Converging Minds: EEG Synchrony During Communication About Moral Decision-Making in Dyadic Interactions
Communication about moral decision-making involves complex emotional and cognitive processes, especially in critical situations. This study adopted a hyperscanning paradigm to explore neural convergence during moral negotiation. Twenty-six healthy young adults (mean age = 23.59 years; 16 women, 10 m...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/13/4239 |
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| author | Roberta A. Allegretta Katia Rovelli Michela Balconi |
| author_facet | Roberta A. Allegretta Katia Rovelli Michela Balconi |
| author_sort | Roberta A. Allegretta |
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| description | Communication about moral decision-making involves complex emotional and cognitive processes, especially in critical situations. This study adopted a hyperscanning paradigm to explore neural convergence during moral negotiation. Twenty-six healthy young adults (mean age = 23.59 years; 16 women, 10 men), with no neurological or psychiatric conditions, were paired into 13 same-gender dyads at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Each dyad discussed a medical moral dilemma while their electrophysiological (EEG) activity was simultaneously recorded. Participants were first categorized according to their Dominant Reasoning Profile (DRP) (cognitive or affective), and subsequently convergence in DRP within the dyads was established. EEG band dissimilarities within each dyad were analyzed across frontal, temporo-central, and parieto-occipital regions. The results revealed significantly greater dissimilarity in frontal delta-band activity compared to parieto-occipital areas, regardless of the dyad’s DRP. Such results might suggest different emotional and motivational reactions between the two individuals, reflecting a broader gap in how the moral decision-making process was interpreted and internalized by each member, despite their DRP. The EEG hyperscanning paradigm proves useful in the study and understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in social interaction about morally sensitive decisions and provides novel insights into dyadic brain dynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d60d06e1a0c4ba280b3816ac80d8b99 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d60d06e1a0c4ba280b3816ac80d8b992025-08-20T03:28:59ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-07-012513423910.3390/s25134239Converging Minds: EEG Synchrony During Communication About Moral Decision-Making in Dyadic InteractionsRoberta A. Allegretta0Katia Rovelli1Michela Balconi2International Research Center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, ItalyInternational Research Center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, ItalyInternational Research Center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, ItalyCommunication about moral decision-making involves complex emotional and cognitive processes, especially in critical situations. This study adopted a hyperscanning paradigm to explore neural convergence during moral negotiation. Twenty-six healthy young adults (mean age = 23.59 years; 16 women, 10 men), with no neurological or psychiatric conditions, were paired into 13 same-gender dyads at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Each dyad discussed a medical moral dilemma while their electrophysiological (EEG) activity was simultaneously recorded. Participants were first categorized according to their Dominant Reasoning Profile (DRP) (cognitive or affective), and subsequently convergence in DRP within the dyads was established. EEG band dissimilarities within each dyad were analyzed across frontal, temporo-central, and parieto-occipital regions. The results revealed significantly greater dissimilarity in frontal delta-band activity compared to parieto-occipital areas, regardless of the dyad’s DRP. Such results might suggest different emotional and motivational reactions between the two individuals, reflecting a broader gap in how the moral decision-making process was interpreted and internalized by each member, despite their DRP. The EEG hyperscanning paradigm proves useful in the study and understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in social interaction about morally sensitive decisions and provides novel insights into dyadic brain dynamics.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/13/4239moral decision-makingdelta bandhyperscanningEEGaffective reasoningcognitive reasoning |
| spellingShingle | Roberta A. Allegretta Katia Rovelli Michela Balconi Converging Minds: EEG Synchrony During Communication About Moral Decision-Making in Dyadic Interactions Sensors moral decision-making delta band hyperscanning EEG affective reasoning cognitive reasoning |
| title | Converging Minds: EEG Synchrony During Communication About Moral Decision-Making in Dyadic Interactions |
| title_full | Converging Minds: EEG Synchrony During Communication About Moral Decision-Making in Dyadic Interactions |
| title_fullStr | Converging Minds: EEG Synchrony During Communication About Moral Decision-Making in Dyadic Interactions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Converging Minds: EEG Synchrony During Communication About Moral Decision-Making in Dyadic Interactions |
| title_short | Converging Minds: EEG Synchrony During Communication About Moral Decision-Making in Dyadic Interactions |
| title_sort | converging minds eeg synchrony during communication about moral decision making in dyadic interactions |
| topic | moral decision-making delta band hyperscanning EEG affective reasoning cognitive reasoning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/13/4239 |
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