Speaker: Natalie Sebanz (Central European University)
Natalie Sebanz is a Professor in Cognitive Science at Central European University in Vienna.
Her research interests revolve around the cognitive and neural basis of social interaction, with a special focus on how we coordinate our actions with others. Currently, her main interest is how we learn by participating in joint actions and by observing others acting together (funded by an ERC Consolidator grant). Having obtained her PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research, Munich, she has held appointments at Rutgers University (US), the University of Birmingham (UK), and Radboud University (NL). Natalie is a recipient of the European Science Foundation`s Young Investigator Award and the Young Mind and Brain Prize.
Title
Tying up loose ends and finding new directions in joint action research
Abstract
For more than twenty years, cognitive scientists have studied the human capacity to engage in joint action – that is, to coordinate actions with others to achieve common goals. This research has revealed the importance of perspective taking, co-representation, action prediction and action control. After summarizing some of the key findings, I will provide some ideas on where the study of joint action might now be headed. This includes research on the links between joint action processes and pro-sociality, studies of “joint action in the wild”, and clinical research.
Everyone interested is welcome to attend.
The meeting will be held in English.
Participation is strongly recommended for students of the Doctoral School in Philosophy and Human Sciences and for students of the Doctoral School “The Human Mind and its Explanations: Language, Brain, and Reasoning”.
Where: Online
When: 26/11/2025 – 17:00 CET
Attendance: Attendance is free and open to all, but registration is needed by email [angelica.kaufmann@unimi.it]