Centre of Expertise for Group Dynamics in Society

This center hosts an interdisciplinary team of researchers from psychology, sociology, pedagogics, and communication science focused on studying and predicting societal phenomena through the lens of group dynamics and group communication. We study the bi-directional interplay between group dynamics and societal changes, using various methods (ranging from field studies using interviews and questionnaires, conversation and discourse analyses of digital platforms, to lab experiments and agent-based modeling). On the one hand, we examine the effects of everyday social interactions, citizen initiatives, participation panels on norm formation, polarization, and cohesion in society. On the other hand, we explore how societal-level changes shape everyday interactions within groups (for instance, how perceptions of societal division affect conversations about polarizing topics).

The core mission of this expertise center is to integrate and advance knowledge and methods on the connections between group dynamics, communication, and societal change. By working collaboratively across academic disciplines and with societal partners, we aim to foster a deeper knowledge-based understanding of critical societal challenges, including

..the bottom-up shifts in sustainability norms
..the increasing polarization of public discourse
..the role of online communication in amplifying polarization
..the ways to make minorities feel heard in public participation panels