Briana Sobel

Biography

Dr. Briana Sobel is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology Department of the Daytona Beach campus. Dr. Sobel holds a Ph.D. in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology and a M.A. in Applied Experimental Human Factors Psychology, both from the University of Central Florida. Her research interests include human-automation interaction, human-AI interaction, human-agent teaming and the influence of anthropomorphism on the human-agent relationship.

Her expertise lies in applying theories and methods of cognitive psychology to understand and design effective human-agent teams. Previous work has included assessing humanlike vs. machinelike dialogue in a text-based search interface, differences in perceived mental capabilities of moving shapes labeled as humans vs. nonhumans, the influence of partner location on self-other integration in collaborative tasks, and differences in self-other integration when working with humans vs. robots or computers. Her current work focuses on artificial intelligence, including perceptions/understanding of AI and similarities/differences in human-AI vs human-human relationships. Future goals will apply these findings to the field of aviation and beyond. 

Dr. Sobel aspires to obtain a private pilot's license during her time at Embry-Riddle, both as a personal achievement and to facilitate her research and make significant contributions to the aviation industry. She also holds an avid interest in spaceflight, having seen dozens of launches during her time living on the space coast. 

Education

• Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology: Human Factors Psychology Track, University of Central Florida
• M.A. - Master of Arts in Applied Experimental and Human Factors: Psychology, University of Central Florida

Currently Teaching

• HFCT 630: Applied Cognitive Science
• PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology
• PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology
• PSY 330: Learning and Motivation
• HFS 620: Memory and Cognition
• HFS 699: Spec Topics in HF & Systems

Publications

Sobel, B. M. & Sims, V. K. (2023). Using the Frith-Happé animations to compare attributions of mental qualities in nonhuman agents. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 35(3), 330-339. https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2023.2166053 

Sobel, B. M. & Sims, V. K. (2022). Investigation of the Joint Simon Effect with Human, Robot, and Computer Interface Task Partners: A Pilot Study. Proceedings from the International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 66(1), 793-797. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181322661386.

Johnson, C., Whitmer, D., Entinger, J., Peterson, E., Sobel, B. (2022). Interacting with virtual reality with a controller instead of the body benefits performance and perceptions. Proceedings from the International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 66(1), 1294-1298. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181322661371 

Sobel, B. M. & Sims, V. K. (2022). Anthropomorphic Perceptions of Simple Text-Based Interfaces. In: Kurosu, M. (ed) Human Computer Interaction. User Experience and Behavior. HCII 2022, Part III. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 13304, 233-242. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05412-9_17 

Johnson, C. I., Whitmer, D. E., Marraffino, M. D., Conner, L. B., Garibaldi, A. E., & Sobel, B. M. (2021). Adding pre-training and feedback enhances the benefits of adaptive flashcard training. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Meeting, 65(1), 1317-1321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181321651301 

Sobel, B. M. & Sims, V. K. (2020). Personality assessment as a measure of nonhuman mental capacities: A study in anthropomorphism. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 64(1), 1115-1119. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181320641268 

Sobel, B. M. & Sims, V. K. (2019). Perceived Applicability of a Big Five Personality Inventory for Computers. Proceedings from the International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 63(1), 1461-1465. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181319631269 

May, L., Sobel, B., Wilson, J., & Walker, B, (2019). Auditory Displays to Facilitate Object Targeting in 3D Space. ICAD 2019: The 25th International Conference on Auditory Displays, 52, 155-162. https://doi.org/10.21785/icad2019.008