Ranging over a wide array of interactions, coordination comprises the simple to complex interactions that occur within our daily lives. Many events we encounter ask us to work alone or
with a group to achieve a common goal. These goals frequently set the stage for how we find a
deeper understanding of underlying principles of coordination. Here, began by focusing on the
interaction between two individuals cooperating, and how coupling strength could modulate the
connection shared between them. In these initial studies we found that principles and measures of
complexity matching applied similarly within and between individuals, and perceptual-motor
performance can be facilitated by loose response coupling. We concluded that complexity matching
observed between individuals can similarly occur within one individual, suggesting a general
principle of interaction at work. When response coupling was absent in the dyadic condition, the
degree of complexity matching was significantly reduced. The connection shared between the
coupled cooperative agents influenced their overall shared success. Expanding upon this research,
we asked investigated coordination within larger groups. To do this, we need to find a situation that
fit within coordination but allowed for larger group sizes.
A situation that fit these criteria existed in collective foraging. Collective foragers can
coordinate and cooperate flexibly over time despite changes to task demands, connectedness, and
environmental conditions. The coupling strength linking foragers together often shapes their
collective movements. Based on this, we created a scenario where varying degrees of coupling
strength bound cooperative agents together as they collectively coordinated their actions in search
of hidden targets. We found that loose and flexible coupling among search agents improved
collective performance, and that human players improved performance partly by subtle, indirect
effects on group interactions. Loose coupling emerged among agents when the rules of interaction
were weak enough for agents to act independently or interdependently, while still being strong
enough to help hold them together. Movement patterns showed loose coupling enabled collections
of agents to self-organize and reorganize into a greater diversity of ad hoc groupings. We continued
this work by investigating the link between cooperative interactions among larger groups of agents,
coupling strength, and group member effectiveness. By manipulating group member effectiveness,
group members performed the search task better than before, but without human intervention, the
individual movements of the more-optimal agents continued to lag humans. Based on these results,
we successfully instilled a unique agent with a form of memory which helped them to act in more
‘human-like’ ways.
Taken together, this dissertation supports a broader narrative where coordination depends on
the loose, and flexible alignment of available actions (Glassman, 1973; Kloos & Van Orden, 2009).
This adaptive reorganization of behaviors is supported by an exchange of information, dependent
upon the connections linking complex networks together (Nordham, Tognoli, Fuchs, & Kelso,
2018; Rigoli, Holman, Spivey, & Kello, 2014; Schloesser, Kello, & Marmelat, 2019; West,
Geneston, & Grigolini, 2008). Future work may continue to uncover the underpinnings of
interpersonal coordination – with humans, engineered agents, or both.