Nicole Legate

Nicole Legate is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Illinois Institute of Technology. She teaches undergraduate courses in introduction to psychology and special topics seminars related to prejudice and stigma. Her research interests are focused on how the social environment (friends, family, peers, etc.) can support those with a stigmatized identity to buffer against minority stress and its impact on health. Much of this work has focused on the coming out process, finding that lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals are more ‘out’ with those who support their autonomy, and that they experience better mental and physical health with these people when they come out. Another major focus is on how to motivate people to care about inclusion. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Rochester in 2014 and is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a small private practice. 

Education

Ph.D., University of Rochester, Clinical Psychology (2014)
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, Psychology (2007)

Research Interests

Prejudice reduction

Social exclusion

Disclosure and concealment

Disparities in mental and physical health

Self-Determination Theory

Publications

Legate, N. & Weinstein, N., Motivation Science Can Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Trainings (2024). Perspectives on Psychological Science, Advance online publication, https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916231186410

Legate, N. & Weinstein, N., Graham, L., & Plater, M. (2023). Anti‐bias training and perceived force climate: Links with prejudiced attitudes in United Kingdom policing. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 33, 929-939. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2682

Weinstein, N., & Legate, N., Graham, L., Zheng, Y., Plater, M., Al-Khouja, M., & Moller, A. (2023). The role of perceived autonomy-supportive communications for motivating prejudice reduction and avoiding defiant backlash within the police force workplace. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 53, 443-454. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12953

Psychological Science Accelerator Self-Determination Theory Collaboration (2022). A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(22), e2111091119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2111091119

Weinstein, N., Itzchakov, G., Legate, N. (2022). The motivational value of listening during intimate and difficult conversations. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 16(2), e12651, https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12651

Luxon, A. & Legate, N., & Weinstein, N. (2022). Fluctuations in goal pursuits and health in a lesbian, gay, and bisexual sample across a two-week diary study. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity 9(3), 370–382. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000462

Legate, N., Weinstein, N. & Ryan, R. (2021). Ostracism in real life: Engaging in ostracism as victim or perpetrator is linked with worse psychological health. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 43, 226-238. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2021.1927038

Itzchakov, G., Weinstein, N., & Legate, N., Amar, M. (2020). Can high quality listening reduce speakers’ prejudice? Evidence that it can, by promoting non-defensive introspection. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 91, 104022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104022

Legate, N., Weinstein, N., Sendi, K., Al-Khouja, M. (2020). Motives behind the veil: Women’s affective experiences wearing the veil depend on their reasons for wearing one. Journal of Research in Personality. 87, 103969. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2020.103969

Du Bois, S. N., Guy, A., Legate, N., Kendall, A. D. (2020). Using population level data to examine partnership-health associations among transgender individuals. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000387

Legate, N., Weinstein, N. & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). Parenting strategies and adolescents’ cyberbullying behaviors: Evidence from a preregistered study of parent–child dyads. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48, 399-409.

Legate, N. & Rogge, R. (2019). Identifying basic classes of sexual orientation with latent profile analysis: Developing the Multivariate Sexual Orientation Classification System. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48, 1403–1422.

Du Bois, S. N., Legate, N., Kendall, A. D. (2019). Examining partnership-health associations in sexual and gender minorities using population-level data. LGBT Health, 6, 23-33.

Legate, N., Weinstein, N., Ryan, W. S., DeHaan, C. R., Ryan, R. M. (2018). Parental autonomy support predicts lower internalized homophobia and better psychological health indirectly through lower shame in lesbian, gay and bisexual adults. Stigma & Health.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/sah0000150

Legate, N., Ryan, R. M. & Rogge, R. D. (2017). Daily autonomy support and sexual identity disclosure predicts daily mental and physical health outcomes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43, 860–873.

Weinstein, N., Legate, N., Ryan, W. S., Sedikides, C., & Cozzolino, P. J. (2017). Autonomy support for conflictual and stigmatized identities: Effects on ownership and well-being. Journal of Counseling Psychology. Advance online publication.

Weinstein, N., Khabbaz, F., & Legate, N. (2016). Enhancing need satisfaction to reduce psychological distress in Syrian refugees. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Legate, N., DeHaan, C. R., & Ryan, R. M. (2015). Righting the wrong: Reparative coping after going along with ostracism. Journal of Social Psychology, 155,471-482.

Ryan, W., Legate, N., & Weinstein, N. (2015). Coming out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual: The lasting impact of initial disclosure experiences. Self & Identity, 14,549-569.

Legate, N., DeHaan, C. R., Weinstein, N., & Ryan, R. M. (2013). Hurting you hurts me too: The psychological costs of complying with ostracism. Psychological Science, 24, 583-588.

Legate, N., Ryan, R. M., & Weinstein, N. (2012). Is coming out always a “good thing”? Exploring the relations of autonomy support, outness and wellness for lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 145-152.