Innovation in Language Learning
Storytelling Synchrony? Combining EEG Hyperscanning and Linguistic Analysis to Analyse Paired Storytelling Performance
Ekaterina Zavodova, I. M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian Federation)
Zhanna Nagorova, I. M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian Federation)
Natalia Shemyakina, I. M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian Federation)
Abstract
This study combines EEG hyperscanning, the method for studying simultaneous brain activity of two or more participants[1], and linguistic analysis to examine the way performing a storytelling task alongside each other is different from the control picture description task (Des). Following the procedure established in [2], we tasked 24 pairs of participants (20-29 y.o.) with telling a story prompted by a picture (OwnSt), then continuing their own story (ContOwnSt), and continuing the story of their partner (ContPartnerSt). Recorded during the experiment were EEG data (19-channel portable Mitsar devices), participants’ stories and descriptions (voice recording), as well as their ratings of self and partner performance in each task. Hyperscanning analysis (PLV, CCorr) identified the highest synchronization during the Des task in theta, alpha, and beta bands, while among the creative tasks ContPartnerSt was associated with the highest synchronization values. In terms of linguistic analysis, we employed standard word and parts of speech count, as well as evaluated divergent semantic integration (DSI) described in [3]. Our results demonstrate that stories in ContPartnerSt were significantly longer than OwnSt and Des, while DSI analysis revealed both ContOwnSt and ContPartnerSt demonstrating significantly higher values than the Des task. Additionally, participants who came second tended to use more adjectives in the ContOwnSt task. We propose that the combination of hyperscanning and linguistic analysis is a promising research avenue.
Keywords: Neuroscience, EEG, Divergent Semantic Integration, Storytelling
REFERENCES
[1] Zamm, A., Loehr, J. D., Vesper, C., Konvalinka, I., Kappel, S. L., Heggli, O. A., Vuust, P., & Keller, P. E. (2024). A practical guide to EEG hyperscanning in joint action research: from motivation to implementation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsae026
[2] Shemyakina, N. V., & Nagornova, Z. V. (2019). EEG “Signs” of Verbal Creative Task Fulfillment with and without Overcoming Self-Induced Stereotypes. Behavioral Sciences, 10(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10010017
[3] Johnson, D.R., Kaufman, J.C., Baker, B.S. et al. Divergent semantic integration (DSI): Extracting creativity from narratives with distributional semantic modeling. Behav Res 55, 3726–3759 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-022-01986-2
