route-planning and navigation tasks within a virtual reality environment. Intrabrain and interbrain couplings were analyzed across frequency bands using connectivity measures. We observed robust neural synchronization patterns associated with collaborative navigation performance and role. Intrabrain connectivity analyses showed increased delta coupling in both leaders and followers, whereas theta connectivity was particularly enhanced in followers. Alpha-band connectivity displayed divergent patterns between roles, suggesting distinct neural strategies for spatial processing. Interbrain analyses revealed increased delta causality between partners but decreased theta and gamma couplings from followers to leaders. Faster-performing dyads exhibited overall reduced interbrain coupling, especially in theta bands, indicating more efficient neural coordination. Collaborative navigation relies on frequency-specific, role-dependent neural coordination both within and between brains, and more efficient dyads may require less sustained interbrain coupling. These findings can inform the design of navigation aids, training protocols, and collaborative interfaces that better support leader-follower coordination and improve joint spatial decision making in real-world settings.
Supplementary Information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-026-10521-4.
