Behavioral maps organize smartphone interactions in the brain

Abstract

Smartphone touchscreen interactions are remarkably varied, with each tap and swipe shaped by a distinct combination of cognitive, affective, and environmental factors. One possibility is that the brain plans and processes each interaction anew. Alternatively, the brain may reduce this diversity, processing many distinct interactions through a shared set of recurring neural patterns. The intervals between successive interactions offer one way to detect such shared structure: when interactions are organized by their interval statistics, they reveal regularities that suggest common underlying processes. To test whether these behavioral regularities are mirrored by recurring neural patterns, we recorded EEG during naturalistic smartphone use (n = 53 participants, > 130,000 taps). We placed each interaction on a two-dimensional behavioral map spanning 100 ms to 100 s, defined by its two preceding intervals, and extracted recurring neural patterns time-locked to the touchscreen. Interactions with similar interval context evoked similar neural responses, forming clusters across the behavioral map. Clusters were more pronounced before the interaction than after, suggesting they support upcoming actions. This low-dimensional organization may allow the brain to process diverse interactions through a shared, reusable set of recurring neural patterns rather than planning each anew.