Figure 3

A) The speaker–listener neural coupling was assessed through the use of a general linear model in which the time series in the speaker’s brain are used to predict the activity in the listeners’ brains. B) The speaker–listener temporal coupling varies across brain areas. In early auditory areas (A1+) the speaker–listener brain coupling is time locked to the moment of vocalization (yellow). In posterior areas the activity in the speaker’s brain preceded the activity in the listeners’ brains (blue), whereas in the mPFC, dlPFC, and striatum the listeners’ brain activity preceded (red). C) The listeners’ behavioral scores and the extent of significant speaker–listener brain coupling was found to be strongly correlated (r = 0.54, p < 0.07). These results suggest that the stronger the neural coupling between interlocutors, the better the understanding. The extent of brain areas where the listeners’ activity preceded the speaker’s activity (red areas in Fig. 3B) provided the strongest correlation with behavior (r = 0.75, p < 0.01). These results provide evidence that prediction is an important aspect of successful communication. (Adapted from [49]).