The Space Between Us: A Methodological Framework for Researching Bonding and Proxemics in Situated Group-Agent Interactions

Abstract: This paper introduces a multimethod framework for studying spatial and social dynamics in real-world group-agent interactions with socially interactive agents. Drawing on proxemics and bonding theories, the method combines subjective self-reports and objective spatial tracking. Applied in two field studies in a museum (N = 187) with a robot and a virtual agent, the paper addresses the challenges in aligning human perception and behavior. We focus on presenting an open source, scalable, and field-tested toolkit for future studies.