About this Research Topic
With more machine agents entering our lives, many human-agent interactions will include multiple agents and/or multiple humans. These group interactions pose unique challenges, dynamics, and outcomes compared to individual interactions. To create effective agents and generate positive interactions with them, it is critical to account for the differences present when compared to one-on-one interactions.
This Research Topic seeks to provide new insights into social multi-agent groups and teams. This collection goes beyond dyadic or one-on-one interaction to focus on interactions of multiple humans with multiple machine agents – that is, at least three social entities interacting. We seek articles introducing machines as independently acting agents rather than merely as tools controlled by people. We seek to advance our understanding of social dynamics in group contexts, including dynamics among the human agents, among the machine agents, and between the human and machine agents. We also seek articles that provide new insights on group dynamics over time. We encourage articles with various perspectives and methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative research, technical and modeling studies, and philosophical papers. Both papers that highlight basic research and papers that focus on specific application areas are of interest to this Research Topic.
This Research Topic calls for papers addressing novel insights related to multiagent interaction, especially as it differs from one-on-one interaction. Topics include, but are not limited to:
Social group dynamics. How do the actions of machine agents influence the social dynamics of the group (e.g., trust, inclusion)? How does ingroup and outgroup membership affect multiagent interaction? How can or should machine agents incorporate human group social norms? How does group entitativity affect mixed human-agent group processes? How can social group dynamics with agents affect team processes and promote prosocial behavior?
Interpersonal to societal level. How do multi-agent interactions influence the outcomes and dynamics of groups from small to large, including small groups and teams, organizations, and society (e.g., expectations and norms)? What is the impact of multiagent interaction on community subgroups, especially underrepresented minority groups?
Operations management. How does the composition of multi-agent teams affect team processes and outcomes? How do team processes change when incorporating one or more agents into the team?
Context. How can we create successful multi-agent interactions at home, in the workplace, and in public? How can multi-agent interactions affect theater and the arts?
Decision-making. How should groups and swarms of machines socially interact with people? How does interaction among groups and swarms of machines affect human decision-making in regard to them?
Mental models. How do other people affect each other’s mental models of machine agents? How do human mental models and trust of machine agents transfer to other agents? How can teams of humans and machines share mental models?
Temporal. How do multi-agent interactions evolve over time, especially in long-term interactions spanning weeks, months, and years? How does sequential, interaction in multiagent groups affect subsequent interaction?
This Research Topic seeks to provide new insights into social multi-agent groups and teams. This collection goes beyond dyadic or one-on-one interaction to focus on interactions of multiple humans with multiple machine agents – that is, at least three social entities interacting. We seek articles introducing machines as independently acting agents rather than merely as tools controlled by people. We seek to advance our understanding of social dynamics in group contexts, including dynamics among the human agents, among the machine agents, and between the human and machine agents. We also seek articles that provide new insights on group dynamics over time. We encourage articles with various perspectives and methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative research, technical and modeling studies, and philosophical papers. Both papers that highlight basic research and papers that focus on specific application areas are of interest to this Research Topic.
This Research Topic calls for papers addressing novel insights related to multiagent interaction, especially as it differs from one-on-one interaction. Topics include, but are not limited to:
Social group dynamics. How do the actions of machine agents influence the social dynamics of the group (e.g., trust, inclusion)? How does ingroup and outgroup membership affect multiagent interaction? How can or should machine agents incorporate human group social norms? How does group entitativity affect mixed human-agent group processes? How can social group dynamics with agents affect team processes and promote prosocial behavior?
Interpersonal to societal level. How do multi-agent interactions influence the outcomes and dynamics of groups from small to large, including small groups and teams, organizations, and society (e.g., expectations and norms)? What is the impact of multiagent interaction on community subgroups, especially underrepresented minority groups?
Operations management. How does the composition of multi-agent teams affect team processes and outcomes? How do team processes change when incorporating one or more agents into the team?
Context. How can we create successful multi-agent interactions at home, in the workplace, and in public? How can multi-agent interactions affect theater and the arts?
Decision-making. How should groups and swarms of machines socially interact with people? How does interaction among groups and swarms of machines affect human decision-making in regard to them?
Mental models. How do other people affect each other’s mental models of machine agents? How do human mental models and trust of machine agents transfer to other agents? How can teams of humans and machines share mental models?
Temporal. How do multi-agent interactions evolve over time, especially in long-term interactions spanning weeks, months, and years? How does sequential, interaction in multiagent groups affect subsequent interaction?
Keywords: Groups, Teams, HRI, Social Robotics, Dynamics
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
