Abstract
Team proficiency may depend on the extent of social-physiological compliance among participants. This laboratory study tested if compliance in electrodermal activity, heart rate or breathing in two-person teams (N=16) was predictive of team performance or coordination in a continuous tracking task that simulated teleoperation. Social-physiological compliance for each physiological measure was scored separately using weighted coherence and cross correlation of the physiological changes occurring in both participants (e.g., the cross correlation of the breathing pattern of the first team member with the breathing pattern of the second team member). Direct visual feedback between participants was systematically manipulated. Multiple regression analyses revealed that many coherence measures and one correlation measure were predictive of team performance. While social-visual contact had no impact, physiological compliance was predictive of improved performance, with coherence robust over all three physiological measures. These results provide correlational evidence that social-physiological compliance among team members may benefit team performance. Possible macroergonomic applications are discussed including assessment of team situation awareness, adaptive automation based on team biocybernetics, and objective evaluation of interface designs for computer-supported cooperative work.
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