GÜN R. SEMIN

Academy Professor, The Netherlands Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences

Research Interests:

A puzzle that has occupied me ever since I started with psychology is how it is possible to understand social behavior by explaining individual processes. Another puzzle has been why one should focus on stills when human behavior is a movie: behavior is self evidently dynamic and highly responsive to contextual variations. Finally, I have been puzzled how it is possible to think that all there might be to psychological processes is some symbolic computation taking place somewhere between the ears.

I have come to conceptualize the social in terms of jointly recruited processes rather than individual ones (Semin & Cacioppo, 2008); that social behavior is situated and psychological processes are embodied (Semin, 2007; Smith & Semin, 2004). Within these broad parameters my empirical research is primarily driven by an interest in communication, social cognition, and language and the diverse uses that language  can be put to in social interaction (ranging from the regulation of prejudice to that of interpersonal relationships) as well as the embodied grounding of meaning and communication. 

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Publications:

Click here for publications prior to 1997       

2011

Semin, G. R., Garrido, M. V. & Palma, T. A. (in press). Interfacing body, mind, the physical, and social world: Socially Situated Cognition. In D. E. Carlston (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of social cognition. New York: Oxford University Press.

Semin, G. R. (in press). Balancing Emotions between Constraints and Construction: Commentary on Boiger & Mesquita. Emotion Review,

Lakens, L., Semin, G. R. & Foroni, F. (in press). But for the bad, there would not be good. Conceptual opposition vs. mere association: Metaphoric Grounding of Valence. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,

Foroni, F. & Semin, G. R. (in press). Not all Implicit Measures of Attitudes are created equal: Evidence from an embodiment perspective. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology,

Foroni, F. & Semin, G. R. (2011). The Effect of Mimicry on Evaluative Judgments. Emotion, 11, 687–690.

Semin, G. R. & Garrido, M. V. (in press). A systemic approach to impression Formation: From verbal to multimodal processes. In Joe Forgas, Klaus Fiedler and Constantine Sedikides (Eds.). Social Thinking and Interpersonal Behavior.

Palma, T. A., Garrido, M. V. & Semin, G. R. (2011). Grounding person memory in space: Does spatial anchoring of behaviors improve recall? European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 275-280.

Semin, G. R., Garrido, M. V. & Palma, T. A. (in press). Socially Situated Cognition: Recasting Social Cognition as an Emergent Phenomenon. Fiske, S. & Macrea, N. (eds.) Sage Handbook of Social Cognition. Sage: California: Sevenoaks.

Regenberg, N., Häfner, M. & Semin, G. R. (in press). The Groove Move: Action Affordances Produce Fluency and Positive Affect. Experimental Psychology

Lakens, D., Semin, G.R., & Foroni, F. (2011).  Why Your Highness Needs the People: Comparing the Absolute and Relative Representation of Power in Vertical Space.  Social Psychology, 43, 205-215.

Lakens, L., Semin, G. R. & Garrido, M. V. (2011). The Sound of Time: Cross-Modal Convergence in the Spatial Structuring of Time. Consciousness and Cognition. 20, 437-443.

Semin, G. R. & Echterhoff, G. (2011). Grounding Sociality: From Neurons to Shared Cognition and Culture. New York: Psychology Press

Semin, G. R. (2011). Culturally Situated Linguistic Ecologies and Language Use: Cultural Tools at the Service of Representing and Shaping Situated Realities. In Advances in Culture and Psychology, 1, 217-249.

Semin, G. R. (2011). The Linguistic Category Model. In P. A. M. Van Lange, A. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology. London, England: Sage.

The Chicago Social Brain Network and Semin, G. R. (2011). The suspension of individual consciousness and the dissolution of ‘Self and Other’ boundaries. In The Chicago Social Brain Network (Eds.), Belief in Unseen Powers: Gravity, Gods, and Minds (pp. 73-81). FT Press: Pearson Education, Inc.

Semin, G. R. (2011). Sociality in Extremis - removing the boundaries between self and other. In Semin, G. R. & Echterhoff, G. (eds.) Grounding Sociality: From Neurons to Shared Cognition and Culture (pp. 83-94). Psychology Press.

Semin, G. R. & Echterhoff, G. (2011). From neurons to shared cognition and culture. In Semin, G. R. & Echterhoff, G. (Eds.). Grounding Sociality: From Neurons to Shared Cognition and Culture (pp. 1-12). New York: Psychology Press

2010

van Ulzen^. N. R., Lamoth, C. J. C, Daffertshofer^, A., Semin, G. R. and Beek, P. J. (2010). Stability and variability of acoustically specified coordination patterns while walking side-by-side: Does the sea-gull effect hold? Neuroscience Letters, 427, 79-83. (pdf)

Ijzerman, H. & Semin, G. R. (2010). Temperature perceptions as a ground for social proximity. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 867-873

Lanciano, T., Curci, A. & Semin, G. R. (2010). The emotional and reconstructive determinants of emotional memories: an experimental approach to flashbulb memory investigation. Memory, 18, 473-485. (pdf)

Klein, O, Ventura, P., Fernandes, T., Garcia-Marques,L. Licata,L., Semin, G. R. (2010). Effects of schooling and literacy on linguistic abstraction. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 1095 – 1102. (pdf)

Jiga-Boy, G. M., Clark, A. E., & Semin, G. R. (2010). So much to do and so little time: Effort and perceived temporal distance. Psychological Science, 21,1811-1817. (pdf)

Louwerse, M.M., Lin, K., Drescher, A., & Semin, G. (2010). Linguistic cues predict fraudulent events in a corporate social network. In S. Ohlsson & R. Catrambone (Eds.), Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society(pp. 961-966). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.

2009

Schubert, T. & Semin, G. R. (2009). Embodiment as a Unifying Perspective for Psychology. European Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 1135-1141.

Ijzerman, H. & Semin, G. R. (2009). The Thermometer of Social Relations: Mapping Social Proximity on Temperature. Psychological Science,20, 1214-1220. (pdf)

Foroni, F. & Semin, G. R. (2009). Language that puts you in touch with your bodily feelings. The multimodal responsiveness of affective expressions. Psychological Science, 20, 974-980. (pdf)

Lee, A. Y. & Semin, G. R. (2009). Culture through the Lens of Self-Regulatory Orientations. In Wyer et al (Eds.). Understanding Culture: Theory, Research and Application (pp. 271-288).  New York: Psychology Press. (pdf)

Semin, G. R. (i2009). Language, Culture, Cognition – how do they intersect? In Wyer et al (Eds.). Understanding Culture: Theory, Research and Application.  New York: Psychology Press (pp. 259-270). (pdf)

Semin, G. R. (2009). Linguistic Category Model. In J. Levine & M. Hogg (eds). Encyclopedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. California: Sage.

Semin, G. R. (2009). Language and social cognition. F. Strack  & J. Förster (Ed.). Social Cognition – the Basis of Human Interaction (269-290). Psychology Press. (pdf)

Semin, G. R. & Cacioppo, J. T. (2009). From Embodied Representation to Co-Regulation. In J. A. Pineda (Ed.). “Mirror Neuron Systems: The Role of Mirroring Processes in Social Cognition (107-120)” Humana Press.

2008

Fockenberg, D. A., Koole, S. L., & Semin, G. R. (2008).  Priming in concert: assimilation and contrast with multiple affective and gender primes. Social Cognition, 26, 647-669

G.R. Semin & E.R. Smith (Eds.) (2008), Embodied grounding: Social, cognitive, affective, and neuroscientific approaches. New York: Cambridge University Press.

van Ulzen, N. R., Lamoth, C. J., Daffertshofer, A., Semin, G. R. & Beek, P. J. (2008). Characteristics of instructed and uninstructed interpersonal coordination while walking in pairs. Neuroscience Letters, 432, 88-93

Semin, G. R. (2008). Language puzzles: A prospective retrospective on the Linguistic Category Model. Journal of Language and Social Psychology. Special issue on the Linguistic Category Model, 27, 197-209.

Clark, A. E., & Semin, G. R. (2008). Receivers’ expectations for abstract vs. concrete construals: Evidence for conversational relevance as a determinant of construal level. Journal of Language and Social Psychology.Special issue on the Linguistic Category Model, 27, 155-167.

Semin, G. R. & Cacioppo, J. T. (2008). In search for a conceptual location to share cognition. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31, 37-38.

Semin, G. R. & Cacioppo, J. T. (2008). Grounding Social Cognition: Synchronization, Entrainment, and Coordination. In G.R. Semin & E.R. Smith (Eds.), Embodied grounding: Social, cognitive, affective, and neuroscientific approaches (pp.119-147). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Semin, G. R. & Smith, E. R . (2008). Introducing Embodied Grounding.In G.R. Semin & E.R. Smith (Eds.), Embodied grounding: Social, cognitive, affective, and neuroscientific approaches (pp.1-8). New York: Cambridge University Press.

van Ulzen, N. R., Semin, G. R., Oudejans, R. D. R. & and. Beek, P. J. (2008, in press) Affective and contextual stimulus properties influence size perception independently. Psychological Research, 72,304-310.

2007

Semin, G. R. (2007). Il linguaggio: [(che cos’è) + (a cosa serve)]? Psicologia Sociale, 5, 1-20.

Smith, E. R. & Semin, G. R. (2007). Situated social cognition. Current Directions In Psychological Science, 16, 132-135.

Semin, G. R. (2007). Stereotypes in the wild. In Y. Kashima, K. Fiedler and P. Freytag (Eds.), Stereotype dynamics: Language-based approaches to stereotype formation, maintenance, and transformation (pp.11-28). Mahwah, NJ: Laurence Erlbaum.

Reitsma-van Rooijen, M., Semin, G. R., & van Leeuwen, E. (2007). The effects of linguistic abstraction on interpersonal distance. European Journal of Social Psychology,37, 817-823. (pdf)

This paper is withdrawn. The investigating committee has informed me that the data on which this paper is based is fictitious.    Stapel, D. & Semin, G. R. (2007). The magic spell of language. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93,23-33.

Semin, G. R. (2007). Grounding communication: Synchrony. In A. Kruglanski and E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles 2nd Edition, (pp. 630-649). New York: Guilford Publications. (pdf)

Kruglanski, A. W. & Semin, G. R. (2007). The epistemic bases of interpersonal communication. In M. Hewstone, H. A. W. Schut, J. B. F. de Wit, K. van den Bos, & M. S. Stroebe (Eds.)The Scope of Social Psychology: Theory and Applications (pp. 107-120). New York: Psychology Press.

Semin, G. R. (2007). Implicit indicators of social distance and proximity. In K. Fiedler (Ed.), Social Communication: Frontiers of Social Psychology (pp. 389-409).  New York: Psychology Press.

2006

DeCoster, J., Banner, M. J., Smith, E. R., & Semin, G. R. (2006). On the inexplicability of the implicit: differences in the information provided by implicit and explicit tests. Social Cognition,24, 5-21

Smith, E. R. & Semin, G. R. (2006). Socially situated cognition as a bridge. In P. A. M. van Lange (Ed.). Bridging Social psychology: Benefits of transdisciplinary approaches (pp. 145-150). Mahwah, New Jersey, London: Laurence Erlbaum Publishers..

Beukeboom, C. J. & Semin, G. R. (2006). How Mood Turns on Language.  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 553-566. (pdf)

Semin, G. R. (2006). Modeling the Architecture of Linguistic Behavior: Linguistic Compositionality, Automaticity, and Control. Psychological Inquiry, 17, 246-255.
       

Fockenberg, D. A., Koole, S. L., & Semin, G. R. (2006).  Backward Affective Priming:Even When the Prime is Late, People Still Evaluate. Journal of ExperimentalSocialPsychology, 42, 799-806.

Wigboldus, D., Spears, R. & Semin, G. R., (2006). Communicating expectancies about others European Journal of Social Psychology, 36, 815-824.

2005

Beukeboom, C. J. & Semin, G. R., (2005). Mood and representations of behavior: The how and why. Cognition and Emotion, 19, 1242-1251.

Cacioppo, J. T. Berntson, G. G. & Semin, G. R. (2005). Scientific Symbiosis: The Mutual Benefit of Iteratively Adopting the Perspective of Realism and Instrumentalism. American Psychologist, 60, 347-348.

Wigboldus, D., Spears, R. & Semin, G. R., (2005). When Do We Communicate Stereotypes? Influence of the Social Context on the Linguistic Expectancy Bias. Group Processes and Interpersonal Relations,8,215-230.

Semin, G. R., Higgins, E. T., Gil de Montes, L., Estourget, Y., & Valencia, J. (2005). Linguistic signatures of regulatory focus: How abstraction fits promotion more than prevention. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 36-45

ter Doest, L. T., & Semin, G. R. (2005). Retrieval Contexts and the Concreteness Effect: Dissociations in Memory for Concrete and Abstract Words. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 17, 859-881

2004

Smith, E. R. & Semin, G. R. (2004). Socially situated cognition: Cognition in its social context. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology,36, 53-117 (SPSP Theoretical Innovation Prize, 2005)

Semin, G. R. (2004). Language and social cognition. In M. B. Brewer & M. Hewstone (Eds.), Social Cognition, (pp. 222-243). Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

Semin, G. R. (2004). Cultivating research excellence behind the dykes. U. Bauman, R. Bromme, K. Fiedler, G. Guttmann, R P. Königs, A. Mummendey, M. Perez, S. Schulz-Hjardt, G. R. Semin, & H. Spada (Eds.) In Doktorandinnen- und Doktorandenausbildung in der Psychologie: Bilanz und Ausblick. (pp. 68-70). Fürstentum Lichtenstein: Universitätsverlag für Humanwissenschaften.

Cacioppo, J. T. & Semin, G. R. & Berntson, G. G. (2004). Realism, Instrumentalism, and Scientific Symbiosis: Psychological Theory as a Search for Truth and the Discovery of Solutions. American Psychologist, 59, 214–223

Semin, G. R. (2004). The language of self and others in contexts. J. T. Jost, M. R. Banaji, & D. Prentice (Eds.) The Ying and Yang of social cognition: Perspectives on the social psychology of thought systems. (pp. 143-160). Washington DC: APA Press

2003

Semin, G. R., de Montes, G. L., & Valencia, J. F. (2003). Communicationconstraints on the Linguistic Intergroup Bias Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 39, 142-148.

de Montes, G. L., Semin, G. R., & Valencia, J. F. (2003). Communicationpatterns in interdependent relationships. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 22, 1 - 22

2002

Semin, G. R. & Smith, E. R. (2002). Interfaces of social psychology with situated and embodied cognition. Cognitive Systems Research, 3, 385-396. (pdf)

Semin, G. R., Görts, C., Nandram, S., & Semin-Goossens, A. (2002). Cultural perspectives on the linguistic representation of emotion and emotion events. Cognition and Emotion, 16, 11-28

Fiedler, K., & Semin, G. R. (2002).Das Linguistische Kategorienmodell. In D. Frey and M. Irle (Eds). "Theorien der Sozialpsychologie" (pp. 334-351). Huber.

ter Doest, L. T., Semin, G. R. & Sherman, S. J. (2002). Linguistic Abstraction and Inconsistency Processing: Structural Effects of Language in Social Cognition. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 21

2001

Higgins, E. T. & Semin, G. R. (2001). Communication and social psychology. In N. J. Smelser and Paul B. Baltes (editors). International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. (pp.2296-2299). Oxford: Pergamon.

Manstead, A. S. R., and Semin, G. R. (2001). Methodology in social psychology: Tools to test theories. In M. Hewstone, and Stroebe, W. (Eds.), Introduction to Social Psychology 3^rd Ed. Oxford: Blackwell, (pp. 73-115)

Semin, G. R. (2001). Language and social cognition. A., Tesser, & N., Schwarz (Eds) Handbook of Social Psychology, Vol. 1(pp. 159-180) Intraindividual Processes. Oxford: Blackwell.

Semin, G. R. (2001). Language and social inferences. In N. J. Smelser and Paul B. Baltes (editors). International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences(pp. 8312-8315). Oxford: Pergamon.

2000

Semin, G. R., & Marsman, G. J. (2000). The mnemonic functions of interpersonal verbs: Spontaneous trait inferences. Social Cognition, 18, 75-96

Semin, G. R. (2000). Language as a cognitive and behavioral structuring resource: Question-answer exchanges. In W. Stroebe & M. Hewstone (Eds.). European Review of Social Psychology(pp.75-104). Chichester: Wiley.

Semin, G. R. (2000). Agenda 2000: Communication: Language as an implementational device for cognition. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 595-612. (pdf)

Wigboldus, D., Semin, G. R., & Spears, R. (2000). How do we communicate stereotypes? Linguistic bases and inferential consequences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78,5-18.(pdf)

Uleman, J., Rhee, E., Bardoliwalla, N., Semin, G. R., & Toyama, M. (2000). The relational self: Closeness to in-groups depends on who they are, culture, and the type of closeness. Asian Journal of Cultural Psychology, 3, 1-17.  
(This paper received the Misumi Award from the Japanese Group Dynamics Association and the Asian Association of Social Psychology -2001).

1999

Werkman, W. M., Wigboldus, D. H., & Semin, G. R. (1999). Children’s communication of the Linguistic Intergroup Bias and its impact upon cognitive inferences. European Journal of Social Psychology, 29, 95 -104

Semin, G. R. & Smith E. R. (1999). Revisiting the past and back to the future: memory systems and the linguistic representation of social events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 877-892., (pdf)

Wigboldus, D., Spears, R., & Semin, G. R. (1999). Categorization, content and the context of communicative behavior. In N. Ellemers, R. Spears, & B. Doosje (eds.), Social Identity. (pp. 147-163). Oxford: Blackwell.

Semin, G. R. (1998). Cognition, language. and communication. In S. R. Fussell and R. J. Kreuz (Eds). Social and cognitive psychological approaches to interpersonal communication (pp. 229-257). Hillsdale, NJ: Laurence Erlbaum. (pdf)