What does physiological synchrony reveal about metacognitive experiences and group performance?

There is a growing body of research on physiological synchrony (PS) in Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS). However, the current literature presents inconclusive findings about the way in which PS is reflected in cognitive and affective group processes and performance. In light of this, this study investigates the relationship between PS and metacognitive experiences (ie, judgement of confidence, task interest, task difficulty, mental effort and emotional valence) that are manifested during CPS. In addition, the study explores the association between PS and group performance. The participants were 77 university students who worked together on a computer-based CPS simulation in groups of three. Participants? electrodermal activity (EDA) was recorded as they worked on the simulation and metacognitive experiences were measured with situated self-reports. A Multidimensional Recurrence Quantification Analysis was used to calculate the PS among the collaborators. The results show a positive relationship between continuous PS episodes and groups? collective mental effort. No relationship was found between PS and judgement of confidence, task interest, task difficulty or emotional valence. The relationship between PS and group performance was also non-significant. The current work addresses several challenges in utilising multimodal data analytics in CPS research and discusses future research directions.

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