Behavioral and brain dynamics of team coordination part I: Task design

Abstract

In this study, pairs of subjects performed a team-intensive task with the shared goal of clearing a virtual room from threats. Our goal was to identify signatures of efficient team work from a dynamic analysis of both subjects' brain signals and behavioral performance. An ecologically valid task of room clearing was designed and a novel analysis framework was developed to address the challenge of understanding complex, continuous social processes at both behavioral and brain levels. In the present paper, we detail the design of the task, and present validation techniques undertaken to acquire and analyze high-quality and accurately timed neurobehavioral information. A companion paper will discuss the neurobehavioral findings and their implications. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.