PhD, Experimental Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT - 2021
Benjamin De Bari, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Contact Information
4201 Henry Avenue
Search Hall, Room 322
Philadelphia, PA 19144
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Education
Publications
- Understanding the effects of real-time head position feedback on postural sway in terms of changes in underlying deterministic and stochastic dynamical processes
- Bio-analog dissipative structures and principles of biological behavior
- Thermodynamics, organisms and behaviour
- Foraging Dynamics and Entropy Production in a Simulated Proto-Cell
- On the Thermodynamics of Self-Organization in Dissipative Systems: Reflections on the Unification of Physics and Biology
Research & Clinical Interests
What generic principles underwrite the intelligent, adaptive, and purposive behaviors common to all organisms? How are organisms different from other physical systems, especially from machines that appear to mimic biological intelligence? My research addresses these questions with the theoretical commitments of ecological psychology and the tools of self-organizing physics. My early work has explored how non-living self-organizing systems called dissipative structuresdisplay compelling analogues of biological behavior, including end-directedness, self-maintenance, and coordination. Current projects explore self-organization of human movement during rhythmic activities, from intercepting virtual projectiles to synchronizing with a beat to pianists improvising over a jazz standard.
Focus Areas
Ecological psychology; dynamic systems; self-organization; dissipative structures; perception-action; timing; rhythm; musical coordination.