The role of peer relationship on children's creativity during cooperative and competitive interactions: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study

Children are at a critical stage of development for cultivating creativity and are highly sensitive to the influence of peers. This study investigated the impact of peer relationships on children's creativity during both cooperative and competitive interactions, using functional near-infrared s...

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Main Authors: Shujin Zhou, Yuxuan Zhang, Mingming Zhang, Dan Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-10-01
Series:Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929325000878
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author Shujin Zhou
Yuxuan Zhang
Mingming Zhang
Dan Li
author_facet Shujin Zhou
Yuxuan Zhang
Mingming Zhang
Dan Li
author_sort Shujin Zhou
collection DOAJ
description Children are at a critical stage of development for cultivating creativity and are highly sensitive to the influence of peers. This study investigated the impact of peer relationships on children's creativity during both cooperative and competitive interactions, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based hyperscanning techniques. A total of 66 children, including 18 familiar dyads and 15 stranger dyads, were recruited to participate in the cooperative and competitive tangram puzzle tasks. The results showed that familiar dyads demonstrated higher originality and lower appropriateness in cooperative tasks compared to stranger dyads. fNIRS data revealed distinct task-specific neural coupling patterns in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) contingent upon peer relationship: familiar dyads exhibited enhanced inter-brain synchronization (IBS) during cooperative tasks, while stranger dyads demonstrated stronger neural alignment during competitive interactions. Additionally, positive feedback during cooperative interactions in familiar dyads was significantly correlated with increased IBS in the IFG. These findings underscore the advantages of familiar peer relationships in fostering cooperative creativity and the benefits of strange relationships in enhancing competitive performance. This study highlights the importance of considering relational and contextual factors in fostering children’s creative potential.
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spelling doaj-art-7261adef0de142b7b30215253d4a2ea12025-08-20T03:28:43ZengElsevierDevelopmental Cognitive Neuroscience1878-92932025-10-017510159210.1016/j.dcn.2025.101592The role of peer relationship on children's creativity during cooperative and competitive interactions: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning studyShujin Zhou0Yuxuan Zhang1Mingming Zhang2Dan Li3School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaSchool of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, ChinaSchool of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China; Corresponding authors.School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China; Corresponding authors.Children are at a critical stage of development for cultivating creativity and are highly sensitive to the influence of peers. This study investigated the impact of peer relationships on children's creativity during both cooperative and competitive interactions, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based hyperscanning techniques. A total of 66 children, including 18 familiar dyads and 15 stranger dyads, were recruited to participate in the cooperative and competitive tangram puzzle tasks. The results showed that familiar dyads demonstrated higher originality and lower appropriateness in cooperative tasks compared to stranger dyads. fNIRS data revealed distinct task-specific neural coupling patterns in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) contingent upon peer relationship: familiar dyads exhibited enhanced inter-brain synchronization (IBS) during cooperative tasks, while stranger dyads demonstrated stronger neural alignment during competitive interactions. Additionally, positive feedback during cooperative interactions in familiar dyads was significantly correlated with increased IBS in the IFG. These findings underscore the advantages of familiar peer relationships in fostering cooperative creativity and the benefits of strange relationships in enhancing competitive performance. This study highlights the importance of considering relational and contextual factors in fostering children’s creative potential.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929325000878Peer relationshipChildren's creativityIBSCooperationCompetition
spellingShingle Shujin Zhou
Yuxuan Zhang
Mingming Zhang
Dan Li
The role of peer relationship on children's creativity during cooperative and competitive interactions: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Peer relationship
Children's creativity
IBS
Cooperation
Competition
title The role of peer relationship on children's creativity during cooperative and competitive interactions: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study
title_full The role of peer relationship on children's creativity during cooperative and competitive interactions: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study
title_fullStr The role of peer relationship on children's creativity during cooperative and competitive interactions: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study
title_full_unstemmed The role of peer relationship on children's creativity during cooperative and competitive interactions: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study
title_short The role of peer relationship on children's creativity during cooperative and competitive interactions: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study
title_sort role of peer relationship on children s creativity during cooperative and competitive interactions an fnirs based hyperscanning study
topic Peer relationship
Children's creativity
IBS
Cooperation
Competition
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929325000878
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