Data Repository
Data and materials from the newer projects will be deposited on the Open Science Framework and posted on this page as each study is published.
Coalitional Formidability and Kinship Across Three Cultures: Experimentally Assessing Implications of Inclusive Fitness and Reciprocal Altruism
Nichols, R., Wagoner, J., & Durkee, P. (in press). Coalitional formidability and kinship across three cultures: Experimentally assessing implications of inclusive fitness and reciprocal altruism. Human Nature.
Data, analysis code, preregistration and supplementary materials: Open Science Framework
The Presumption of Compatibilism
Lim, D., Nichols, R., & Wagoner, J. (2025). The presumption of compatibilism. Religious Studies, 61(S1), S135–S153. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034412525000113
Preregistration and study materials: Open Science Framework
Experimental Philosophy of Free Will and the Comprehension of Determinism
Lim, D., Nichols, R., & Wagoner, J. (2025). Experimental philosophy of free will and the comprehension of determinism. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 16(2), 697–723. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-024-00726-z
Study materials: Open Science Framework
Experiments in Distant Reading: Using Topic Modeling on Chinese Buddhist Texts from 500–800 CE
Bingenheimer, M., Brody, J., & Nichols, R. (2025). Experiments in distant reading: Using topic modeling on Chinese Buddhist texts from 500–800 CE. Digital Humanities Quarterly, 19(1). https://dhq.digitalhumanities.org/vol/19/1/000771/000771.html
Code and segmented corpus: GitHub repository
Supernatural Agents and Prosociality in Historical China: Micro-Modeling the Cultural Evolution of Gods and Morality in Textual Corpora
Nichols, R., Slingerland, E., Nielbo, K. L., Kirby, P., & Logan, C. (2021). Supernatural agents and prosociality in historical China: Micro-modeling the cultural evolution of gods and morality in textual corpora. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 11(1), 46–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2020.1742778
Modeling the Contested Relationship between Analects, Mencius, and Xunzi: Preliminary Evidence from a Machine-Learning Approach
Nichols, R., Slingerland, E., Nielbo, K., Bergeton, U., Logan, C., & Kleinman, S. (2018). Modeling the contested relationship between Analects, Mencius, and Xunzi: Preliminary evidence from a machine-learning approach. The Journal of Asian Studies, 77(1), 19–57. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021911817000973
Appendix 1: Word Cloud Survey Text
Appendix 2: Word Cloud Survey Data
The Distant Reading of Religious Texts: A “Big Data” Approach to Mind-Body Concepts in Early China
Slingerland, E., Nichols, R., Nielbo, K., & Logan, C. (2017). The distant reading of religious texts: A “big data” approach to mind-body concepts in early China. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 85(4), 985–1016. https://doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/lfw090
Appendix 1: Texts and Genres
Appendix 2: Stopword List and Discussion
Appendix 3: Equations
Appendix 4: List of Semantic Control Pairs
Appendix 5: Study 1 and 2 Full Data
Appendix 6: Endemic Function Pairs
Appendix 7: Follow Up Study With Organ Functions
Appendix 8: Technical and Methodological Discussion of HCA Analysis Results
Appendix 9: Dendrogram of CTP Control Words
Appendix 10: Notes on Topic Models
Download a .zip file of the ten appendices here.
How statecraft emerges as the most important theme in Early Chinese literature: Interpreting results of a corpus-based machine-learning study (not yet published)
Appendix 1: Text, Eras, Metadata
Appendix 2: Word Cloud Survey Text
Appendix 3: Word Cloud Survey Data
Data: Text-formatted Ctext.org Corpus
The cultural evolution of China’s extended kinship ancestor worship system (not yet published)
Appendix 1: Term Lists