Miriam Koschate-reis&refresh | Psychology

Dr Miriam Koschate-Reis

Associate Professor Computational Social Psychology, Deputy Director Institute for Data Science and AI (IDSAI)

M.Koschate-Reis@exeter.ac.uk

5122

Washington Singer 120

Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK

Overview

My research combines computational social science techniques (ML, NLP) with experimental and survey methods to better understand dynamic aspects of our social self:

1) Social identity markers: Working with computer scientists at the University of Exeter, UCL and Imperial, I examine how the way we communicate - our linguistic style - provides clues to our identities in online texts. To this end, we have developed an Automatic Social Identity Assessment (ASIA).

2) Social identity development: Using computational social science methods, we are studying how people develop new identities (e.g., becoming a parent) and change a social identity (e.g., from addict to recovery identity) over time.

3) Intergroup Contact: My work examines social interactions between members of different groups (e.g. workgroups, human-robot interactions) and effects on cooperation and helping behaviour

You can find out more about the research of the PSY ID lab here: https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/identitrack/

Qualifications

Dr. phil. (PhD), University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany (2008)

Career

Associate Professor of Computational Social Psychology, University of Exeter (2022 - )

Senior Lecturer Social and Organiational Psychology, University of Exeter (2018 - 2022)

Lecturer Social and Organiational Psychology, University of Exeter (2013-2018)

Associate Research Fellow, University of Exeter (2012 – 2013)

Research Fellow, University of St Andrews (2008 – 2012)

Teaching and Research Fellow, University of Koblenz-Landau (2005-2008)

Research group links

Social, Environmental and Organisational

Research

Research interests

I am currently a Co-Investigator on the cross-disciplinary EPSRC-funded platform grant SAUSE: Secure, Adaptive, Usable Software Engineering (2018-2023) and on a CREST-funded project on Hybrid Social Identities.

I lead the PSY ID lab - you can find out more about our research here: https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/identitrack/

Psychological Identity in a Digital World

Boundaries between digital technologies and ourselves become blurred as technology is integrated into our work, home, even our bodies. Interdisciplinary research is needed to understand how our sense of self - our psychological identity - affects and is affected by technology use. I will extend current research on privacy by considering how our different psychological identities shape what we find acceptable to reveal in different situations. I will also continue to develop the capacity to detect psychological identities from naturally occurring digital data (e.g., forum posts, blogs, e-mails). This research will allow us to understand which psychological identity (e.g., parent, addict, criminal network identity) is relevant while a person is communicating. Building on the identity detection work, I will examine how individuals develop new psychological identities (e.g., transitioning into parenthood) and leave identities behind (e.g., addict), and the consequences of such transitions for mental health (e.g., post-natal depression, addiction recovery) and security (e.g., drugs trade). This work will be underpinned by a programme of collaboration with industry partners in the fields of security and healthcare to explore applications in data analytics, diagnostic and monitoring support, and software engineering.

EPSRC Fellowship (2018-2021): Dr Miriam Koschate-Reis

NPIF-EPSRC Studentship (2017-2021): Ms Alicia Cork (Industry partner: National Crime Agency)

EPSRC Studentship (2018-2021): Ms Anna Zinn

Additional research interests:

1) Intergroup Contact: Most of my work examines social interactions between members of different groups (e.g. work groups, disciplines, inter-generational) and effects on cooperation and helping behaviour. In particular, I have looked at the conditions under which intergroup contact predicts cooperation and positive attitudes (Koschate & van Dick, 2011) as well as different types of contact and their relationship with intergroup helping behaviour (Koschate, Oethinger, Kuchenbrandt, & van Dick, 2012). I am currently investigating which types of intergroup contact predict positive intergroup relations by using GPS tracking of real intergroup contact events (with Tina Keil, EPSRC doctoral student).

2) Human-Robot-Interaction: As part of a recent EPSRC grant, I conducted studies on human-robot interaction, specifically the 'uncanny valley'. We have found that the sense of eeriness or uncanniness stemming from highly humanlike robots can be successfully reduced by introducing emotional expressions (e.g. facial displays) (Koschate, Potter, Bremner, & Levine, 2016). As part of this work, we have collaborated with the @Bristol Science Museum to engage with the public (e.g., Mini Maker Fair).

Research projects

2018-2022: EPSRC Innovation Fellowship - Psychological Identity in a Digital World: Detecting and Understanding Digital Traces of our Psychological Self (£667,224)

2018-2023: EPSRC Platform Grant - SAUSE: Secure, Adaptive, Usable Software Engineering (as Co-I); PI: Bashar Nuseibeh (Open University) (£1,330,879)

2013-2016: EPSRC Digital Personhood Research Grant - Being There: Humans and Robots in Public Spaces (as Co-I); PI: Mark Levine (University of Exeter) (£2,044,337)

Research networks

Research collaborations

University of Exeter:

Prof Richard Everson - CEMPS, Computer Science

Prof Celia Morgan - CLES, Psychology

Dr Heather O'Mahen - CLES, Psychology, Clinical Psychology

Dr Avelie Stuart - CLES, Psychology, SEORG

National:

Prof Mark Levine - Lancaster, Psychology

Dr Luke Dickens - UCL, Computer Science

Prof Alessandra Russo - Imperial College, Computer Science

Dr Mhairi Bowe - Nottingham Trent, Psychology

Dr Paul Bremner - UWE, Robotics

International:

Dr Tegan Cruwys - University of Queensland, Australia

Prof Rolf van Dick - Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe Universitaet, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

Research grants

2018 EPSRC
Psychological identity in a digital world: Detecting and understanding digital traces of our psychological self
2017 EPSRC
SAUSE: Secure, Adaptive, Usable Software Engineering (£1,330,879)
2013 EPSRC
Digital Personhood:Being There: Humans and Robots in Public Spaces (HARPS)(£2,044,337)

Publications

Books

Koschate M (2008). United We Stand - an Analysis of Attitudes and Prosocial Behavior between Workgroups from a Social Identity and Intergroup Contact Perspective. Landau, OPUS. Abstract.

Journal articles

Stuart A, Stevenson C, Koschate M, Cohen J, Levine M (In Press). "Oh no, not a group!” the factors that lonely or isolated people report as barriers to joining groups for health and wellbeing. British Journal of Health Psychology Abstract.

Adarves-Yorno I, Mahdon M, Schueltke L, Koschate-Reis M, Tarrant M (In Press). Mindfulness and Social Identity: Predicting Wellbeing in a High Stress Environment. Journal of Applied Social Psychology

Zinn A, Koschate-Reis M, Lavric A (In Press). Social Identity Switching: How Effective is it?. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Zinn AK, Koschate M, Naserianhanzaei E, Lavric A (2023). Can we prevent social identity switches? an experimental-computational investigation. Br J Soc Psychol, 62(3), 1547-1565. Abstract. Author URL.

Cork A, Everson R, Naserian E, Levine M, Koschate-Reis M (2023). Collective self-understanding: a linguistic style analysis of naturally occurring text data. Behav Res Methods, 55(8), 4455-4477. Abstract. Author URL.

Naserianhanzaei E, Koschate-Reis M (2022). Effects of Substance Use, Recovery, and Non–Drug-Related Online Community Participation on the Risk of a Use Episode During Remission from Opioid Use Disorder: Longitudinal Observational Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(8), e36555-e36555. Abstract.

Koschate M, Naserian E, Dickens L, Stuart A, Russo A, Levine M (2021). ASIA: Automated Social Identity Assessment using linguistic style. Behavior Research Methods, 53(4), 1762-1781. Abstract.

Keil TF, Koschate-Reis M, Levine M (2020). Contact Logger: Measuring everyday intergroup contact experiences in near-time. Behavior Research Methods Abstract.

Cork A, Everson R, Levine M, Koschate M (2020). Using computational techniques to study social influence online. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 23(6), 808-826. Abstract.

Keil TF, Koschate-Reis M (2020). Variations in Subjective Definitions of Everyday Situations as Intergroup Contact. British Journal of Social Psychology

Koschate-Reis M, Dickens L, Stuart A, Naserian E, Russo A, Levine M (2019). Predicting a Salient Social Identity from Linguistic Style. Abstract.

Eller A, Abrams D, Koschate M (2017). Can stateways change folkways? Longitudinal tests of the interactive effects of intergroup contact and categorization on prejudice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 72, 21-31. Abstract.

Kuchenbrandt D, van Dick R, Koschate M, Ullrich J, Bornewasser M (2014). More than music! a longitudinal test of German-Polish music encounters. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 40, 167-174. Abstract.

Koschate M, Oethinger S, Kuchenbrandt D, van Dick R (2012). Is an outgroup member in need a friend indeed? Personal and task-oriented contact as predictors of intergroup prosocial behavior. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42(6), 717-728. Abstract.

Koschate M, Hofmann W, Schmitt M (2012). When East meets West: a longitudinal examination of the relationship between group relative deprivation and intergroup contact in reunified Germany. British Journal of Social Psychology, 51(2), 290-311. Abstract.

Koschate M, van Dick R (2011). A multilevel test of Allport's contact conditions. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 14(6), 769-787. Abstract.

Eller A, Koschate M, Gilson KM (2011). Embarrassment: the ingroup-outgroup audience effect in faux pas situations. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41(4), 489-500. Abstract.

Conferences

Naserian E, Koschate-Reis M (2021). Do Group Memberships Online Protect Addicts in Recovery against Relapse? Testing the Social Identity Model of Recovery in the Online World. 24th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing. 23rd - 27th Oct 2021. Abstract.

Bremner P, Koschate M, Levine M (2016). Humanoid robot avatars: an 'in the wild' usability study. Abstract.

Koschate M, Potter R, Bremner P, Levine M (2016). Overcoming the uncanny valley: Displays of emotions reduce the uncanniness of humanlike robots. Abstract.

Koschate M, van Dick R (2008). The floor between us: a context-specific model of contact between workgroups. Author URL.

Reports

Buettner C, Koschate M (2003). Westliche Psychologie gegen Jugendgewalt weltweit: Plädoyer für eine kultursensitive Anwendung. Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit, Frankfurt/Main, Hessische Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung. Abstract.