Alex Gillespie

Alex Gillespie is a Professor of Psychological and Behavioral Science at the London School of Economics and a visiting Professor at Oslo New University.

Education
Gillespie completed his undergraduate degree in psychology at Trinity College Dublin, followed by a Masters degree at the London School of Economics, and then a PhD at the University of Cambridge. After completing his PhD he held faculty positions at the University of Stirling and the University of Cambridge.

Career
Gillespie is a Professor of Psychological and Behavioral Science at the London School of Economics and a research professor at Oslo New University. He is the co-Editor of the Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior.

Research

 * Proposed Position Exchange Theory to explain how perspective taking might develop through people exchanging social positions in routine social interactions.
 * Refined the methodology of dialogical analysis for studying multivoicedness in texts.
 * Created the Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool, for analyzing healthcare complaints from patients and finding solutions to improve the patient experience and identify blindspots and failures of perspective taking.
 * Developed the Unobtrusive Corporate Culture Analysis Tool (UCCAT), a tool for analyzing corporate culture, and especially communicative dynamics within the culture (such as listening and speaking up).
 * Advanced the Cyranoid and Echoborg methodologies to study how people listen to what they see rather than what they hear.
 * Developed a pragmatist approach to studying big qualitative data.
 * Used natural language processing, to show how patient feedback online could be an early warning signal of hospital-level mortality rates.

Books

 * Gillespie, A., Glaveanu, V, de Saint-Laurent, C. (2024). Pragmatism and methodology: Doing research that matters with mixed methods. Cambridge University Press.
 * Zittoun, T. & Gillespie, A. (2016). Imagination in human and cultural development. London, UK: Routledge.
 * Psaltis, C., Perret-Clermont, A. & Gillespie, A. (2015). Social relations in human and societal development. London: Palgrave.
 * O'Neill, B. & Gillespie, A. (2015). Assistive technology for cognition. London: Psychology Press.
 * Glăveanu, V., Gillespie, A. & Valsiner, J (2014). Rethinking creativity: Contributions from social and cultural psychology. London: Routledge.
 * Marková, I. & Gillespie, A. (2012). Trust and conflict: Representation, culture and dialogue. London: Routledge.
 * Marková, I. & Gillespie, A. (2007). Trust and distrust: Sociocultural perspectives. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
 * Gillespie, A. (2006). Becoming other: From social interaction to self-reflection. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.