This year’s joint SASP-ACPID Conference will be hosted by the University of Melbourne, Australia, from 19-22 November 2025.
With six concurrent sessions across three days plus a day of preconference’s, there is plenty of social, personality, and individual difference psychology research to catch.
On Wednesday 19 November, catch pre-conferences and workshops at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville Campus.
On Thursday, join us for SASP OPRA presentations, keynote from Chris Sibley, and conference welcome drinks at Rydges in Melbourne’s CBD. Postgrads are then invited to the SASP Postgraduate dinner at The Oxford Scholar.
On Friday, come along for the SASP ECR Award presentation, posters, keynote from Nickola Overall, SASP and ACPID AGMs, and the Gala Dinner.
On Saturday, don’t miss the presidential address and keynote from Yoshihisa Kashima.
Conference program
The full conference program booklet and overview of conference schedule are available for download via the links below.
Keynote Speakers
There will be three keynote speakers for SASP-ACPID 2025.
Professor Chris Sibley (University of Auckland)
Thursday 20 November, 1:30pm
Chris G. Sibley is a Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland. He teaches in research methods and social psychology and is the lead investigator of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study.
Professor Nickola Overall (University of Auckland)
Friday 21 November, 1:30pm
Nickola Overall is a Professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Nickola investigates how people can best manage conflict, stress, power, and insecurities within couple and family relationships. Her goal is to identify how to overcome barriers to healthy relationships and societies. Nickola’s research and mentoring have been recognized by several awards and international fellowships. Her most recent edited book, The Research Handbook of Couple and Family Relationships, emphasizes that understanding people’s emotions, thoughts, and behavior requires knowing how people develop and influence each other within close relationships.
Professor Yoshihisa Kashima (University of Melbourne)
Saturday 22 November, 1:30pm
Yoshihisa Kashima is Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on the psychology of cultural dynamics – how psychological processes participate in the formation, maintenance, and transformation of culture over time, with particular emphasis on culture of sustainability. He is currently working on empirically grounded computational modelling of cultural dynamics in complex social-ecological systems. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and is listed on the Heritage Wall of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology.
Pre-conference program
Prior to the main conference there will also be six pre-conferences taking place on Wednesday 19th November at the University of Melbourne Campus
Click on the below pre-conference titles for further information about each pre-conference.
Beyond Correlation: A Practical Introduction to Causal Inference in Observational Social Psychology
Social psychological theories seek causal understanding, yet our evidence base is overwhelmingly correlational. This two hour pre conference workshop offers an accessible, practice oriented introduction to contemporary causal inference methodology, with a special focus on discovering for whom effects are strongest.
Organised by Professor Joseph Bulbulia (Victoria University of Wellington, NZ; ).
TIME: 9:00am – 4:00pm
LOCATION: Redmond Barry Building (Building 115) – Level 5 – Room 516.
Content
The first hour features an interactive lecture by Professor Joseph Bulbulia (Victoria University of Wellington). He will
- diagnose the confounding problem that plagues observational studies,
- introduce the potential outcomes framework, and
- demonstrate how to apply state-of-the-art estimators, such as causal forests and doubly robust machine learners, that emulate randomised trials in longitudinal social survey data.
The second hour translates theory into practice. Five graduate-student/post-doc presenters will each deliver a rapid fire ten minute case study drawn from the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS, 2009 ongoing, N approx 77k). Topics span trust in science, mental health, prejudice reduction, economic inequality, and more. Each talk clarifies how causal inference sharpens substantive conclusions to inform policy.
Objectives
Participants will leave with:
- a conceptual toolkit for articulating and evaluating causal claims;
- annotated R code for simulating average and heterogenous treatment effects (on a GitHub repository); and,
- a curated reading list for self study.
The workshop presumes familiarity with basic regression but no prior causal inference training. It will be ideal for students, early career researchers, and seasoned academics seeking to strengthen the causal foundations of their work.
From insight to impact: Social identity in the workplace
A highly interactive workshop exploring the contemporary opportunities and challenges of applying social identity insights to organisational settings.
COST: Free
TIME: 10:30am to 4pm
LOCATION: Old Arts Building (Building 149) – Level 2 – Room 204
Refreshments & light lunch will be provided, and participants are invited for dinner.
Organised and facilitated by Andrew Frain, Blake McMillan, and Randal Tame.
Navigating peer review and publication as an author and reviewer
TIME: 10:30am to 3:00pm
LOCATION: Redmond Barry Building (Building 115) – Level 1 – Lowe Theatre (103)
Organised by Simine Vazire, Yoel Inbar & Heather Urry.
Research Impact in Environmental Psychology
An afternoon dedicated to shaping a shared research agenda and formalising ANZEP.
COST: Free
TIME: 1pm to 4pm
LOCATION: Where: Redmond Barry Building (Building 115) – Level 1 – Latham Theatre (102)
REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/EP_reg
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION: https://bit.ly/EP_preconf
Organised by Christoph Klebl and Matt Mackay.
Social and Personality Psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand
TIME: 10:00am – 4:00pm
LOCATION: Redmond Barry Building (Building 115) – Level 1 – Lyle Theatre (101)
2025 Gender and Sexuality Preconference
TIME: 1:00pm – 5:30pm
LOCATION: Redmond Barry Building (Building 115) – Level 1 – Medley Theatre (104).
Organisers: Joel Anderson, Michael Thai, Jordan Hinton, Emily Harris, Natalie Amos, Michelle Ryan, and Eden Clarke.
The SASP Gender and Sexuality Preconference will involve research ‘blitz’ talks, panel discussions, and networking opportunities to help connect students and academics who conduct research related to gender and sexuality (and others who may be interested in joining).
If you are interested in attending the preconference, please complete the Qualtrics form here: https://auckland.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bOBv6QzNvy3p702.
Social Events
Conference welcome drinks
Conference Welcome Drinks will be held at the Rydges Restaurant, located on the ground floor of the hotel, from 5:30pm on Thursday 20th November.
Postgraduate dinner
The postgrad dinner will be held at The Oxford Scholar, a 15min walk from Rydges, on Thursday 20th November from 7pm. Tickets will be $30, covering food and drinks tab. Tickets are available via the relevant conference registration form.
Conference gala dinner
The conference dinner will be held at Cookie – Thai Eating House, Beer Hall, Cocktail Bar, & Disco at 252 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000 on Friday 21st November from 7pm. The cost is $150 for academics and $100 for students. Tickets are available via the relevant conference registration form.