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Mixed-reality (MR) environments, in which virtual objects are overlaid on the real environment and shared with peers by wearing a transparent optical head-mounted display, are considered to be well suited for collaborative work. However, no studies have been conducted to provide neuroscientific evidence of its effectiveness. In contrast, inter-brain synchronization has been repeatedly observed in cooperative tasks and can be used as an index of the quality of cooperation. In this study, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to simultaneously measure the brain activity of pairs of participants, a technique known as hyperscanning, during a cooperative motor task to investigate whether inter-brain synchronization would be also observed in a shared MR environment. The participants were presented with virtual building blocks to grasp and build up an object cooperatively with a partner or individually. We found that inter-brain synchronization in the cooperative condition was stronger than that in the individual condition (F(1, 15) = 4.70, p < 0.05). In addition, there was a significant correlation between task performance and inter-brain synchronization in the cooperative condition (rs = 0.523, p < 0.05). Therefore, the shared MR environment was sufficiently effective to evoke inter-brain synchronization, which reflects the quality of cooperation. This study offers a promising neuroscientific method to objectively measure the effectiveness of MR technology.

Mixed-reality (MR) environments, in which virtual objects are overlaid on the real environment and shared with peers by wearing a transparent optical head-mounted display, are considered to be well suited for collaborative work. However, no studies have been conducted to provide neuroscientific evidence of its effectiveness. In contrast, inter-brain synchronization has been repeatedly observed in cooperative tasks and can be used as an index of the quality of cooperation. In this study, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to simultaneously measure the brain activity of pairs of participants, a technique known as hyperscanning, during a cooperative motor task to investigate whether inter-brain synchronization would be also observed in a shared MR environment. The participants were presented with virtual building blocks to grasp and build up an object cooperatively with a partner or individually. We found that inter-brain synchronization in the cooperative condition was stronger than that in the individual condition (F(1, 15) = 4.70, p < 0.05). In addition, there was a significant correlation between task performance and inter-brain synchronization in the cooperative condition (rs = 0.523, p < 0.05). Therefore, the shared MR environment was sufficiently effective to evoke inter-brain synchronization, which reflects the quality of cooperation. This study offers a promising neuroscientific method to objectively measure the effectiveness of MR technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social interaction is a fundamental part of our daily lives; however, exactly how our brains use social cues to determine whether to cooperate without being exploited remains unclear. In this study, we used an electroencephalography (EEG) hyperscanning approach to investigate the effect of face-to-face contact on the brain mechanisms underlying the decision to cooperate or defect in an iterated version of the Prisoner's Dilemma Game. Participants played the game either in face-to-face or face-blocked conditions. The face-to-face interaction led players to cooperate more often, providing behavioral evidence for the use of these nonverbal cues in their social decision-making. In addition, the EEG hyperscanning identified temporal dynamics and inter-brain synchronization across the cortex, providing evidence for involvement of these regions in the processing of face-to-face cues to read each other's intent to cooperate. Most notably, the power of the alpha frequency band (8–13 Hz) in the right temporoparietal region immediately after seeing a round outcome significantly differed between face-to-face and face-blocked conditions and predicted whether an individual would adopt a ‘cooperation’ or ‘defection’ strategy. Moreover, inter-brain synchronies within this time and frequency range reflected the use of these strategies. This study provides evidence for how the cortex uses nonverbal social cues to determine other's intentions, and highlights the significance of power in the alpha band and inter-brain phase synchronizations in high-level socio-cognitive processing.

Generally, successful cooperation can only be established when the interacting persons believe that they would not be betrayed; this belief can be updated by observing the other persons' actual choices. Thus, the process of belief updating plays an important role in conditional cooperation. Using the Prisoner's Dilemma Game (PDG) with event-related potential (ERP) hyperscanning, this study investigated the dynamics of belief updating in a dyad. During the task, participants were asked if they believed that their opponent would cooperate in the next trial, and their answers functioned as a self-reported index of reciprocal belief. The results suggested that this index shows strong associations with participants' behavioral choices (cooperate/betray). At the individual level, the amplitudes of the ERP components frontal P3a and parietal P3b elicited by the decision outcome were sensitive to belief updating. At the interpersonal level, the between-subject synchronization in P3b was higher than those in the other conditions when the paired participants confirmed each other's reciprocal beliefs. Since previous studies have linked the P3b with memory updating, we suggest that a cooperative relationship is built up when the memory systems (which support belief updating) of two interacting persons reach a high level of coordination. These findings may help explain how conditional cooperation develops between strangers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Threatening cooperation and competition have a positive effect on group creativity. • Increased inter-brain synchronization was observed during threatening cooperation in the temporo-parietal junction. • Decreased inter-brain synchronisation was observed during competition in the prefrontal cortex. • A machine learning approach could discriminate the experimental conditions. Previous research has revealed that threats lead to conflicting conclusions about the performance of group creativity. In this study, it was proposed that the interactive mode (cooperation and competition) would underly the divergent effects of threats on group creativity. The underlying neural mechanisms of the divergent effects were further explored. A total of 56 participants were paired into dyads, performing creative tasks cooperatively and competitively in threatening and non-threatening situations, without verbal communication. Brain signals were collected using functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyper-scanning techniques. The results showed that when participants cooperated with each other, threats (vs. without threats) enhanced group creativity, while no such enhancement was observed in competitive interactions. In the threatening situation, participants' group creativity in competitive interactions was as good as those in cooperative interactions. During the threatening cooperation situation, there were increased inter-brain synchronization in the right temporo-parietal junction and decreased brain activity at the prefrontal cortex and temporo-parietal junction. Regardless of the presence of threats, there were decreased inter-brain synchronization and decreased brain activity during competition in the prefrontal cortex. These results reveal a positive effect of threatening cooperation and competition on group creativity and provide further insight into the inter-brain mechanisms that enhance group creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social interaction is a fundamental part of our daily lives; however, exactly how our brains use social cues to determine whether to cooperate without being exploited remains unclear. In this study, we used an electroencephalography (EEG) hyperscanning approach to investigate the effect of face-to-face contact on the brain mechanisms underlying the decision to cooperate or defect in an iterated version of the Prisoner's Dilemma Game. Participants played the game either in face-to-face or face-blocked conditions. The face-to-face interaction led players to cooperate more often, providing behavioral evidence for the use of these nonverbal cues in their social decision-making. In addition, the EEG hyperscanning identified temporal dynamics and inter-brain synchronization across the cortex, providing evidence for involvement of these regions in the processing of face-to-face cues to read each other's intent to cooperate. Most notably, the power of the alpha frequency band (8–13 Hz) in the right temporoparietal region immediately after seeing a round outcome significantly differed between face-to-face and face-blocked conditions and predicted whether an individual would adopt a ‘cooperation’ or ‘defection’ strategy. Moreover, inter-brain synchronies within this time and frequency range reflected the use of these strategies. This study provides evidence for how the cortex uses nonverbal social cues to determine other's intentions, and highlights the significance of power in the alpha band and inter-brain phase synchronizations in high-level socio-cognitive processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]