TESDA

Mediated stories or narratives are an integral part of people’s lives.

The research training group “The Experiences of Stories in the Digital Age” (TESDA) will investigate the most pressing questions regarding the experience of stories in the present day in three project areas:

• Immersive virtual reality
• New (para-)social encounters
• Epistemic Challenges

One of the main characteristics of the RTG TESDA is its connection between scholarship on narrative processing and scholarship on human interactions with digital media. Together with other junior and senior scholars, the 11 doctoral researchers who constitute the first TESDA cohort will examine how digital environments affect the way stories are encountered and processed, and how stories unfold their psychological impact in the digital world.

The SIA Chair will be involved in the topic of "New (para-)social encounters with a project on Storytelling Robots for Preschool Children together with Prof. Dr. Gerhild Nieding. In this project, social robots will be studied in their role as storytellers for preschool-aged children. Their capability to deliver stories in a multimodal and interactive manner, coupled with the ability to precisely manipulate certain elements for controlled experiments, make them an ideal research tool. To date, there is limited insight into children’s concepts regarding the storytelling abilities of social robots. This project will contain an in-depth investigation into how manipulations of multimodality (e.g., facial expressions, gaze, gestures) and interactivity (as opposed to simply receiving a story) affect various aspects, including story comprehension, narrative transportation, and the social perception of the robot, e.g., in terms of warmth and competence. Additionally, it will thoroughly examine the moderating influence of perceived anthropomorphism and media literacy. Furthermore, the project will explore whether and how a social robot storyteller can teach children moral reasoning and foster prosocial behavior through social stories.

More information can be found on the official website.