Facilitating interpersonal synchrony in children: designing embodied mixed reality experiences to facilitate and assess prosocial behaviours in neurodiverse children

This thesis is focused on how full-body interactive design in multi-user Mixed Reality environments can support Interpersonal Synchrony (IPS) strategies to promote prosocial attitudes and behaviors in children. This practice-based research is founded on the theory that synchronized activity acts as a bridge connecting people, thereby fostering a conducive environment for social interaction and communication. This is especially important for children who encounter difficulties in social interaction and communication, such as those on the Autism Spectrum. This research aims to design full-body play experiences that: (i) foster and facilitate interpersonal synchrony among multiple children and (ii) assess how this synchrony affects their prosocial behaviors. The design of these experiences has been carried out through bodystorming techniques, embodied participatory design with children, and collaboration with experts in Mixed Reality systems, Interpersonal Synchrony, and Autism. The analysis focuses on evaluating the ability of these experiences to facilitate interpersonal synchrony and how it promotes positive changes in prosocial attitudes and behaviors. The document presents three distinct projects: The Moving Mandala, Dragonice, and Cosmos. The Moving Mandala demonstrates the effectiveness of rhythmic music in promoting interpersonal synchrony. The outcomes of this project informed the design of Dragonice. In this second project, we found that the Mixed Reality system used and the experiences designed already foster the prosocial behaviors we aimed to achieve, even without relying solely on IPS. Lastly, the Cosmos project offers initial insights into designing interactive experiences that foster spontaneous interpersonal synchrony. The findings from all three projects have been compiled into guides for future researchers, designers, and therapists interested in facilitating and assessing prosocial behaviors through interpersonal synchrony and technology.