Neuroergonomics evaluation of teamwork in a fast-paced communication and shared decision-making task

This study examined whether inter-brain synchrony (IBS), measured via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning, may serve as a neurophysiological indicator for team collaboration following structured training. Conventional evaluations of team training rely primarily on subjective ratings and performance metrics. Although IBS has been proposed as an index of neural coordination, its relation to collaboration quality and training-induced change remains unclear. Forty-eight adults (24 dyads) were randomized to a structured team-training or no-training control group and completed a fast-paced microworld task. Independent observers subsequently rated teamwork quality from video recordings. Exploratory machine-learning classifiers were trained on channel-wise IBS features to predict each team's training status. Trained dyads showed significantly lower prefrontal IBS in specific channels than controls, a pattern accompanied by higher observer-rated teamwork scores. Classifiers achieved moderate cross-validated accuracy (≈0.73) for nominal labels and higher performance when calibrated against observer ratings (AUC up to 0.94). Interpreted within Mutual Prediction Theory (MPT), these findings suggest that IBS need not monotonically increase with better teamwork; in high-tempo operational tasks, improved coordination may coincide with reduced online mutual prediction demand. This pattern is compatible with a team neural efficiency account in which effective coordination is achieved with reduced inter-brain coupling. Together, the results motivate future work to validate generalizability and assess feasibility for monitoring and training applications in safety-critical domains. • Trained teams exhibited lower prefrontal IBS in a fast-paced team task. • Reduced IBS reflects lower mutual prediction demand and increased coordination efficiency. • IBS features classified trained vs control teams with 73–79 % accuracy. • Real-time team coordination monitoring driven by prefrontal IBS is feasible.