Beyond Synchrony: Exploring the dynamics of interdependent minds

Theories of social interaction posit that in order to coordinate with other people effectively, separate minds must mutually adapt to each other and converge on overlapping mental representations. Through this, one can anticipate the behavior of other people, form joint goals, and operate as cohesive social units. However, the dynamics of mutual adaptation during real-time social interaction is still in question, along with its neural implementation. This talk will discuss a set of studies aimed at documenting the nature of interdependence between interacting brains in various naturalistic contexts, with the hope of advancing research into the neural and psychological mechanisms that enable the richness of human social life.

Speaker: Shannon Burns, Pomona College