Building Collaborations that Harness the Strength of the Human Mind

Landing on the moon required the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of people. Understanding how humans achieve these kinds of extraordinary feats is at the core of psychology PhD student Yang Xiang’s research on how our minds navigate collaboration. Yang's research framework shows that teamwork hinges on understanding what others think and recognizing what they can do, helping explain everyday decisions — from choosing collaborators to how much effort we invest to how we assign blame. As teamwork evolves along with technology and the world at large, understanding these cognitive foundations can help us build more effective collaborations.