EEG Correlates of Social Interaction at Distance

22 Pages Posted: 8 Apr 2020

Date Written: March 13, 2020

Abstract

This study investigated EEG correlates of social interaction at distance between twenty-five pairs of participants who were not connected by any traditional channels of communication.

Each session involved the application of 128 stimulations separated by intervals of random duration ranging from 4 to 6 seconds. One of the pair received a one-second stimulation from a light signal produced by an arrangement of red LEDs, and a simultaneous 500 Hz sinusoidal audio signal of the same length. The other member of the pair sat in an isolated sound-proof room, such that any sensory interaction between the pair was impossible. An analysis of the Event-Related Potentials associated with sensory stimulation using traditional averaging methods showed a distinct peak at approximately 300 ms, but only in the EEG activity of subjects who were directly stimulated. However, when a new algorithm was applied to the EEG activity based on the correlation between signals from all active electrodes, a weak but robust response was also detected in the EEG activity of the passive member of the pair, particularly within 9 – 10 Hz in the Alpha range. Using the Bootstrap method and the Monte Carlo emulation, this signal was found to be statistically significant.

Keywords: Mind to mind communication

JEL Classification: EEG, P300

Suggested Citation

Giroldini, William and Pederzoli, Luciano and Bilucaglia, Marco and Bilucaglia, Marco and Caini, Patrizio and Ferrini, Alessandro and Melloni, Simone and Prati, Elena and Tressoldi, Patrizio E., EEG Correlates of Social Interaction at Distance (March 13, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3554061 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3554061

William Giroldini (Contact Author)

EvanLab ( email )

Firenze
Italy

Luciano Pederzoli

EvanLab ( email )

Via dei Ricci, 22
Impruneta, Firenze 50023
Italy

Marco Bilucaglia

EvanLab ( email )

Firenze
Italy

IULM University ( email )

Milan
Italy

Patrizio Caini

EvanLab ( email )

Firenze
Italy

Alessandro Ferrini

EvanLab ( email )

Firenze
Italy

Simone Melloni

EvanLab ( email )

Firenze
Italy

Elena Prati

EvanLab ( email )

Firenze
Italy

Patrizio E. Tressoldi

Università di Padova ( email )

via Venezia 8
Padova, 35131
Italy

HOME PAGE: http://www.patriziotressoldi.it

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