“We will be in touch”. A neuroscientific assessment of remote vs. face-to-face job interviews via EEG hyperscanning

ABSTRACT

In the last decades, improving remote communications in companies has been a compelling issue. With the outspread of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, this phenomenon has undergone an acceleration. Despite this, little to no research, considering neurocognitive and emotional systems, was conducted on job interviews, a critical organizational phase that significantly contributes to a company's long-term success. In this study, we aimed at exploring the emotional and cognitive processes related to different phases of a job interview (introductory, attitudinal, technical, and conclusion), when considering two conditions: face-to-face and remote, by simultaneously gathering EEG (frequency bands: alpha, beta, delta, and theta) and autonomic data (skin-conductance-level, SCL, skin-conductance-response, SCR, and heart rate, HR) in both candidates and recruiters. Data highlighted a generalized alpha desynchronization during the job interview interaction. Recruiters showed increased frontal theta activity, which is connected to socio-emotional situations and emotional processing. In addition, results showed how face-to-face condition is related to increased SCL and theta power in the central brain area, associated with learning processes, via the midbrain dopamine system and the anterior cingulate cortex. Furthermore, we found higher HR in the candidates. The present results call to reexamine the impact of information-technology on the organization, opening up to translational opportunities.

KEYWORDS:

• electroencephalography
• autonomic indices
• hyperscanning
• Job interview

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author [F.C.] upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by D.3.2. Fund (ricerche di particolare interesse per l’Ateneo) 2020: ”Behavioural change: prospettive per la stabilizzazione di comportamenti virtuosi verso la sostenibilità” at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.