Temporal Complexity in Team Coordination Associated with Increased Performance in a Fast-Paced Puzzle Task

Abstract

Coordination is a critical component of team performance. Nonlinear time-series measures, such as Sample Entropy (SEn), provide a novel means to examine temporal structure in team coordination. The goal for this study was to apply SEn to the continuous motor responses (gamepad button presses) of dyadic teams who performed a fast-paced puzzle task (Quadra -a variant of videogame Tetris). Inferential analyses were used to: a) determine if meaningful (i.e., deterministic) temporal structure existed in team responses using SEn, and b) examine correlations between team performance and coordination metrics (including SEn). Results confirmed that meaningful temporal structure existed in the sequential type and time of team motor responses. In addition, SEn was the only coordination metric to exhibit a significant relationship with team performance outcomes. Together, these findings support the viability and salience of nonlinear measures such as SEn in assessment of team coordination.