dr. L.S. (Laura) Cuijpers

I am intrigued by the possibilities for learning and development that engaging in joint action can offer, which I study from a dynamical systems perspective. I aim to investigate the process of discovering possibilities for action (affordances) within a social system, by integrating theory and methodology from movement sciences and psychology in embodied naturalistic tasks.

In the research project Conflict in motion I investigate the dynamic interaction between the sense of agency, the emergence of possibilities for action (affordances) and the movement coordination between individuals in conflict interaction in physical conflict. How do you experience agency when your possibilities for action are dependent on the coordination with another? And how can you prepare for a threatening interaction that requires improvisation? 

In the research project Moving patterns of behaviour in collaboration with Dr. Cox (University of Groningen) and Random Collision we study how agency can be strengthened through movement. Furthermore, I am collaborating in a project on Antifragility with Y. Hill, dr. P.L. Silva (University of Cincinatti) and dr. A. Kiefer (University of North Carolina).

In my dissertation Coordination dynamics of crew rowing I experimentally studied antiphase rowing, which is theoretically faster but had never been empirically tested on water. My experiments in the lab and on the water generated novel predictions for dynamical systems theory, and showed the expediency of using real-world tasks to test theory on human interaction. I developed and programmed the Remo measurement system to test crew performance on water.