Pseudo‐mutual gazing enhances interbrain synchrony during remote joint attention tasking

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Mutual gaze enables people to share attention and increase engagement during social interactions through intentional and implicit messages. Although previous studies have explored gaze behaviors and neural mechanisms underlying in‐person eye contact, the growing prevalence of remote communication has raised questions about how to establish mutual gaze remotely and how the brains of interacting individuals synchronize. Methods To address these questions, we conducted a study using eye trackers to create a pseudo‐mutual gaze channel that mirrors the gazes of each interacting dyad on their respective remote screens. To demonstrate fluctuations in coupling across brains, we incorporated electroencephalographic hyperscanning techniques to simultaneously record the brain activity of interacting dyads engaged in a joint attention task in player‐observer, collaborative, and competitive modes. Results Our results indicated that mutual gaze could improve the efficiency of joint attention activities among remote partners. Moreover, by employing the phase locking value, we could estimate interbrain synchrony (IBS) and observe low‐frequency couplings in the frontal and temporal regions that varied based on the interaction mode. While dyadic gender composition significantly affected gaze patterns, it did not impact the IBS. Conclusion These results provide insight into the neurological mechanisms underlying remote interaction through the pseudo‐mutual gaze channel and have significant implications for developing effective online communication environments.

Keywords

• hyperscanning EEG
• interbrain synchrony
• mutual gaze
• cooperation and competition
• joint attention
• phase locking value