Virtual (Zoom) Interactions Alter Conversational Behavior and Interbrain Coherence

Stephanie Balters; Jonas G Miller; Rihui Li; Grace Hawthorne; Allan L Reiss

doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1401-22.2023

Virtual (Zoom) Interactions Alter Conversational Behavior and Interbrain Coherence

J Neurosci. 2023 Apr 5;43(14):2568-2578. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1401-22.2023. Epub 2023 Mar 3.

Authors

Stephanie Balters¹, Jonas G Miller², Rihui Li³, Grace Hawthorne⁴, Allan L Reiss^{3

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 balters@stanford.edu.
² Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305.
⁶ Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305.

Abstract

A growing number of social interactions are taking place virtually on videoconferencing platforms. Here, we explore potential effects of virtual interactions on observed behavior, subjective experience, and neural "single-brain" and "interbrain" activity via functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging. We scanned a total of 36 human dyads (72 participants, 36 males, 36 females) who engaged in three naturalistic tasks (i.e., problem-solving, creative-innovation, socio-emotional task) in either an in-person or virtual (Zoom) condition. We also coded cooperative behavior from audio recordings. We observed reduced conversational turn-taking behavior during the virtual condition. Given that conversational turn-taking was associated with other metrics of positive social interaction (e.g., subjective cooperation and task performance), this measure may be an indicator of prosocial interaction. In addition, we observed altered patterns of averaged and dynamic interbrain coherence in virtual interactions. Interbrain coherence patterns that were characteristic of the virtual condition were associated with reduced conversational turn-taking. These insights can inform the design and engineering of the next generation of videoconferencing technology.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Videoconferencing has become an integral part of our lives. Whether this technology impacts behavior and neurobiology is not well understood. We explored potential effects of virtual interaction on social behavior, brain activity, and interbrain coupling. We found that virtual interactions were characterized by patterns of interbrain coupling that were negatively implicated in cooperation. Our findings are consistent with the perspective that videoconferencing technology adversely affects individuals and dyads during social interaction. As virtual interactions become even more necessary, improving the design of videoconferencing technology will be crucial for supporting effective communication.

Keywords: cooperation; functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS); hyperscanning; social neuroscience; virtual interaction.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Brain
Brain Mapping / methods
Communication
Cooperative Behavior
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations*
Male
Social Behavior*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding