Inhibiting responses under the watch of a recently synchronized peer increases self-monitoring: evidence from functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Developing motor synchrony with a peer (through interventions such as the mirror game) can yield collaborative, cognitive and social benefits. However, it is also well established that observation by an audience can improve cognition. The combined and relative advantages offered by motor synchronization and audience effects are not yet understood. It is important to address this gap to determine the extent to which synchronizing activities might interact with the positive effects of an audience. In this preregistered study, we investigate the extent to which response inhibition may be improved when observed by a peer after motor synchronization with this peer. We compare behavioural and cortical (functional near-infrared spectroscopy; fNIRS) measures of inhibition between synchronized and non-synchronized dyads and find that the presence of a synchronized peer-audience introduces a speed–accuracy trade-off, consisting of slower reaction times and improved accuracy. This co-occurs with cortical activation in bilateral inferior frontal and middle prefrontal cortices, which are implicated in monitoring and maintenance of social alignment. Our findings have implications for carers and support people, who may benefit from synchronizing activities for rehabilitating inhibition and social skills in clinical settings.

Evaluations of dyadic synchrony: observers’ traits influence estimation and enjoyment of synchrony in mirror-game movements

“…By using stick figures, as opposed to videos of real people, we could mitigate biases resulting from differences in appearance (i.e., gender, skin tone, facial expressions) which may influence accuracy 22 . These stimulus videos (n = 198) were generated from longer videos of real human dyads playing the mirror game with a partner (high synchrony; 85% of videos) or observing their partner’s movements (low synchrony; 15% of videos) in a previous experiment 16 . Our intention was to use the level of objectively measured movement synchrony as one continuous variable.…”

“…The 198 videos were drawn from 22 unique dyads in our previous experiment 16 , where each participant played the mirror game with an experimental confederate. Among the 22 dyads, the mirror game was led by 16 unique individuals, i.e., the participant was the leader of the mirror game in 14 dyads and the two experimental confederates were the leaders of the mirror game in the remaining dyads.…”

“…While we expect that this reported mismatch between perceived and objectively measured motor synchrony would replicate in a larger sample, it is also plausible that some individuals judge synchrony with greater accuracy than others, but that this information is diluted or lost in group-level analyses. In this preregistered study, we examine the relationship between the accuracy with which lay observers estimate the degree of motor synchrony in short videos of dyads playing the mirror game, i.e., one person moving their arms spontaneously and freely while the other tries to match the movements as closely as possible in time and space 15 , 16 , 25 . We also examine observers’ enjoyment of the movements, movement complexity, as well as specific interindividual traits.…”

Dyadic body competence predicts movement synchrony during the mirror game

“…This consensus is built on a wealth of studies demonstrating that movement synchrony fosters feelings of social closeness or togetherness, positive affect, and prosociality ( Chartrand and Lakin, 2013 ; Rennung and Göritz, 2016 ; Vicaria and Dickens, 2016 ; Mogan et al, 2017 ; Zampella et al, 2020 ). Additional evidence suggests that inducing movement synchrony through synchronizing activities, such as the mirror game, can be operationalized to enhance cognitive performance ( Keisari et al, 2022 ; Moffat et al, 2024 ).…”

“…The level of movement synchrony between two people playing the mirror game varies substantially across pairs of people (dyads, henceforth; Noy et al, 2011 ; Ravreby et al, 2022 ; Moffat et al, 2024 ). From a logical standpoint, this variability is to be expected, given that dyads are composed of unique individuals with their own personality traits, social experiences and bodily competencies.…”