An Enactivist Approach to Human-Computer Interaction: Bridging the Gap Between Human Agency and Affordances
HCI International 2025 – Late Breaking Papers January 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-12657-3_3 via Springer Nature
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIn interactive technologies like extended reality (XR), brain-computer interfaces (BCI), and generative AI, a new framework redefines how human agency is understood. Drawing on enactivist cognitive science, the authors propose replacing the traditional "sense of agency" (SoA) with "feelings of agency" (FoA), which includes affective engagement and volitional attention. These are measured using neurodynamic indicators (valence, arousal, and cross-frequency coupling in the dorsal attention system) alongside first-person reports. The framework aims to provide richer, actionable insights for designing digital affordances that enhance human agency in rapidly evolving interactive environments.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Sense of agency Enactivism Neurophenomenology Affordances Interaction design |
| Key finding | The authors introduce 'feelings of agency' (FoA) as a two-component construct—affective engagement and volitional attention—operationalized via neurophenomenological indicators to better guide digital affordance design in XR, BCI, and AI contexts. |
Abstract
Emerging paradigms in XR, AI, and BCI contexts necessitate novel theoretical frameworks for understanding human autonomy and agency in HCI. Drawing from enactivist theories of cognition, we conceptualize human agents as self-organizing, operationally closed systems that actively enact their cognitive domains through dynamic interaction with their environments. To develop measurable variables aligned with this framework, we introduce “feelings of agency” (FoA) as an alternative to the established construct of “sense of agency” (SoA), refining Synofzyk’s multifactorial weighting model and offering a novel conceptual pathway for overcoming gaps in the dominant comparator model. We define FoA as comprising two subconstructs: affective engagement and volitional attention , which we operationalize through integrated neurodynamic indicators (valence, arousal, cross frequency coupling within the dorsal attention system) and first-person phenomenological reports. We argue that these neurophenomenological indicators provide richer, more actionable insights for digital affordance design, particularly in XR, BCI, Human AI Interaction (HAX), and generative AI environments. Our framework aims to inform and inspire design parameters that significantly enhance human agency in rapidly evolving interactive domains.