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On the evening of June 6th, the second meeting of the Vienna Network of Music and Cognition Research (ViNoMaRe) took place at Central European University (CEU) — and it was a resounding success.
The Social Mind and Body group (SOMBY), led by Natalie Sebanz and Günther Knoblich, investigates the perceptual, cognitive, and motor processes that underlie social cognition and social interaction. Our take is that individual minds are geared towards understanding others and interacting with others. This is why we study perception, cognition, and action in a social context. As a tribute to good old solitary thinking, we also study the processes underlying insight in problem-solving.
- Joint planning, coordination, and commitment
- Communication and teaching in joint action
- Joint attention, perspective taking, and mindreading
- Self and other in perception and action
- Insight and innovation
Funding
2022-2023 ERC Proof of Concept: Making music together while being physically apart, led by Natalie Sebanz
2015-2022 ERC Synergy grant Constructing social minds: Coordination, communication, and cultural transmission (SOMICS) led by Günther Knoblich
2016-2022 ERC Starting Grant The Sense of Commitment: An Integrative Framework for Modeling the Sense of Commitment (SENSE OF COMMITMENT) led by John Michael
News
June 26, 2025
April 24, 2025
In their ‘Tree Shaker’ task, one participant reached for a tree containing fruits of varying value, while another participant then shook that tree to forage for its fruits. The researchers found that the faster a co-actor reached for a tree, the more it was foraged—both for longer and with greater effort—by participants.
April 9, 2024
Co-actors represent joint actions on a group level
In their latest publication, Maximilian Marschner, David Dignath and Günther Knoblich find new evidence that people represent joint actions from a group-level perspective. Co-actors view joint action outcomes as a result of their group-level performance, rather than their individual efforts alone.
February 8, 2022
Making music together while being apart
Natalie Sebanz and Thomas Wolf have been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept grant for their project Training Alone to Play Together App (TAPTAPP). They are developing an app that will allow musicians to improve their coordination with others while being physically apart.
The ERC Funding will be 150.000€ over 18 months.
January 3, 2022
We'd like to let you know that on January 1st the Somby Lab in Budapest has closed down for good, and we will continue our operations in Vienna.