From face-to-face to face-to-screen: Social animals interacting in a digital world

Projektinformationen

SODI

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 101076414

DOI

10.3030/101076414

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 14 Dezember 2022

Startdatum 1 Januar 2023

Enddatum 31 Dezember 2027

Finanziert unter

• European Research Council (ERC)

Gesamtkosten

€ 1 499 377,50

EU-Beitrag

€ 1 499 377,50

Koordiniert durch

RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERG
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SODI (From face-to-face to face-to-screen: Social animals interacting in a digital world)

Berichtszeitraum: 2023-01-01 bis 2025-06-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

For millions of years, human survival has depended critically on building relationships, seeking social support from others, and sharing resources in groups. This social context has created constant evolutionary pressure to develop specific biological systems designed for face-to-face interaction with physically present others. For only a few years now, we have been living in a rapidly evolving digital world in which social interactions (education, friendship, health care) are shifting to face-to-screen interaction. How does this fundamental shift affect our social interactions? In SODI, we will contrast face-to-face and face-to-screen “live” interactions of many individuals, taking a multi-method, biopsychological approach. According to our theoretical working model, face-to-screen interactions fail to fully engage specific, socially relevant hormonal systems that have evolved to process context-dependent stimuli from face-to-face contact. Consequently, hormone-mediated beneficial social effects should be attenuated, while adding social stimuli should ameliorate this difference. To test the assumptions of our model, we will address three objectives. How do face-to-screen interactions differ from face-to-face ones? Can we “socially enrich” face-to-screen interactions by adding previously lacking social stimuli? Does experimentally modulating hormone levels in the brain affect differences between face-to-face and face-to-screen interactions? In a radically innovative approach, this research combines experimental-psychological interaction paradigms, neurophysiological and subjective measures, and hormone administration to understand the merits and flaws of interacting in a digital reality.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

This project consists of three work packages that address the aforementioned objectives with respect to three evolutionarily highly relevant social behaviors: relationship building, social support, and resource sharing. In the following, we describe the activities and the main results of the ongoing research of the first two work packages.

Working package 1: Interacting with unknown others – Rapport building

We compare the gaze behavior of strangers between face-to-face interactions and face-to-screen interactions (via a standard video call). In addition, we are investigating the effects of "socially enriching" face-to-face interactions by enabling mutual eye gaze. While data collection is ongoing, we have already designed and built a technical setup to perform dual eye-tracking measurements in both face-to-face and face-to-screen interactions in combination with gaze correction.

Working Package 2: Interacting with close others – Social support

We compare the stress-buffering effects of social support in interactions with close others (i.e. romantic partners) between face-to-face interactions and face-to-screen interactions. In addition, we are investigating the effects of “socially enriching” face-to-screen interactions by enabling the supportive partner to provide pleasurable physical contact. While data collection is ongoing, we have already designed and built a technical setup to provide pleasant physical contact in face-to-screen interactions, using a remotely controlled technical device.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

By demonstrating that our “biological interaction hardware” needs to be taken into account when designing digital environments, this project will provide results beyond the state of the arts that will be of interest to a wide range of researchers in the behavioral and social sciences. The research presented may also be fruitful for future efforts to optimize digital environments for virtual social interactions using technologies such as virtual reality. For example, the newly developed dual eye-tracking setup for assessing gaze behavior during face-to-face interactions could be used in future research to explore the interactive dynamics of eye contact in different forms of interaction in digital space. In addition, the newly created ability to have both actual eye contact and physical contact during face-to-face screen interactions could be potentially beneficial for a variety of online interaction contexts, including business conversations, online therapy, or long-distance relationships. These technological advances not only enhance the realism and depth of remote communication, but also provide unprecedented insights into how nonverbal cues such as gaze and touch influence our social behaviors and relationships in the digital age. In order to enable other researchers to benefit from these new setups, we will describe the required software and hardware in detail in upcoming publications and also upload illustrative images and videos.