Serge Nicolas is a French professor of psychology at the Institute of Psychology of the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

since 2003. He specializes in the study of

memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembe ...

and

history of psychology Psychology is defined as "the scientific study of behavior and mental processes". Philosophical interest in the human mind and behavior dates back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Persia, Greece, China, and India. Psychology as a field of ...

. He is also chief-editor of the journal L'Année psychologique, and a distinguished member of the

Institut Universitaire de France The Institut Universitaire de France (IUF, Academic Institute of France), is a service of the French Ministry of Higher Education that annually distinguishes a small number of university professors for their research excellence, as evidenced by t ...

since 2016.

Career

Nicolas earned his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in psychology in 1992, on a thesis titled ''"Memory and its manifestations: from its implicit expression to its explicit actualization"'' (supervised by Guy Tiberghien) and became

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

the same year at the

. He became full

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

there in 2003, and earned a second PhD in

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

in 2007 from the Université Paris VIII, on a thesis titled ''"Academic philosophy in France from the Revolution to the Restauration (1789-1830): History of the foundation of a political philosophy based on psychology"'' (supervised by Patrice Vermeren). Nicolas' research focuses primarily on cognitive psychology, with a particular interest in memory, as well as on the history of psychology, with several hundred publications on these topics. Beyond the publication, translation, and re-edition of academic books, Nicolas is also the

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

of the psychology museum at the Institute of Psychology of the University of Paris, organizing exhibitions in which he showcases private as well as the University's historical pieces. His editorial positions include the directorship of the

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

academic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the ...

'' L'Année psychologique'', as well as of the ''Psychological Encyclopedia'' at L'Harmattan. Nicolas has supervised seven PhD students, including Alessandro Guida (on , defended in 2006), Gaën Plancher (on

false memories In psychology, a false memory is a phenomenon where someone recalls something that did not actually happen or recalls it differently from the way it actually happened. Suggestibility, activation of associated information, the incorporation ...

, defended in 2009), Yannick Gounden (on the distinctiveness effect in memory, defended in 2012), and

Dominique Makowski "Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by Belgian singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or The Singing Nun. The song is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-born priest an ...

(on the

paradox of fiction The paradox of fiction, or the paradox of emotional response to fiction, is a philosophical dilemma that questions how people can experience strong emotions to fictional things. The primary question asked is the following: How are people moved by ...

, defended in 2018). He is currently a member of the Memory and Cognition Lab at the Institute of Psychology of the

Selected bibliography

Serge Nicolas is the author of several books, including: * ''Histoire de la psychologie'', Dunod, 2001 * ''Mémoire et conscience'', Armand Colin, 2003 * ''La psychologie cognitive'', Armand Colin, 2003 * ''Les maladies de la mémoire'', In Press, 2007 * '' Histoire de la psychologie scientifique'', De Boeck, 2008 * ''Introduction à la psychologie cognitive'', In Press, 2009 * ''Études d'histoire de la psychologie'', L'Harmattan, 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolas, Serge Living people Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis alumni 21st-century French psychologists 1962 births Academic staff of the University of Paris 21st-century French male writers Scientists from Paris Cognitive psychologists Psychology journal editors