Perception and Action in a Social Context

Even the simplest social interactions require us to gather integrate and act upon multiple streams of information about others and our surroundings. In this Element we discuss how perceptual processes provide us with an accurate account of action-relevant information in social contexts. We overview contemporary theories and research that explores how: (1) individuals perceive others'' mental states and actions (2) individuals perceive affordances for themselves others and the dyad and (3) how social contexts guide our attention to modulate what we perceive. Finally we review work on the cognitive mechanisms that make joint action possible and discuss their links to perception.