When cooperation goes wrong: brain and behavioural correlates of ineffective joint strategies in dyads

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Human life is connoted by sophisticated interactions that involve not only single individuals, but larger social groups composed by members interacting each other. Cooperation secures a benefit to all the people engaged as well as important behaviors like helping, sharing, and acting prosocially. But what happens when the joint actions are not effective?

Materials and method: In the present study, we asked 24 participants paired in 12 dyads to cooperate during an attentional task in a way to synchronize their responses and obtain better outcomes. In addition we tested inter-brain and cognitive strategy similarities between subjects. Then, we frustrated their strategies by providing false feedbacks signalling the incapacity to create a synergy, which was reinforced by a general negative evaluation halfway through the task. The effects of the feedback inmodulating subjects behavioural performance and brain responsiveness were explored by means of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Results: Results showed a worsen performance after the negative feedback in the form of longer reaction times and a specifc pattern of brain activation involving th dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the superior frontal gyrus. The DLPFC showed increased O₂Hb (oxy-haemoglobin) level after the feedback, compatible with the need for higher cognitive effort. In addition, fNIRS measures revealed a decreased inter-brain synchronicity in post-feedback condition for the dyad. Also, the representation of negative emotions in response to failing interactions was signalled by a right-lateralized effect.

Conclusions: Results were interpreted at light of available knowledge on perceived self-efficacy and the implementation of common goals and strategies.

KEYWORDS:

• Cooperation
• self-efficacy
• fNIRS
• performance
• hyperscanning

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by Catholic University of Milan [grant number d1-2017].

Notes on contributors

Michela Balconi

Michela Balconi, PhD, is a professor of ‘Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience’, ‘Neuropsychology of Communication’ and ‘Neuroscience of Well-being in the Lifespan’ at the Faculty of Psychology of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan and Brescia. She leads the Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience and manages the research activities of the Laboratory for Cognitive Psychology and of many assistants and collaborators. Her research interests mainly concern cognitive neuropsychology and psychophysiology. In agreement with the relevance of a proper integration between the body and the mind, she has studied and introduced new methods to analyse and explore the relation between affective, communication and cognitive processes, and physiological markers – e.g. the application of fNIRS (functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) technique and EEG frequency bands analysis to the investigation of social–affective processes and consciousness correlates, and the use of non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, and tES, transcranial Electric Stimulation) in clinical and experimental contexts.

Laura Gatti

Laura Gatti graduated at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Brescia, and she is currently spending her apprenticeship on the topics of cooperation, with a specific interest for gender differences during joint actions.

Maria Elide Vanutelli

Maria Elide Vanutelli took her PhD degree in psychology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, with a thesis entitled ‘Sharing emotions in social life: New perspectives in interactive neuroscience’. Her main research interests concern social neuroscience with a specific focus on affective and empathic mechanisms in interpersonal relationships.