title: Joint Cognition: Thought Contagion and the Consequences of Cooperation when Sharing the Task of Random Sequence Generation.
abstract: Generating random number sequences is a popular psychological task often used to measure executive functioning. We explore random generation under "joint cognition" instructions; pairs of participants take turns to compile a shared response sequence. Across three studies, we point to six key findings from this novel format. First, there are both costs and benefits from group performance. Second, repetition avoidance occurs in dyadic as well as individual production settings. Third, individuals modify their choices in a dyadic situation such that the pair becomes the unit of psychological function. Fourth, there is immediate contagion of sequence stereotypy amongst the pairs (i.e., each contributor "owns" their partner's response). Fifth, dyad effects occur even when participants know their partner is not interacting with them (Experiment 2). Sixth, ironically, directing participants' efforts away from their shared task responsibility can actually benefit conjoint performance (Experiment 3). These results both constrain models of random generation and illuminate processes of joint cognition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: John Nicholas
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Towse
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrea Sarah
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Towse
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maehara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyake
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology