Gandalf Nicolas
Biographic Data
| ID | 4235697 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gandalf Nicolas |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gandalf |
| FAMILY NAME | Nicolas |
| SIGNATURE | NICOLAS G |
| AFFILIATIONS | Princeton University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8215-1758 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 45 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Unconstrained Descriptions of Facebook Profile Pictures Support High-Dimensional Models of Impression Formation
Dominant models of impression formation focus on two fundamental dimensions: a horizontal dimension of warmth/communion/trustworthiness and a vertical dimension of competence/agency/dominance. However, these models have typically been studied using theory-driven methods and stimuli of restricted complexity. We used a data-driven approach and naturalistic stimuli to explore the latent dimensions underlying >300,000 unconstrained linguistic descrip…
Social-Environmental Constraints on the Development of a Concealable Stigmatized Identity Predict Psychological Distress
People who are stigmatized along concealable features (e.g., individuals reporting adverse childhood experiences) often experience challenges to the self-concept, which can promote psychological distress. Developing a stigmatized identity might counter these effects, but the internality of concealable features can forestall this process: individuals may look to similarly-stigmatized others, but if these group members remain concealed (i.e., are n…
Characterizing stereotypes that perpetuate sexual minorities’ anticipated stigma in healthcare settings
Spontaneous Content of Impressions of Naturalistic Face Photographs
Across two studies (N = 4,526), we characterize a taxonomy of spontaneous face impressions by applying artificial intelligence text analyses to thousands of free-response descriptions of computer-generated faces. The taxonomy codes almost 100% of the impressions into Appearance (including Beauty), Sociability, Morality, Ability, Assertiveness, Emotion, Social Group, socioeconomic Status, Uniqueness, Family, Health, Occupation, Geographic origin, …
Social motives of university students in seven countries
A new scale to measure core social motives was developed based on the BUC(K)ET framework (Belong, Understand, Control, Esteem, and Trust). The scale was completed by 1,516 university students from seven countries: Australia, the United States, New Zealand, the Philippines, Malaysia, China (Macao), and Austria. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis supported the scale's full scalar invariance between Australia and the United States and between A…
Exploring the adaptive role of core social motives in perceived societal threats
Societal threats that face the world today seem overpowering, especially for young generations who will need to develop creative solutions. The present study examined the relationships between societal threats and social motives. Social motives function to orient individuals toward the social world and prepare them to engage socially. This adaptive function of social motives may be particularly useful when threats are looming in the environment. …
A spontaneous stereotype content model
1,470) show the utility of spontaneous stereotypes, compared to traditional, prompted, scale-based stereotypes. Using natural language processing text analyses, Study 1 shows the most common spontaneous stereotype dimensions for salient social groups. Our results confirm existing stereotype models' dimensions, while uncovering a significant prevalence of dimensions that these models do not cover, such as Health, Appearance, and Deviance. The SSCM…
Relational versus structural goals prioritize different social information
People gather information about others along a few fundamental dimensions; their current goals determine which dimensions they most need to know. As proponents of competing social-evaluation models, we sought to study the dimensions that perceivers spontaneously prioritize when gathering information about unknown social groups. Because priorities depend on functions, having relational goals (e.g., deciding whether and how to interact with a group…
Comprehensive stereotype content dictionaries using a semi‐automated method
Advances in natural language processing provide accessible approaches to analyze psychological open‐ended data. However, comprehensive instruments for text analysis of stereotype content are missing. We developed stereotype content dictionaries using a semi‐automated method based on WordNet and word embeddings. These stereotype content dictionaries covered over 80% of open‐ended stereotypes about salient American social groups, compared to 20% co…
Groups' warmth is a personal matter
Other Than the Sum
The racial categorization literature, reliant on forced-choice tasks, suggests that mixed-race targets are often categorized using the parent faces that created the racially mixed stimuli (e.g., Black or White) or their combination (e.g., Black–White multiracial). In the current studies, we introduce a free-response task that allows for spontaneous categorizations of higher ecological validity. Our results suggest that, when allowed, observers of…
Mind the overlap in multiple categorization
Research on social categorization continues, with one growth area being multiple categorization. Various approaches study questions that, although different in scope and content, potentially tap the same underlying processes. Current models that aim to understand judgments about targets who belong to multiple social groups include algebraic and nonalgebraic models of crossed categorization, as well as theories related to intersectionality and mul…
Looking Black or looking back? Using phenotype and ancestry to make racial categorizations
Groups' warmth is a personal matter
Comprehensive stereotype content dictionaries using a semi‐automated method
Advances in natural language processing provide accessible approaches to analyze psychological open‐ended data. However, comprehensive instruments for text analysis of stereotype content are missing. We developed stereotype content dictionaries using a semi‐automated method based on WordNet and word embeddings. These stereotype content dictionaries covered over 80% of open‐ended stereotypes about salient American social groups, compared to 20% co…
Looking Black or looking back? Using phenotype and ancestry to make racial categorizations
A spontaneous stereotype content model
1,470) show the utility of spontaneous stereotypes, compared to traditional, prompted, scale-based stereotypes. Using natural language processing text analyses, Study 1 shows the most common spontaneous stereotype dimensions for salient social groups. Our results confirm existing stereotype models' dimensions, while uncovering a significant prevalence of dimensions that these models do not cover, such as Health, Appearance, and Deviance. The SSCM…
Relational versus structural goals prioritize different social information
People gather information about others along a few fundamental dimensions; their current goals determine which dimensions they most need to know. As proponents of competing social-evaluation models, we sought to study the dimensions that perceivers spontaneously prioritize when gathering information about unknown social groups. Because priorities depend on functions, having relational goals (e.g., deciding whether and how to interact with a group…
Looking Black or looking back? Using phenotype and ancestry to make racial categorizations
Mind the overlap in multiple categorization
Research on social categorization continues, with one growth area being multiple categorization. Various approaches study questions that, although different in scope and content, potentially tap the same underlying processes. Current models that aim to understand judgments about targets who belong to multiple social groups include algebraic and nonalgebraic models of crossed categorization, as well as theories related to intersectionality and mul…
Other Than the Sum
The racial categorization literature, reliant on forced-choice tasks, suggests that mixed-race targets are often categorized using the parent faces that created the racially mixed stimuli (e.g., Black or White) or their combination (e.g., Black–White multiracial). In the current studies, we introduce a free-response task that allows for spontaneous categorizations of higher ecological validity. Our results suggest that, when allowed, observers of…
Groups' warmth is a personal matter
Comprehensive stereotype content dictionaries using a semi‐automated method
Advances in natural language processing provide accessible approaches to analyze psychological open‐ended data. However, comprehensive instruments for text analysis of stereotype content are missing. We developed stereotype content dictionaries using a semi‐automated method based on WordNet and word embeddings. These stereotype content dictionaries covered over 80% of open‐ended stereotypes about salient American social groups, compared to 20% co…
Social motives of university students in seven countries
A new scale to measure core social motives was developed based on the BUC(K)ET framework (Belong, Understand, Control, Esteem, and Trust). The scale was completed by 1,516 university students from seven countries: Australia, the United States, New Zealand, the Philippines, Malaysia, China (Macao), and Austria. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis supported the scale's full scalar invariance between Australia and the United States and between A…
Exploring the adaptive role of core social motives in perceived societal threats
Societal threats that face the world today seem overpowering, especially for young generations who will need to develop creative solutions. The present study examined the relationships between societal threats and social motives. Social motives function to orient individuals toward the social world and prepare them to engage socially. This adaptive function of social motives may be particularly useful when threats are looming in the environment. …
A spontaneous stereotype content model
1,470) show the utility of spontaneous stereotypes, compared to traditional, prompted, scale-based stereotypes. Using natural language processing text analyses, Study 1 shows the most common spontaneous stereotype dimensions for salient social groups. Our results confirm existing stereotype models' dimensions, while uncovering a significant prevalence of dimensions that these models do not cover, such as Health, Appearance, and Deviance. The SSCM…
Relational versus structural goals prioritize different social information
People gather information about others along a few fundamental dimensions; their current goals determine which dimensions they most need to know. As proponents of competing social-evaluation models, we sought to study the dimensions that perceivers spontaneously prioritize when gathering information about unknown social groups. Because priorities depend on functions, having relational goals (e.g., deciding whether and how to interact with a group…
Social-Environmental Constraints on the Development of a Concealable Stigmatized Identity Predict Psychological Distress
People who are stigmatized along concealable features (e.g., individuals reporting adverse childhood experiences) often experience challenges to the self-concept, which can promote psychological distress. Developing a stigmatized identity might counter these effects, but the internality of concealable features can forestall this process: individuals may look to similarly-stigmatized others, but if these group members remain concealed (i.e., are n…
Characterizing stereotypes that perpetuate sexual minorities’ anticipated stigma in healthcare settings
Spontaneous Content of Impressions of Naturalistic Face Photographs
Across two studies (N = 4,526), we characterize a taxonomy of spontaneous face impressions by applying artificial intelligence text analyses to thousands of free-response descriptions of computer-generated faces. The taxonomy codes almost 100% of the impressions into Appearance (including Beauty), Sociability, Morality, Ability, Assertiveness, Emotion, Social Group, socioeconomic Status, Uniqueness, Family, Health, Occupation, Geographic origin, …
Unconstrained Descriptions of Facebook Profile Pictures Support High-Dimensional Models of Impression Formation
Dominant models of impression formation focus on two fundamental dimensions: a horizontal dimension of warmth/communion/trustworthiness and a vertical dimension of competence/agency/dominance. However, these models have typically been studied using theory-driven methods and stimuli of restricted complexity. We used a data-driven approach and naturalistic stimuli to explore the latent dimensions underlying >300,000 unconstrained linguistic descrip…
Psychology (13 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (11 works) · Cultural Differences and Values (6 works) · Developmental psychology (6 works) · Perception (5 works) · Epistemology (4 works) · Social perception (4 works) · Social Psychology (4 works) · Sociology (4 works)