3rd Workshop on Virtual Social Interaction

Extending the science of social interaction using new technology

Social interaction is at the core of being human, but the scientific study of social interaction is challenging. We have only a limited understanding of the behavioral patterns and the brain and cognitive mechanisms which allow interactions. New technologies like Virtual Reality, motion tracking, virtual humans and 3D avatars, can help us probe and measure human social behaviour without sacrificing the validity of the interaction. The data we gain allows us to develop and test new theories and models of the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying human sociality.

This workshop will highlight new methods and new theories in the domain of social interaction, and work towards a scientific understanding of how people interact. It aims to bring together researchers from Psychology, Cognitive Science, Computer Science (VR, AI, HCI), Neuroscience, clinical fields and other related areas. It is the third after two successfull preceding workshops held at UCL (London, 2014) and at the University of Salford (Manchester, 2016).

Organizers

The workshop will be held at the Center of Excellence "Cognitive Interaction Technology" at Bielefeld University, Germany. It is organised by the Social Cognitive Systems group in co-operation with the Computer Graphics Group of CITEC, the Social and Spatial Cognition group of the MPI for Biological Cybernetics (Tübingen), and the University Hospital Cologne for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy.