Psychology, the study of me and you, has largely been interesting because of its ability to bring forth the hidden us. Nevertheless, one of the evidence-based branches of psychology, experimental psychology, has most dealt with individuals for the past several decades. It has been discussed how brain and neural activity in the body shape us. However, now the focus has changed from studying psychology in individuals to studying it in relation to the interaction of individuals with each other.
Experts, and believe it or not, every individual with a
sound mind believes that people are shaped by their interactions. This
interaction starts at the very beginning of life. For instance, an infant is
unable to live without interacting with their parents, and their parents, in
turn, feel rewarded when they fulfill their infant’s needs. With the passage of
time, when infants grow, they start showing interaction with other people. They
develop social interaction, in which they not only shape the thinking and
behavior of others but are also shaped by the thinking and behavior of others.
They like gossiping with like-minded people. Interestingly, the level of social
interaction is not limited to human beings; other species also show this
interaction. Experts opinionated that all these processes give strength to the
idea that studying an individual in isolation may not be of sufficient help as
compared to studying the individuals in their social context in which they
interact with each other.
Researchers in the field of psychology have also developed
several instruments and resources to study social. Initially, interaction
chronographs were developed and audio recordings were studied, but in recent
times, computers have been more successfully used in the study of interaction
psychology. With further advancements and the increased utilization of natural
language processing (NLP) techniques and other approaches, such as the usage of
body camera footage, the interaction processes have been rigorously studied.
Machine learning algorithms have also been largely utilized to detect
linguistic patterns and behaviors and explore interaction approaches.
Researchers keep on exploring large-scale social media data in combination with
NLP techniques to study the influence of different minds on each other,
co-creation of ideas, sharing of emotional experiences, and developing bonds.
Now, it has been learned that people keep on learning and remembering new information,
and these processes are largely based on the types and patterns of social
interactions.
Consequently, experts stated, “The most important
determinants of successful development, mental health, and our individual
traits and preferences arise from interacting with other individuals. Social
interaction underpins who we are, how we think, and how we behave.”
Reference:
Wheatley, T., Thornton, M. A., Stolk, A., & Chang, L. J.
(2024). The Emerging Science of Interacting Minds. Perspect Psychol Sci,
19(2), 355-373. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916231200177
