Theme 3 will build on the previous research project via three complementary programs examining learning processes and the determinants and psycho-affective consequences of individual and group performances in different environments. This work will be conducted using a cross-perspective approach combining inputs from different fields of psychology, including neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, differential psychology, developmental psychology, human factors psychology, social and work psychology, and psychophysics.
Research program 1: Fundamental researche to cognitive processes and their developement
This program examines the functioning of the main cognitive processes, notably perception (visual perception, perception of time), memory (expertise, effect of humor, effect of prior knowledge, memory strategies, working memory), problem solving and intelligence (reasoning strategies and their development, metacognitive determinants), language (effect of context on processing non-literal language), motor activity, emotions (attribution of emotions to others), attention and executive control (proactive and reactive control, implicit control, training), and creativity. The goal of this fundamental research is to gain a fuller understanding of the mechanisms underlying these processes. Studies will focus both on general laws governing cognitive functioning and on inter-individual and intra-individual variability in cognitive functioning over lifespan.
Research program 2: Social and affective-motivational regulation of performance
The objective of this research program is to identify the psycho-social and effective-motivational factors and processes that regulate individual and collective performance in professional, school, and training situations. Studies will examine individual factors (e.g., self-concept, self-esteem, future selves, personality), interpersonal factors (e.g., social support, isolation, conflicts), and contextual factors (e.g., layout of the environment, workload, emotional dissonance, demanding nature of a task), together with intragroup processes (e.g., shared mental models, composition of groups and teams), interindividual processes (e.g., social comparison), and intra-individual processes (e.g., emotion regulation, coping, motivational). In addition to analyzing these processes’ effects on performances in different contexts (e.g., professional, academic, creative, cognitive), the program will assess their impacts on affective-motivational variables (e.g., satisfaction, self-perception, well-being, stress, burnout, engagement, etc.), as these variables may mediate the effects of individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors on individual and/or collective performances.
Research program 3: Interactions in digital and social-technical-environments
This program examines interactions between humans (groups or work teams) and human-system interactions in digital learning environments (education and training) and other complex socio-technical systems (notably in professional settings). A series of studies will analyze learning processes and their improvement by studying the effect of peer interactions on engagement, as well as the impact of type of activity (especially active learning) and how instructional information is presented in various digital environments. Other studies will investigate uses of digital and technological innovations and their impacts on cognitive and socio-cognitive processes and performances, together with their affective consequences (anxiety, stress, flow, etc.). Finally, we will use analyses of work to assess these different types of interactions in complex socio-technical systems in real or simulated situations. The aim of these studies is to design and evaluate more-ergonomic help and guidance systems.