Interpersonal brain synchronization with instructor compensates for learner’s sleep deprivation in interactive learning

Abstract

Recent advances shifted the focus on single-brain functioning toward two-brain communication during learning interactions, following the demonstration that interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS) can track instructor-learner information exchange. Here, we investigated (i) whether sleep deprivation (SD) that potentially impacts both social interactions and learning abilities modulates IBS, and (ii) conversely whether and to what extent IBS might compensate for SD-related learning deficits. Instructors (always with regular sleep, RS) were asked to teach numerical reasoning strategies to learners (either SD or RS), during which the activity of both brains was simultaneously recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). SD learners initially performed below their baseline level, worse than RS learners, but learning improvement was comparable between RS and SD conditions after learning with the instructor. IBS within the instructor-learner dyads was higher in the SD (vs. RS) condition in the left inferior frontal cortex. In addition, clustered IBS (estimated by nonnegative matrix factorization) was correlated with performance improvement. Moreover, Granger Causality analyses revealed biased causality with higher instructor-to-learner than learner-to-instructor directionality in brain signal processing. Together, these results indicate that SD-related learning deficits can to some extent be compensated via interactions with an instructor, as reflected by increased IBS and preserved learning ability, and implicate an essential role of the instructor in driving synchrony between teaching and SD learning brains during interactions.

Three heads are better than one: Cooperative learning brains wire together when a consensus is reached

“…1B). These brain regions have been previously associated with social interactions in educational settings (Holper et al, 2013;Takeuchi et al, 2017;Pan et al, 2018Pan et al, , 2020Pan et al, , 2021aZheng et al, 2018). The distance between optodes was 3 cm.…”

“…For example, Nozawa et al (2021) established that functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) could be used to record brain activity from group members during cooperative learning simultaneously (the so-called "fNIRS hyperscanning"; Cui et al, 2012). This approach has been successfully applied in the field of learning sciences and consistently demonstrated that brain activity is synchronized between learners (and instructors) in naturalistic educational settings (Holper et al, 2013;Pan et al, 2018Pan et al, , 2021aZheng et al, 2018).…”

Inter-Brain Synchrony Levels According to Task Execution Modes and Difficulty Levels: An fNIRS/GSR Study

“…For the sake of responding to the controversies, in some previous studies, IBS has been investigated in relation to the inter-trial interval, that is, the task repetition frequency [74], [75]. The IBS is independent of the task repetition frequency as the result of wide frequency range analyses [30], [49], [76]. Thus, the IBS has nothing to do with the simple hemodynamic changes due to mental workload and is instead related to the social interaction between two participants.…”

The Interpersonal Neuroscience of Social Learning

“…BtBC during learning has been demonstrated across multiple brain regions, predominantly including temporoparietal junctions and prefrontal regions (Holper et al, 2013; Pan, Dikker, et al, 2020; Pan, Guyon, et al, 2020; Pan et al, 2018; Takeuchi et al, 2017; Zheng et al, 2018). According to some authors, these regions may contribute to mentalizing and interpreting the intentions of others (Behrens et al, 2009; Carter et al, 2012; Gvirts & Perlmutter, 2020; Knoch et al, 2006), which is of course relevant for any form of social learning.…”