Editors’ Introduction: Remembering with others: Conversational dynamics and mnemonic outcomes

Bietti, L.M & Stone. C.B. (2019). Editors' Introduction: Remembering with others: Conversational dynamics and mnemonic outcomes. TopiCS in Cognitive Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12443

Abstract

Remembering the past through conversations with others is a uniquely human endeavor. Conversational remembering consists of specific dynamics and can lead to mnemonic outcomes. While conversational dynamics refer to the interactive processes (e.g., the roles speakers and listeners may undertake during the conversation) shaping collaborative remembering, conversational outcomes are about the mnemonic and functional consequences (e.g., forging social bonds) of those processes. Thus, the aim of the present article is to introduce the reader to key concepts and paradigms that have been rigorously developed to empirically investigate the dynamics and outcomes of conversational remembering in cognitive research. The collected review and empirical articles gathered in this topic provide the state‐of‐the‐art in the field.

Our work on the adaptive functions of storytelling featured in the French magazine 'Cerveau & Psycho'

Our work on the adaptive functions of storytelling has been featured in the French magazine Cerveau & Psycho. 

You can read the article for free here

And it is based on our open access research article published in TopiCS in Cognitive Science last year: 

Bietti, L.M., Tilston, O., & Bangerter, A. (2018). Storytelling as adaptive collective sensemaking. TopiCS in Cognitive Science.  https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12358

Collaborative remembering, temporal cement of collaborative learning: An exploration

Bietti, L.M. & Baker, M.J. (2019). Collaborative remembering, temporal cement of collaborative learning: An exploration. In Lund, K., Niccolai, G., Lavoué, E., Hmelo-Silver, C., Gweon, G., and Baker, M. (Eds.). A Wide Lens: Combining Embodied, Enactive, Extended, and Embedded Learning in Collaborative Settings,13th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning(CSCL) 2019, Volume 2 (pp. 601-604). Lyon, France: International Society of the Learning Sciences. [Acceptance rate: 22%]

Abstract
This theoretical paper explores the relations between two fields of research: collaborative remembering and collaborative learning. We argue that collaborative remembering processes scaffold collaborative learning and that both unfold over multiple and complementary timescales. These timescales help to maintain joint focus and continuity over successive learning sequences. In conclusion, we discuss implications of integrating collaborative remembering research into the design of CSCL situations.

Collaborative remembering at work

Bietti, L.M. & Baker, M.J. (2018). Collaborative remembering at work. Interaction Studies, 19 (3), 459-486.  https://doi.org/10.1075/is.17010.bie. Preprint here. 
                                              

Abstract

Collaborative remembering is essential to enabling teams to build shared understanding of projects and their progress. This article presents an analysis of collaborative remembering sequences in a corpus of interactions collected in a workplace where a team of designers developed a video television commercial. On the basis of coding and analysing linguistic and bodily behaviors in 158 such sequences, extracted from over 45 hours of video recordings, recurrent patterns of collaborative remembering processes were identified, relating to the interplay of work roles. This article shows that collaborative remembering in the design studio is structured by behavioural, interactive and social factors.

Storytelling as adaptive collective sensemaking

Bietti, L.M., Tilston, O., & Bangerter, A. (2018). Storytelling as adaptive collective sensemaking. TopiCS in Cognitive Science.  https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12358

Abstract

Storytelling represents a key element in the creation and propagation of culture. Three main accounts of the adaptive function of storytelling include (a) manipulating the behavior of the audience to enhance the fitness of the narrator, (b) transmitting survival-relevant information while avoiding the costs involved in the first-hand acquisition of that information, and (c) maintaining social bonds or group-level cooperation. We assess the substantial evidence collected in experimental and ethnographic studies for each account. These accounts do not always appeal to the specific features of storytelling above and beyond language use in general. We propose that the specific adaptive value of storytelling lies in making sense of non-routine, uncertain, or novel situations, thereby enabling the collaborative development of previously acquired skills and knowledge, but also promoting social cohesion by strengthening intragroup identity and clarifying intergroup relations.