Tracing Neurodynamic Information Flows during Teamwork

Ronald Stevens, The Learning Chameleon, Inc., IMMEX/UCLA
Trysha Galloway, The Learning Chameleon, Inc.

Abstract: The goal of this study was to evaluate different neurodynamic representations for their ability to describe the interactions of team members with each other and with the changing task. Electroencephalography (EEG) data streams were collected from six crew members of a submarine piloting and navigation team while they performed a required training simulation. A representation of neurodynamic organization was first generated by creating symbols every second that showed the EEG power levels of each crew member. The second-by-second expression of these symbols continuously varied with the changing task, and the magnitude, duration and frequency of these variations could be quantitated using a moving window of Shannon entropy over the symbol stream. These changes in neurodynamic organization (i.e. entropy) were seen in the alpha, beta and gamma EEG frequency bands. A representation of team members’ synchrony was created by measuring the mutual information in the EEG power levels for fourteen dyad combinations. Mutual information was present in the gamma EEG band, and elevated levels were distributed throughout the task. These discrete periods of synchrony were poorly correlated at zero lag with either changes in the team’s neurodynamic organization, or speech patterns.

Keywords: team neurodynamics, synchrony, EEG, entropy, mutual information, teamwork