Examining collaborative cognition by modeling communication sequence dynamics and movement coordination

In this talk, I will provide an overview of some of my research examining collaborative cognition. I present several analyses based on a dataset where 42 dyads performed a computer-based collaborative problem solving task: NASA’s Moonbase Alpha task. I will detail the theoretical underpinnings of this work including, but not limited to Interactive Team Cognition Theory, Macrocognition in Teams Theory, and Dynamical Systems Theory. I will discuss two analyses of the communication sequence dynamics: 1) by calculating the fluctuation of communication order/disorder using a sliding window entropy method on categorically coded communication time series and showing how this relates to collaborative performance and 2) by using sequence mining methods to identify communication sequences that differentiate effective and ineffective collaborations. In addition, I will also examine the role of movement coordination as multiple time scales as it changes over the duration of the task and how movement coordination relates to collaborative cognition. In doing so, I aim to advance our understanding of human cognition and interaction by highlighting the links between low level features of the interaction, communication dynamics, and high-level collaborative cognition.