An exploration of the behavioural, electrophysiological, and neural mechanisms underlying joint action

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***You are watching two musicians performing a classical duet. Each is responsible for playing his or her own instrument and each instrument produces its own sound. Yet, what you hear is a beautiful piece of music. You might ask yourself, "How are they able to coordinate their movements to achieve such synchrony?" Over the last 15 years, there has been a surge of interest in joint action. Joint action (JA) is when two or more individuals coordinate their actions to accomplish a task goal. Researchers have been feverishly exploring how people are able to successfully achieve a shared task goal. The following research program has two objectives. The first is to identify factors that impact JA. For example, how does the opportunity to bond with another affect JA? From a sports perspective, how does group cohesion influence JA? Does being a member of an interactive sports team (e.g., football) make one more socially tuned' to others than someone who is a member of a coactive sports team (e.g., track and field), where they may perform side-by-side with others but with little interaction? Finally, how does older age affect JA? There is consistent evidence to suggest that empathy peaks in late middle-aged adults and begins to decline thereafter. Empathy allows you to take on another person's views and this is important when working towards a shared task goal with someone. The second objective is to explore how brain activity changes when engaging in JA. To further expand our understanding of how age impacts JA performance, a brain rhythm called mu' will be measured. The mu rhythm reflects activity in cells associated with the processes involved in empathy. If older adults have difficulty performing a joint task because of their inability to perceive a situation from another's point of view, then this mu rhythm should be different than younger adults who are better perspective takers. Lastly, how does brain activity change when there is a group of three people interacting on a joint task? More people can mean less work. Depending on the degree of social interaction and responsibility that the task requires of someone, brain activity should differ. The proposed research will provide novel insights into the impact that aging has on joint performance. This will broaden and complement recent efforts to determine how JA develops during infancy and childhood and help create a comprehensive framework to study joint action across the perceptual-motor lifespan. Additionally, it will generate new findings about how one perceives and acts when working towards a shared task goal with multiple people.