27 May 2026

On 15.06.26 (14:15-15:45, Von-Melle-Park 5, 3016) Prof. Dr. Richard Rau (HMU Potsdam) will give a lecture on "The Psychology of First Impressions: Positivity, Accuracy, and Gamified Assessment" as part of the research colloquium.

Abstract: First impressions shape many social outcomes, but people differ in how they perceive others from the outset. This talk presents two lines of research on interpersonal perception. The first examines whether individual differences in perceiver positivity already emerge during early impression formation, using a recognition-based paradigm that avoids explicit evaluative judgments. The second introduces Who Knows, a gamified smartphone-based assessment designed to study first impressions at scale using judgments of strangers based on short video introductions. Together, the studies illustrate how new methodological approaches can help clarify when, how, and why people differ in their impressions of others.