Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Theta Oscillations Associated With Information Sharing Intention
Social media has gained increasing importance in many aspects of everyday life, from building relationships to establishing collaborative networks between individuals worldwide. Sharing behavior is an essential part of maintaining these dynamic networks. However, the precise neural factors that coul...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00166/full |
| _version_ | 1818154291476561920 |
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| author | Nastassja L. Fischer Nastassja L. Fischer Rafael Peres Mario Fiorani |
| author_facet | Nastassja L. Fischer Nastassja L. Fischer Rafael Peres Mario Fiorani |
| author_sort | Nastassja L. Fischer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social media has gained increasing importance in many aspects of everyday life, from building relationships to establishing collaborative networks between individuals worldwide. Sharing behavior is an essential part of maintaining these dynamic networks. However, the precise neural factors that could be related to sharing behavior in online communities remain unclear. In this study, we recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations of human subjects while they were watching short videos. The subjects were later asked to evaluate the videos based on how much they liked them and whether they would share them. We found that, at the population level, subjects watching videos that would not be shared had higher power spectral density (PSD) amplitudes in the theta band (4–8 Hz), primarily over the frontal and parietal sites of the right hemisphere, than subjects watching videos that would be shared. Previous studies have associated task disengagement with an increase in scalp-wide theta activation, which can be interpreted as a mind-wandering effect. This might suggest that the decision to not share the video may lead to a more automatic/effortless neural pattern. We also found that watching videos that would be shared was associated with lower PSD amplitudes in the alpha band (8–12 Hz) over the central and right frontal sites, and with more negative scores of frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) index scores. These results may be related to previous work linking right-sided frontal EEG asymmetry to the pursuit of social conformity and avoidance of negative outcomes, such as social isolation. Finally, using support vector machine (SVM) algorithms, we show that these EEG parameters and preference rating scores can be used to improve the predictability of sharing information behavior. The information sharing-related EEG pattern described here could therefore improve our understanding of the neural markers associated with sharing behavior and contribute to studies about stimuli propagation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T14:24:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b3093d7de3b4a3e92ac105f79fda519 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T14:24:11Z |
| publishDate | 2018-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b3093d7de3b4a3e92ac105f79fda5192022-12-22T01:02:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532018-08-011210.3389/fnbeh.2018.00166372949Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Theta Oscillations Associated With Information Sharing IntentionNastassja L. Fischer0Nastassja L. Fischer1Rafael Peres2Mario Fiorani3Laboratory of Cognition Physiology, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilDepartment of Morphological Sciences, Medical School Souza Marques, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilLaboratory of Cognition Physiology, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilLaboratory of Cognition Physiology, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilSocial media has gained increasing importance in many aspects of everyday life, from building relationships to establishing collaborative networks between individuals worldwide. Sharing behavior is an essential part of maintaining these dynamic networks. However, the precise neural factors that could be related to sharing behavior in online communities remain unclear. In this study, we recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations of human subjects while they were watching short videos. The subjects were later asked to evaluate the videos based on how much they liked them and whether they would share them. We found that, at the population level, subjects watching videos that would not be shared had higher power spectral density (PSD) amplitudes in the theta band (4–8 Hz), primarily over the frontal and parietal sites of the right hemisphere, than subjects watching videos that would be shared. Previous studies have associated task disengagement with an increase in scalp-wide theta activation, which can be interpreted as a mind-wandering effect. This might suggest that the decision to not share the video may lead to a more automatic/effortless neural pattern. We also found that watching videos that would be shared was associated with lower PSD amplitudes in the alpha band (8–12 Hz) over the central and right frontal sites, and with more negative scores of frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) index scores. These results may be related to previous work linking right-sided frontal EEG asymmetry to the pursuit of social conformity and avoidance of negative outcomes, such as social isolation. Finally, using support vector machine (SVM) algorithms, we show that these EEG parameters and preference rating scores can be used to improve the predictability of sharing information behavior. The information sharing-related EEG pattern described here could therefore improve our understanding of the neural markers associated with sharing behavior and contribute to studies about stimuli propagation.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00166/fullsocial mediasocial networkingstimuli propagationattentionsocial conformitydecision-making |
| spellingShingle | Nastassja L. Fischer Nastassja L. Fischer Rafael Peres Mario Fiorani Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Theta Oscillations Associated With Information Sharing Intention Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience social media social networking stimuli propagation attention social conformity decision-making |
| title | Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Theta Oscillations Associated With Information Sharing Intention |
| title_full | Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Theta Oscillations Associated With Information Sharing Intention |
| title_fullStr | Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Theta Oscillations Associated With Information Sharing Intention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Theta Oscillations Associated With Information Sharing Intention |
| title_short | Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Theta Oscillations Associated With Information Sharing Intention |
| title_sort | frontal alpha asymmetry and theta oscillations associated with information sharing intention |
| topic | social media social networking stimuli propagation attention social conformity decision-making |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00166/full |
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