Coye Cheshire

Coye Cheshire

Trust, Cooperation, and Prosocial Behavior with Information Technologies

Dr. Coye Cheshire, Professor, School of Information, University of California, Berkeley

Friday, March 19, 2021 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Abstract

In this talk I examine how key principles from social psychology and sociology help us to better understand the development of trust and social participation in technology-mediated environments. I discuss research on a variety of social behaviors and technologies, including the assessment of cooperation and trust with biosignals, prosocial behavior and the experience of awe in virtual reality, and sensemaking among participants in online conspiracy theory communities. My larger goals are to advance our understanding of the affordances and limitations of different social information technologies, and to encourage informed designs that foster cooperation, trust, and prosocial behavior while combating distrust and misinformation.

Biography

Coye Cheshire is a Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information and co-director of the BioSense lab. He is also the director of cross-societal collaborations in technology management at the School of Information. As a social psychologist and sociologist, he uses mixed methods to examine issues of trust, social exchange, and collective behaviors in technology-mediated social environments. His recent research investigates the social meanings of biosignals in interpersonal interactions, information sharing in virtual reality environments, and sensemaking in online conspiracy theory communities. Coye received his undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1997, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University in 1998 and 2005, respectively.

Research Highlights