Key Findings
• Computational models can inform how minor changes in tone, gesture, and other factors influence social connectedness.
• Social interactions are shaped by context, including background, goals, and relationships.
• Humans desire connectedness – especially in difficult times.
Social interaction is fundamental to the human experience. Yet, from modern developments such as virtual meetings to age-old dilemmas like polarized social issues, we have much to learn about how we interact with each other. For her research using computational methods to study the dynamic nature of social interactions, FABBS is delighted to name Dr. Alexandra Paxton an Early Career Impact Award winner. Dr. Paxton received her Ph.D. from the University of California-Merced and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut. She was nominated by the Society for Computation in Psychology and was recently interviewed by FABBS to discuss the importance of her research.
Dr. Paxton researches the dynamic and ecological aspects of social interactions. She studies how interactions are influenced by moment-to-moment changes – like minor shifts in body language or tone – and broader contexts such as an individual’s background or goal in an interaction. To conduct this research, she develops computer programs that automatically detect specific behaviors and computational algorithms that predict new behaviors from big data sources of previous interactions.
One of Dr. Paxton’s main interests is studying how individuals become more interconnected as a system across an interaction. For instance, the notion of “mirroring” has gained popularity in society, an idea that individuals act and speak in more similar ways over time. Dr. Paxton more specifically studies discreet behaviors like gestures, facial expressions, and tones, and how these behaviors change as individuals become interconnected.
Dr. Paxton’s research has important implications for the modern environment. In one study, she examined how people became interconnected in virtual meeting spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. She analyzed how different types of interactions – small talk, arguments, and goal-oriented collaborations, for example – changed connectedness. Across these contexts, Dr. Paxton found that participants had an overwhelming desire to connect with each other, an expected result due to challenges presented by the pandemic. More surprisingly, she found that individuals showed more behavioral similarity during arguments and other difficult settings. To Dr. Paxton, this finding revealed just how desperate people were for connection during the pandemic.
Moving forward, Dr. Paxton plans to increasingly use her research on interactions for direct societal benefit. As one example, Dr. Paxton intends to lend her expertise to one of the largest public issues: climate change.
While scientists are clear on the reality and risks of climate change, the issue is divisive, and communication efforts are yet to make the needed large-scale changes in society. Dr. Paxton believes the focus on communicating the facts of climate change is insufficient – humans are not wholly rational creatures. Instead, effective communication requires forming and leveraging social bonds. People may be more inclined to act if they are convinced that protecting the climate benefits those they care about.
Beyond her research, Dr. Paxton is passionate about improving the practice of science for other researchers and the public. This passion is best demonstrated by her commitment to open, reproducible science and ethics of big data science.
When discussing open science practices, Dr. Paxton noted that she never expected to be a computational scientist, believing she wasn’t a “math person.” That changed when she was exposed to supportive mentors and accessible resources created by other scientists during her graduate and postdoctoral training. Now an established faculty member herself, Dr. Paxton provides similar support for other scientists and trainees by openly sharing her code and data, as well as offering tutorials and workshops. Her goal is to increase the accessibility of computational methods to scientists with less programming experience.
Finally, Dr. Paxton works to improve the ethics of big data use, especially with naturalistic datasets. Researchers are increasingly using public data sources such as internet forums and social media profiles to build large-scale computational models. While these data are critical for informing how people behave outside of the laboratory, they also have privacy and safety concerns. Dr. Paxton has written and published extensively on best practices to ensure the ethical and effective use of naturalistic data.
Overall, Dr. Alexanda Paxton is a passionate and respected cognitive scientist studying changes and context in human interactions. Her work informs how individuals connect, with important implications for our increasingly digital work and reducing divisiveness. She also is committed to open science and ethical data use to improve the field of science more broadly. Dr. Paxton is well-deserving of this Early Career Impact Award and FABBS thanks her for her important work.
Potential for Future Impact
• Understand how digital and virtual environments affect our interactions and connectedness.
• Understand how digital and virtual environments affect our interactions and connectedness.
• Increase access of computational science methods for researchers.
• Promote ethical use of naturalistic data to protect the public.
