Pôle Interactions Computational Psychology

Contact: Alain Finkel

We are working on topics that combine computer science and psychology. The central idea is to apply formal methods from computer science to better understand psychology.

A non-exhaustive list of the current research questions addressed in this group includes:

Modeling psychological theories using formal tools such as automata
Formalizing subjective experiences
Modeling psychotherapy methods using formal tools
Modeling personal narratives as symbolic sequences to enable alternative analyses
Detecting emotions and mental states

Upcoming Seminar

Seminar

Computational Frameworks for Theory Building in Psychology

Mar 24 14:00 ₂₀₂₆

Speaker: Gaspard Fougea, Phd student, ENS Paris-Saclay

Room 1Z76 (Zoom link)

Abstract: Psychological theories are often incompletely specified—that is, certain cases are overlooked, and some statements are ambiguous or imprecise. This is largely due to the fact that such theories are rarely expressed using formal models. Yet in many scientific disciplines, formal modeling plays a crucial role in theory-building: it enhances the precision of predictions, strengthens scientific reasoning, and facilitates collaboration. We propose two automata-based frameworks and a methodology for modeling psychological theories—that is, for transforming informal, verbal descriptions into formal, analyzable models.