Andrea J. van Doorn

Papers

Total Citations

189

H-Index

About

Andrea J. van Doorn is a perceptual psychologist whose research explores how humans rapidly interpret social and physical environments. Her key contributions lie in the intersection of visual perception, dynamic shape analysis, and social cognition. Her foundational work, "Dynamic shape" (1986), has garnered 182 citations and established her as an early pioneer in understanding how motion and form interact to convey meaning. More recently, van Doorn has turned her attention to the subtle cues that signal potential social interaction in everyday scenes. In her 2021 study, "Perception of the Potential for Interaction in Social Scenes," she demonstrated that observers can quickly and reliably detect invitations to interact—such as a wave or a glance—from brief exposures to actors’ behaviors. This work bridges low-level visual processing with high-level social understanding, offering insights into how we navigate crowded urban spaces. Her research is notable for its blend of rigorous experimental design and real-world relevance, making her a key figure in the study of ecological perception and social affordances.