Cognition and Interaction: From Computers to Smart Objects and Autonomous Agents

Book excerpt: Cognitive sciences have been involved under numerous accounts to explain how humans interact with technology, as well as to design technological instruments tailored to human needs. As technological advancements in fields like wearable and ubiquitous computing, virtual reality, robotics and artificial intelligence are presenting novel modalities for interacting with technology, there are opportunities for deepening, exploring, and even rethinking the theoretical foundations of human technology use. This volume entitled “Cognition and Interaction: From Computers to Smart Objects and Autonomous Agents” is a collection of articles on the impacts that novel 3 September Frontiers in Psychology 2019 | Cognition and Interaction interactive technologies are producing on individuals. It puts together 17 works, spanning from research on social cognition in human-robot interaction to studies on neural changes triggered by Internet use, that tackle relevant technological and theoretical issues in human-computer interaction, encouraging us to rethink how we conceptualize technology, its use and development. The volume addresses fundamental issues at different levels. The first part revolves around the biological impacts that technologies are producing on our bodies and brains. The second part focuses on the psychological level, exploring how our psychological characteristics may affect the way we use, understand and perceive technology, as well as how technology is changing our cognition. The third part addresses relevant theoretical problems, presenting reflections that aim to reframe how we conceptualize ourselves, technology and interaction itself. Finally, the last part of the volume pays attention to the factors involved in the design of technological artifacts, providing suggestions on how we can develop novel technologies closer to human needs. Overall, it appears that human-computer interaction will have to face a variety of challenges to account for the rapid changes we are witnessing in the current technology landscape.