Hidden Signals - The Neurological, Nonverbal, and Physiological Foundations of Human Behavior

The field of human behaviour increasingly recognizes the profound influence of signals that extend beyond explicit goals and verbal information. These “hidden signals” include neural and physiological processes within the body, as well as nonverbal cues such as voice quality, facial expression, posture, and movement. Such embodied dynamics often elude straightforward observation and description, particularly in research that prioritizes overt behaviour or verbal content. Together, these hidden signals represent a foundational yet relatively unexplored layer of human cognition and behaviour.

A central challenge remains in understanding the mechanisms by which these signals are generated, integrated, and translated into processes such as perception, inference, emotion, attention, and action. Although their significance is clear, research on hidden signals is frequently dispersed across various disciplines—including cognitive neuroscience, psychology, physiology, communication studies, and movement science. This fragmentation, often along lines of modality, methodology, or level of analysis, limits the development of unified mechanistic accounts. Therefore, this Research Topic aims to integrate these diverse perspectives within a cognitive science framework, emphasizing detailed explanations of how neural, physiological, and nonverbal signals shape cognition and behaviour.

We invite contributions that advance theoretical understanding or empirical evidence regarding the mechanisms and roles of hidden signals in cognition and behaviour. Relevant submissions may include, but are not limited to:

• Theoretical accounts of how neural, physiological, and nonverbal signals interact with key cognitive processes (e.g., perception, predictive processing, multimodal integration, social inference, emotion–cognition interactions)

• Empirical studies that investigate the generation, integration, and behavioural impact of hidden signals in real-world or experimental settings

• Multimodal or interdisciplinary research exploring the convergence of neural, physiological, and nonverbal data streams

• Computational or mechanistic models that unify findings across modalities and levels of analysis

• Reviews or meta-analyses that synthesize cross-disciplinary work on hidden signals in human behaviour

Empirical studies are especially encouraged when they clarify underlying mechanisms, challenge existing models, or expand our theoretical grasp of how less directly accessible bodily and nonverbal signals contribute to human behaviour.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Nonverbal signals, Physiological signals, Neural mechanisms of behaviour, Multimodal integration, Predictive processing

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.