Figure 1.

Socially enactive cognitive systems engage in two coupled dynamic processes: the social loop (red arrows) consists of mutual adaptation, communication and coordination processes between the agents. It arises from, and is constitutive of cognitive loops (blue arrows) that unfold within each agent. Each cognitive loop links resonance-based perception and generation of social signals with differential mentalizing processes through hierarchical prediction-based processing (for explaining and predicting one another’s behaviour). This allows interlinking of online social cognition and social interaction, e.g. by creating and testing mental state attributions through reciprocal coordination and alignment processes. (Online version in colour.)