Eleventh International School on Mind, Brain and Education

2016 September 7–13

Dynamical Coupling:
From Brain-to-Brain to Social Interaction

Directors of the School: Antonio M. Battro and Kurt W. Fischer
Directors of the Course: Uri Hasson and Thalia Wheatley


Abstract: Alin Coman
Princeton University, USA

Mnemonic convergence in social networks: the emergent properties of cognition at a collective level
The development of shared memories, beliefs, and norms is a fundamental characteristic of human communities. These emergent outcomes are thought to occur due to a dynamic system of information sharing and memory updating, which fundamentally depends on communication. By studying lab-created social networks we show how large-scale social phenomena (i.e., collective memory) can emerge out of micro-level local dynamics (i.e., dyadic-level mnemonic reinforcement and suppression effects). In this talk I propose a social-interactionist approach that could be used to measure and forge collective memories in communities of individuals.