More than half a century of research in psychology reveals that the same two dimensions, the so-called Big Two, underlie most judgments of the self, other people, groups, and even cultures. Although definitions vary, the first, horizontal, dimension refers to sociability and morality while the second, vertical, dimension denotes characteristics such as ability and assertiveness. Clearly, various strands of work both in social psychology (social comparison, stereotypes, self-concept, social neuropsychology, etc.) and in neighboring fields such as personality psychology, organizational psychology, decision-making, anthropology, sociology, and even linguistics are increasingly turning their attention to the antecedents, processes, and consequences associated with these dimensions. A recent adversarial collaboration (see Abele et al., 2021) identified a series of key controversies and important challenges for future work while emphasizing the role of two facets underlying each dimension. In addition, several independent efforts opened fascinating new research avenues. Indeed, new developments tackle such fascinating questions as the actual number of facets, the observable behaviors linked to these facets, the overlap between the facets and general evaluation, the degree of consensus and idiosyncrasy in each facet, how are people managing impressions with respect to the various facets, etc. A small group meeting stimulating multi-lab collaboration and research as well as theoretical debate and integration about this important topic is thus both timely and needed.

The small group meeting will take place in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Louvain-la-Neuve is home to the main campus of the Catholic University of Louvain, the largest French-speaking university of Belgium. The creation of this university town dates back to the late 60s and constitutes a unique architectural experience. Louvain-la-Neuve boasts a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, a nice mix of students and non-students, all of this in a pedestrian environment with a rich cultural and intellectual offer. The town is located 25 km south of Brussels and can be reached easily by public transportation or by car.

The meeting will include between 30 and 40 Junior and Senior researchers. They will present their original research in a single session format.
Researchers from all parts of the world who are interested in participating are invited to submit an abstract of 250 words maximum by the deadline of 15 December 2023 to easplouvainlaneuve2024@gmail.com. The abstract should include information about the research question, underlying theory, methods, results, and discussion. Notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent via email in January 2024.

EASP members in good standing who are under economic hardship and do not have alternative funds for the attendance of the meeting can apply for a fee waiver by providing a 100-word motivation statement. In addition, the organizing committee will offer support to a limited number of applicants, who have difficulty in covering travel and registration fees and do not have any additional sources of support. Those interested should provide a detailed budget plan of their trip and a 100-word justification for their request.

Participant fees: Full members: € 100, Postgraduate members: € 50, non-members: € 150, postgraduate non-members: € 75.

Organizing Committee:

Vincent Yzerbyt, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
Marco Brambilla, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy
Alex Koch, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, USA
Naomi Ellemers, Utrecht University, The Netherlands