12. November, 16:15 Uhr
Psychlogisches Institut (Schleichstr. 4) | Hörsaal
Keynote-Vortrag von New Horizons Fellow Prof. Dr. Günther Knoblich:
Is Joint Action Prioritized in the Human Mind?
Abstract:
People perform joint actions because acting together allows them to achieve outcomes that they could not achieve alone, such as moving a heavy piece of furniture. They may also choose to act together simply because it is more enjoyable, such as cooking together. In this talk, I will present recent research from our lab examining whether joint action is prioritized over individual action. First, we asked when people decide to perform an action individually versus jointly. We examined whether joint action is experienced as rewarding compared to individual action, and thus preferred. Second, we asked how joint actions are represented in the mind. We investigated whether representations of the joint action as a whole, or representations of the individual contributions, are prioritized in action control. Third, we explored whether joint action can facilitate thinking, particularly creative problem solving. Here, we tested whether difficult problems are solved more effectively together than alone.
Bio: Günther Knoblich is Professor of Cognitive Science at Central European University (CEU), Vienna. His main research interests include joint action, sense of agency, social cognition, communication, and problem solving. He has coordinated several large interdisciplinary research projects, among them the ERC Synergy project Coordination, Communication, and Cultural Transmission (2015–2022), the EuroCores project EuroUnderstanding (2011–2014), and the ZiF Research Year Embodied Communication in Humans and Machines (2005–2006, with Ipke Wachsmuth). He received his PhD from the University of Hamburg in 1997 and held research and faculty positions at the Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research, Rutgers University, the University of Birmingham, and the Donders Institute at Radboud University Nijmegen.
