title: EEG correlates of social interaction at distance.
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.
authors.affiliation: Evanlab, Firenze, 50023, Italy.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Giroldini
authors.affiliation: Evanlab, Firenze, 50023, Italy.
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pederzoli
authors.affiliation: Evanlab, Firenze, 50023, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bilucaglia
authors.affiliation: Evanlab, Firenze, 50023, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caini
authors.affiliation: Evanlab, Firenze, 50023, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrini
authors.affiliation: Evanlab, Firenze, 50023, Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Melloni
authors.affiliation: Evanlab, Firenze, 50023, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prati
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, Padova, 35131, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tressoldi
keywords: EEG; ERP; Monte Carlo.; bootstrap; mental entanglement