Our research broadly focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of the different dynamics that arise when people work together, rather than alone, to complete tasks in varying situations. I have been able to achieve this through several connected lines of research. One focuses on our understanding of how social factors affect the way we interact and how this affects our actions. Another line of research focuses on applying the knowledge I have gained from the first to better understand how the breakdown of social interaction skills development known to be a marker of autism affects social action, interaction, and higher-level cognition. More recently I examine how COVID safety and social distancing measures have impacted our interactions. This line started during the pandemic, but is ongoing to better understand how this massive shift might have affected the ways in which we interact with each other post-pandemic. Finally, I am starting a new line of research specifically focused on human-AI interaction, and how my knowledge of complex human interaction could inform this area.

 

The way I study these phenomena is anchored in the dynamical systems and ecological psychology theoretical perspectives with a particular focus on agent-environment systems, as opposed to focusing our understanding at the level of individuals. This research involves recording agents’ actions over time using a variety of behavioral measurement techniques (e.g., motion capture systems, eye-tracking, video) and using linear as well as nonlinear time series analysis methods (e.g., recurrence quantification analysis, fractal and multifractal analyses) to better understand phenomena.