Abstract
This study investigated EEG correlates of social interaction at distance between twenty-five pairs of participants who were not connected by any traditional channels of communication.Each session involved the application of 128 stimulations separated by intervals of random duration ranging from 4 to 6 seconds. One of the pair received a one-second stimulation from a light signal produced by an arrangement of red LEDs, and a simultaneous 500 Hz sinusoidal audio signal of the same length. The other member of the pair sat in an isolated sound-proof room, such that any sensory interaction between the pair was impossible.An analysis of the Event-Related Potentials associated with sensory stimulation using traditional averaging methods showed a distinct peak at approximately 300 ms, but only in the EEG activity of subjects who were directly stimulated. However, when a new algorithm was applied to the EEG activity based on the correlation between signals from all active electrodes, a weak but robust response was also detected in the EEG activity of the passive member of the pair, particularly within 9 – 10 Hz in the Alpha range. Using the Bootstrap method and the Monte Carlo emulation, this signal was found to be statistically significant.
Highlights
The study of EEG correlates of social interaction is a hot topic in the world of social neuroscience, described as follows by Cacioppo & Berntson (2002): “Social neuroscience addresses fundamental questions about the mind and its dynamic interactions with the biological systems of the brain and the social world in which it resides”.The study of EEG correlates of social interaction ranges from simple face-to-face motor interactions (e.g. Hari et al, 2013), to empathy (Singer & Lamm, 2009), to interpersonal motor co-ordination (Oullier et al, 2008; Sebanz & Knoblich, 2009)
When the GW6 method is used and the signals within the 9–10 Hz band are filtered, we obtain the results shown in Figure 5, which are statistically confirmed by the Monte Carlo Emulation
Even though the applied method does not display a result in the form of a wave similar to that seen in the Senders’ Event-Related Potential (ERP), this result does open the door to future investigations aimed at identifying specific patterns of weak but significant responses in Receivers
Summary
The study of EEG correlates of social interaction is a hot topic in the world of social neuroscience, described as follows by Cacioppo & Berntson (2002): “Social neuroscience addresses fundamental questions about the mind and its dynamic interactions with the biological systems of the brain and the social world in which it resides”.The study of EEG correlates of social interaction ranges from simple face-to-face motor interactions (e.g. Hari et al, 2013), to empathy (Singer & Lamm, 2009), to interpersonal motor co-ordination (Oullier et al, 2008; Sebanz & Knoblich, 2009). The study of EEG correlates of social interaction ranges from simple face-to-face motor interactions This review highlights the importance of not underestimating possible non-local mechanisms that can emerge from person-to-person interactions These mechanisms are defined as “dependent operations between two or more brains that operate at least in part on shared information content” and are described as interactive alignment, resonance, phase synchronization, and non-local correlations. Is it conceivable that these mechanisms can be detected even when two persons are mentally interacting without the possibility of sensory information exchange?
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