A practical guide to EEG hyperscanning in joint action research: from motivation to implementation

Abstract Developments in cognitive neuroscience have led to the emergence of hyperscanning, the simultaneous measurement of brain activity from multiple people. Hyperscanning is useful for investigating social cognition, including joint action, because of its ability to capture neural processes that...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social cognitive and affective neuroscience 2024-05, Vol.19 (1)
Main Authors: Zamm, Anna, Loehr, Janeen D, Vesper, Cordula, Konvalinka, Ivana, Kappel, Simon L, Heggli, Ole A, Vuust, Peter, Keller, Peter E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brain - physiology
Electroencephalography - methods
Humans
Motivation - physiology
Research Design - standards
Social Cognition
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Summary:Abstract Developments in cognitive neuroscience have led to the emergence of hyperscanning, the simultaneous measurement of brain activity from multiple people. Hyperscanning is useful for investigating social cognition, including joint action, because of its ability to capture neural processes that occur within and between people as they coordinate actions toward a shared goal. Here, we provide a practical guide for researchers considering using hyperscanning to study joint action and seeking to avoid frequently raised concerns from hyperscanning skeptics. We focus specifically on Electroencephalography (EEG) hyperscanning, which is widely available and optimally suited for capturing fine-grained temporal dynamics of action coordination. Our guidelines cover questions that are likely to arise when planning a hyperscanning project, ranging from whether hyperscanning is appropriate for answering one’s research questions to considerations for study design, dependent variable selection, data analysis and visualization. By following clear guidelines that facilitate careful consideration of the theoretical implications of research design choices and other methodological decisions, joint action researchers can mitigate interpretability issues and maximize the benefits of hyperscanning paradigms.
ISSN:1749-5016
1749-5024
DOI:10.1093/scan/nsae026