My research interests mainly focus on how religious believers and non-believers represent God in mind. I work broadly within an information-processing framework and draw on both the social cognition and cognition and emotion literatures. As such I am interested in how work on attribution, attachment, and indirect measures of belief and attitude can be applied within cognitive science of religion to broaden our understanding of how and when people use representations of God's supernatural powers and human-like characteristics. I am also interested in the development and application of new research methods within psychology of religion.

My background is in psychology and physiology at the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. (under Fraser Watts) at the University of Cambridge in 2006. Since then I was for 3 years the Templeton Research Fellow in Science and Religion at Queens' College, Cambridge, and am currently at the Department of Social and Developmental Psychology in Cambridge.

Primary Interests:

Attitudes and Beliefs
Causal Attribution
Close Relationships
Person Perception
Research Methods, Assessment
Social Cognition

Attitudes and Beliefs
Causal Attribution
Close Relationships

Person Perception
Research Methods, Assessment
Social Cognition

Research Group or Laboratory:

Psychology and Religion Research Group
Interactive Map

Journal Articles:

Gibson, N. J. S., & Watts, F. N. (2010). Nicholas Gibson talks to Fraser Watts: Psychologist, theologian, priest. The Psychologist, 24, 268-269.
Hill, P. C., & Gibson, N. J. S. (2008). Whither the roots? Achieving conceptual depth in psychology of religion. Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 30, 19-35.
Yangarber-Hicks, N., Behensky, C., Canning, S. S., Flanagan, K. S., Gibson, N. J. S., Hicks, M. W., et al. (2006). Invitation to the table conversation: A few diverse perspectives on integration. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 25, 338-353.

Other Publications:

Gibson, N. J. S. (2008). Once more with feelings: The importance of emotion for cognitive science of religion. In J. Bulbulia, R. Sosis, E. Harris, R. Genet, C. Genet, & K. Wyman (Eds.), The evolution of religion: Studies, theories, and critiques (pp. 271-277). Santa Margarita, CA: Collins Foundation Press.
Gibson, N. J. S. (2007). Measurement issues in God image research and practice. In G. L. Moriarty & L. Hoffman (Eds.), God image handbook for spiritual counseling and psychotherapy: Research, theory, and practice (pp. 227-246). New York: Routledge.
Gibson, N. J. S., & Barrett, J. L. (2008). On psychology and evolution of religion: Five types of contribution needed from psychologists. In J. Bulbulia, R. Sosis, E. Harris, R. Genet, C. Genet, & K. Wyman (Eds.), The evolution of religion: Studies, theories, and critiques (pp. 333-338). Santa Margarita, CA: Collins Foundation Press.

Courses Taught:

Psychology of Religion
Social Psychology

Psychology of Religion

Social Psychology

Nicholas Gibson
Department of Social and Developmental Psychology
University of Cambridge
Free School Lane
Cambridge CB2 3RQ
United Kingdom

Phone: +44 1223 762325
Fax: +44 1223 334550