DEPT OF PSYCHOLOGY
| Researcher : Au TKF |
| Project Title: | Rules to read by: building on bilingual children's phonological awareness |
| Investigator(s): | Au TKF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 11/2002 |
| Abstract: |
| To study if bilingual children's advantage in phonological awareness become part of a solution for helping them learn to read English better. |
| Project Title: | Enriching the language environment of children learning a second language |
| Investigator(s): | Au TKF, Cheung MWL |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 11/2006 |
| Completion Date: | 04/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| In a 2-year longitudinal experiment, we will explore effective and feasible ways to offer such input in L2 education using audio-recordings. This project can inform us on how such exposure (be it through incidental overhearing or deliberate listening) may help children speak an L2 with a more native-like accent. (1) Does passive exposure to native speakers help children speak a non-native language/dialect with a better accent? We will offer children who are learning a non-native language/dialect regular exposure to native speakers' speech via audio-recordings to see if such input can improve the children's L2 accent. (2) Are there measurable benefits for both deliberate listening and incidental exposure? This project will evaluate two ways of using such teaching tools: incidental exposure versus deliberate listening. Songs and audio-storybook in the target languages will be presented as ambient sounds in the classroom to offer incidental exposure. Take-home listening assignments will be used to offer deliberate listening opportunities. |
| Project Title: | Parental Influence on Children's Response Style in Coping with Stress |
| Investigator(s): | Au TKF, Lo BCY |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 03/2008 |
| Completion Date: | 03/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| When a person encounters a stressful or sad experience, he/she may choose to respond to the situation using different coping strategies. For example, the individual may choose to repeatedly focus on his/her feelings, as well as its significance and causes, that result from the negative encounters (i.e. rumination). Alternatively, the person may choose to think about, or participate in, other activities so as to direct his/her attention on things that are totally irrelevant (i.e. distraction). The person may also choose to ease his/her negative feelings by actively analysing the source of the problem and working out a solution (i.e. problem solving). In brief, the tendency in which a person chooses to adopt particular coping strategies across time is referred to as “response style”. This tendency is thought to originate from childhood experience, and is found to be closely associated with personality and other individual factors such as cognitive functions. In the field of clinical psychology, research into individual’s response style has captured increasing attention because of its link to psychopathologies. For example, theorists have suggested that ruminative response style intensify and prolong a person’s negative mood, which eventually may lead to the experience of a depressive episode (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1987:1991; Robinson & Alloy, 2003). While most studies have focused on exploring the mechanisms of how individual’s response style links to clinical conditions such as depression, only very few have attempted to study how these response styles in themselves develop and arise from childhood experience. The present project hence attempts to fill in a missing piece of this jigsaw by examining how parent-child relations (i.e. parental factors) contribute to the development of children’s response style, particularly that pertaining to ruminative tendency given its close link with childhood depression. It is thus believed that research outcome will draw important implications from both research and practical application points of view. |
| Project Title: | "You hurt it? Or, you heard it?": Getting Chinese Speakers to Voice the /b,d,g/ in English |
| Investigator(s): | Au TKF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 04/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| * This section, with proper fonts for the linguistic symbols, is also included in the file uploaded for the next section "Significance of the research proposal." Back in my undergraduate days, I saw something quite beautiful in a flea market in Boston. Pointing at its hand-written price tag, I ventured my opening bid, “How about 70% of that price?” The seller gave me an “Are you crazy?” look and turned abruptly to other potential customers. As I retreated in humiliation, my college roommate—a budding psycholinguist—whispered, “Did you really mean 70% OFF the asking price? Or did you forget to voice you /v/ again?” My “of” and “off” confusion was a running joke between me and my roommate, although it was not always funny; just witness the flea market fiasco. Throughout my school years in Hong Kong, I had contrasted “off” and “of” by pitch—much like tonal contrast in Cantonese—even though the proper contrast should be voicing: a voiced fricative /v/ for “of” and a voiceless fricative /f/ for “off.” (Notation: a speech sound is put between two //.) When I finally took “Introduction to Linguistics,” I realized my problem was much bigger than confusing “of” with “off.” In English, the voiceless stop consonants /p,t,k/ also contrast with the voiced ones /b,d,g/ in voicing. Just thinking how many words contain /b,d,g/ makes my head spin. Thinking that I had failed to voice my “b,d,g” all those years makes my head spin even worse. But how could that have happened? Why were my teachers and classmates in Hong Kong not confused by my uttering /p,t,k/ when I should have uttered /b,d,g/ instead? To answer these two questions, we need to first take a look at stop consonants in English. STOP CONSONANTS IN ENGLISH Consider /p/ versus /b/. (This account applies to the /t/-/d/ and /k/-/g/ contrast as well.) There is a three-way contrast in English: the aspirated /ph/ as in “a pin,” the unaspirated /p/ as in “a spin,” and the /b/ as in “a bin.” They contrast in aspiration: if you put your fingertips about an inch in front of your mouth, you will feel a puff of air when you say /ph/ (as in “a pin”), but not when you say the unaspirated /p/ or /b/ (as in “a spin” or “a bin”). These three consonants also contrast in voicing: if you put your fingertips on the front of your throat, you will feel not much vibration of your larynx (or vocal cord) when you utter voiceless stops like /ph/ and /p/ (as in “a pin” and “a spin”) and noticeably more vibration when you say /b/ properly (as in “a bin”). These contrasts in aspiration and voicing can be measured reliably by acoustical analysis of waveforms and spectrograms of audio-recording of speech sounds (e.g., Lisker & Haskins Labs, 1986). The picture gets more complicated: The letter “b” in written English is pronounced as a voiced stop (i.e., /b/) inside a phrase (e.g., “a banana,” “a box,” “a bin”) or inside a word (e.g., rabid, ruby). But when the “b” is at the beginning of an utterance (e.g., “Bananas are yummy,” or simply the word in isolation “Banana”), most native speakers of English would pronounce it as an unaspirated /p/ (as in “spin”)—with little vibration of the vocal cord (Lisker & Abramson, 1964; Flege & Brown, 1982). This poses a potentially serious learning problem for second-language (L2) learners when they are taught the sounds of letters in the alphabet with flash cards such as “Apple” for A, “Boy” for B,…“Dog” for D,…“Girl” for G,.… Even when the L2 teacher is a native-speaker of English, the “b,d,g” of these words in isolation will more often than not be pronounced with unaspirated /p,t,d/. For children immersed in a community of native speakers of English, this should not cause a big problem because the contrast between /p,t,k/ and /b,d,g/ can be found in everyday conversations within multi-syllable words (e.g., rapid/ rabid, metal/medal, picky/piggy) or within phrases (e.g., “The cab/cap is…;” “You hurt/heard it?” “I saw the bug/buck again!”). However, if English is learned in second-language classrooms from teachers who are not native speakers, as in much of Hong Kong, Asia, and beyond, such rich linguistic input would be relatively rare. The flash-card method may mislead children to conclude that words with “b,d,g” should always be pronounced with the unaspirated /p,t,k/. THE CHINESE STORY Chinese L2 learners of English are especially at risk for failing to voice their “b,d,g.” One reason is the absence of voiced stops in Chinese. The “b,d,g” in the Pinyin system for Putonghua are actually unaspirated /p,t,k/. The “p,t,k” in Pinyin are aspirated /ph, th, kh/. So, “b,d,g” are contrasted with “p,t,k” in Pinyin by aspiration, not voicing. In Hong Kong, both aspirated and unaspirated stops in Cantonese are typically Romanized as “p,t,k.” For example, “po” is pronounced with an aspirated /ph/ in “Sunpokong,” but with an unasiprated /p/ in “Tai Po,” “Shamshuipo,” and “Po Lam MTR Station.” Nonetheless, unaspirated stops in Cantonese are sometimes Romanized as “b,d,g,” as in Pinyin for Putonghua. For example, the unapirated /p/ for “Cha Siu Bao” (a popular Cantonese dim sum) is Romanized with a “b.” And the unaspirated /t/ in “dim sum” is Romanized with a “d.” Simply put, Chinese speakers start out with a two-way contrast for stop consonants: aspirated /ph, th, kh/ versus unaspirated /p,t,k/. To master the three-way contrast in English, Chinese speakers will have to learn the voiced stops /b,d,g/. Unfortunately, the Pinyin system for Putonghua, and to some extent the Romanization for Cantonese, maps the unapirated /p,t,k/ onto the written symbols of “b,d,g.” This can cause Chinese speakers to erroneously contrast “p,t,k” and “b,d,g” by aspiration rather than voicing. This is analogous to my erroneously contrasting “of” and “off” by pitch rather than voicing. In this proposed project, I will develop and evaluate a training program designed to help English L2 learners acquire the elusive (especially for Chinese speakers) but ubiquitous voiced stop consonants /b,d,g/. |
| Project Title: | Access to Language and Cognitive Development in Young Children Overhearing a second language and cognitive development |
| Investigator(s): | Au TKF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 10/2009 |
| Completion Date: | 10/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | Research Output Prize |
| Investigator(s): | Au TKF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Research Output Prize (in Faculty) |
| Start Date: | 12/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| To identify and recognize the best research outputs in different faculties. |
| Project Title: | Identifying Risk Factors for Reading Development in a Second Language |
| Investigator(s): | Au TKF, Ho CSH |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 03/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| Globalization has increasingly called upon children to become bilingual and bi-literate. While much is known about risk factors for reading development in the first language (L1), relatively little is known about what predicts reading difficulty in a second language (L2). One key question is whether children who have difficulty learning to read in L1 are also at risk in L2? More generally, what are the major risk factors for reading development in L2? Risk Factors for Reading Development in L1 and L2 Much research has focused on reading development and dyslexia in children’s first language (L1). Major risk factors uncovered (mostly by research on alphabetic languages) include failure to develop age appropriate vocabulary, phonological awareness skills, syntactic, and working memory skills (e.g., Bishop & Snowling, 2004; Lesaux & Siegel, 2003; Oakhill et al., 2003; Shankweiler etc., 1999; Siegel & Ryan 1988). Research on Chinese dyslexia and reading difficulty suggested that morphological awareness, orthographic skills, and rapid naming are particularly important for learning to read in a non-alphabetic language such as Chinese (Ho et al., 2002, 2004; Shu et al.,2006). What remains unclear is that how risk factors for learning to read in a second language (L2) may overlap and contrast with those in L1. For example, are risk factors for Chinese children learning to read English-as-L2 similar to those for their learning to read Chinese-as-L1? It is also unclear how risk factors for children learning to read English-as-L2 may overlap and contrast with those learning to read English-as-L1. To date, research studies on early reading development in L2 has been conducted largely in L2 classrooms for immigrant children (e.g., in Vancouver or Los Angeles) with very diverse L1 backgrounds. With several, and at times more than a dozen of, first languages represented in the same classrooms, it was generally not feasible to examine the relation between L1 and L2 reading development in those studies (Lesaux & Siegel 2003). Hong Kong offers a valuable window onto how risk factors for reading development may overlap and contrast in L1 vs. L2. From age 4 or 5 years on, almost all children in Hong Kong begin learning to read in Chinese and English. For most of them, the L1 is Chinese, and the L2 is English. It is therefore feasible to assess both L1 and L2 reading development systematically in Hong Kong to explore shared vs. unique risk factors for early reading development in first vs. second language. (Objective #1 for the proposed research). Another important issue is how different risk and protective factors may interact. For example, do the effects of different teaching approaches (e.g., whole language vs. phonics) depend on the children’s cognitive processing? While the “whole language” approach to teaching English-as-L2 has dominated in Hong Kong traditionally, the phonic approach has been adopted by some primary schools in recent years. How may these two approaches affect children who are cognitively at risk for reading difficulty in English versus those who are not? (Objective #2) The proposed project will address these research questions by examining L1 and L2 reading development of Chinese children learning English as a second language in Hong Kong. We will assess the children in Grade 1 of primary school and again in about one year. The assessment will include: reading development in L1 and L2, language-related cognitive profile, school language pedagogy and linguistic environment, language environment at home, parents’ and children’s L2 language attitudes. Objectives: 1. To explore shared vs. unique risk factors for early reading development in first vs. second language. 2. To examine how various risk/protective factors (e.g., school, home, child characteristics) may interact to affect reading development in a second language. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Au T.K.F. and Oh J.S., Korean As A Heritage Language., In: C. Lee, G.B. Simpson, & Y. Kim, Handbook Of East Asian Psycholinguistics, Part Iii: Korean Psycholinguistics . London, Cambridge University Press, 2009, 269-275. |
| Au T.K.F., Overhearing A Second Language And Cognitive Development., International Conference on Access to Language and Cognitive Development, Trieste, Italy. . 2009. |
| Au T.K.F., Chan C.K.K., Chan T.K., Cheung M.W.L., Ho J.Y.S. and Ip G.W.M., Research Output Prize - Folkbiology meets microbiology: A study of conceptual and behavioral change (co-author) , The University of Hong Kong. 2009. |
| Bridges S.M., McGrath C.P.J., Wong H.M. and Au T.K.F., Exploring The Dimensions Of Oral Health Literacy. , In: Bridges, S. M., McGrath, C. P. J., Wong, H. M., & Au, T. K. , The 9th World Congress On Preventive Dentistry, Phuket, Thailand.. 2009. |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Development of Automaticity in Two-digit Number Processing, 22nd Annual Convention, Association for Psychological Science. Boston, USA, 2010. |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Developmental Changes in Automatic Two-digit Number Processing, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Kidd J.C., Wong A.M.Y., Ho C.S.H., Au T.K.F., Lam C.C.-.C., Yip L.P.-.W. and Lam F.W.-.F., In search of shared deficits underlying SLI and dyslexia in Chinese, Posted Presented at the 31st Annual Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, June. 2010. |
| Richland L.E., Chan T.K., Morrison R.G. and Au T.K.F., Young Children's Analogical Reasoning across Cultures: Similarities and Differences., Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. Elsevier, 2010, 105: 146-153. |
| Wong A.M.Y., Kidd J., Ho C.S.H. and Au T.K.F., Characterizing the overlap between SLI and dyslexia in Chinese: The role of phonology and beyond, Scientific Study of Reading. 2010, 14: 30-57. |
| Researcher : Bai Y |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Bai Y. and Ho M.Y., The relationships between key strengths and mental health: A study in Mainland China, World Congress 2009 of the World Federation for Mental Health. Athens, Greece, 2009. |
| Ho M.Y. and Bai Y., Posttraumatic growth in Chinese culture, In: Weiss, Tzipi Berger, Roni, Posttraumatic growth and culturally competent practice. Lessons learned from around the globe. New Jersey, USA:, John Wiley & Sons, 2010, 147-156. |
| Researcher : Blowers GH |
| Project Title: | The social construction of psychological knowledge in China: an analysis of the content of Chinese psychology journals from their inception to the present day |
| Investigator(s): | Blowers GH |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 11/2003 |
| Abstract: |
| To investigate some problems in the construction of psychological knowledge in China over the twentieth century using a content analysis of its journals. |
| Project Title: | On Liber Primus Discussion |
| Investigator(s): | Blowers GH |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 02/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 02/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Blowers G.H., An Introduction to Dai Bingheung’s “Science of Culture and Studies of Personality” , Dai Bingheung archive at Appalachian State University Library. . 2009. |
| Blowers G.H., Fritz Kobler In China: A Viennese Psychiatrist And Neurologist’s Contribution To China’s Medical Education (1938-1952)., 2nd Chinese Psychoanalytic Congress. Shanghai, 2009. |
| Blowers G.H., Fritz Kobler in China: a Viennese psychiatrist and neurologist's contribution to China’s Medical Education (1938-1952). , Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry . 2010, 21: 415-417. |
| Blowers G.H., Jung and Chinese Texts, Invited Lecture C.G. Jung Institute, Zurich, Switzerland. 2010. |
| Blowers G.H. and Wang X., Military Psychology And Psychoanalysis: A Piece Of History With Surmise (In Chinese), Junshi xinlixue hejingshen fenxi: yiduan beicai cede lishi, In: Q.J. Shi and W. Senf , Psychotherapy in Dialogue: Psychoanalysis in China. Zhongguo Xinli Zhiliao Duihua, Hangzhou, Hangzhou Publishing House, 2009, 82-83. |
| Blowers G.H., Review Of Benjamin Elman, “Cultural History Of Modern Science In China.”, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences. Wiley, 2010, Vol. 46(1),: 98–99. |
| Blowers G.H., The Continuing Prospects for a Chinese Psychology. , In: M.H. Bond, Handbook of Chinese Psychology (Revised edition.). Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 2010, 5-18. |
| Blowers G.H., The Origins of Scientific Psychology in China 1899-1949 , In: A.C. Brock, Internationalizing the History of Psychology (paperback edition of the 2006 hardcover). New York, New York University Press, 2009, 94-111. |
| Blowers G.H., The legacy of Freud’s China connections, Graduate Seminar, Department Of Psychology, National Taiwan University. Taipei, 2009. |
| Researcher : Chan FSF |
| Project Title: | Locomotion and assessment: new perspectives on Chinese self-regulatory competencies |
| Investigator(s): | Chan FSF, Chiu CY |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 11/2002 |
| Abstract: |
| To validate a Chinese translation of the regulatory mode questionnaire; to map out the relationship between these two dimensions and some pertinent psychological factors, such as self-esteem, self-consciousness, need for closure, achievement motivation, persistence; to base on the findings, further delineating the nature and theoretical significance of the self-regulation competencies in local culture. |
| Project Title: | Identifying the best job-person fit: a cross-cultural study |
| Investigator(s): | Chan FSF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 09/2005 |
| Abstract: |
| To investigate the roles played by qualification, personality and implicit beliefs in predicting job success. The project will provide insights on the psychological effects of perceived occupational immobility and job-person fit on job success predictions, a topic of enormous practical implications for the successful restructuring of the redeployment of human resources in a rapidly globalized labor market. |
| Researcher : Chan HKG |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan H.K.G., Poon C.S.K. and Ip G.W.M., Rejection concerns and beliefs about thinness norms accentuate effects of thin-ideal images, Annual Meeting of the Association for Psychological Science, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. 2010. |
| Researcher : Chan JCY |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan J.C.Y. and Lam S.F., The effects of different evaluative feedback on students' self-efficacy in learning, Instructional Science. 2010, 38: 37-58. |
| Researcher : Chan KH |
| Project Title: | 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS 2010) Further evidence on dimension-specific lateral inhibition in visual search |
| Investigator(s): | Chan KH |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 05/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 05/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan K.H. and Hayward W.G., Further evidence on dimension-specific lateral inhibition in visual search., 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Chan K.H. and Hayward W.G., Sensitivity to attachment, alignment, and contrast polarity variation in local perceptual grouping., Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics. 2009, 71: 1534-1552. |
| Chan K.H., Hayward W.G. and Theeuwes J., Spatial working memory maintenance: does attention play a role? A visual search study., Acta Psychologica. 2009, 132: 115-123. |
| Researcher : Chan KH |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan K.H. and Hayward W.G., Further evidence on dimension-specific lateral inhibition in visual search., 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Chan K.H. and Hayward W.G., Sensitivity to attachment, alignment, and contrast polarity variation in local perceptual grouping., Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics. 2009, 71: 1534-1552. |
| Chan K.H., Hayward W.G. and Theeuwes J., Spatial working memory maintenance: does attention play a role? A visual search study., Acta Psychologica. 2009, 132: 115-123. |
| Researcher : Chan MPS |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan M.P.S. and Cheng C., Cyber social support and well-being among adolescents, Paper presentation at Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference, Hong Kong. 2010. |
| Researcher : Chan SC |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan S.C., Raine A. and Lee T.M.C., Attentional bias towards negative affect stimuli and reactive aggression in male batterers, Psychiatry Research. 2010, 176: 246-249. |
| Researcher : Chan WL |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Development of Automaticity in Two-digit Number Processing, 22nd Annual Convention, Association for Psychological Science. Boston, USA, 2010. |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Developmental Changes in Automatic Two-digit Number Processing, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Chan W.L. and Hayward W.G., Specific task strategies affect repetition blindness, 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Tang J.C.Y., Leung S.C., Ying K.H.D., Li W.M. and Chan W.L., Poster Title: The Left-digit Effect in Price and Date Perception, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Researcher : Chan WL |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Development of Automaticity in Two-digit Number Processing, 22nd Annual Convention, Association for Psychological Science. Boston, USA, 2010. |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Developmental Changes in Automatic Two-digit Number Processing, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Chan W.L. and Hayward W.G., Specific task strategies affect repetition blindness, 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Tang J.C.Y., Leung S.C., Ying K.H.D., Li W.M. and Chan W.L., Poster Title: The Left-digit Effect in Price and Date Perception, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Researcher : Chan WL |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Development of Automaticity in Two-digit Number Processing, 22nd Annual Convention, Association for Psychological Science. Boston, USA, 2010. |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Developmental Changes in Automatic Two-digit Number Processing, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Chan W.L. and Hayward W.G., Specific task strategies affect repetition blindness, 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Tang J.C.Y., Leung S.C., Ying K.H.D., Li W.M. and Chan W.L., Poster Title: The Left-digit Effect in Price and Date Perception, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Researcher : Chau KHB |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Cheung M.C.H., Chau K.H.B., Chan A.Y.L., Ng K.T., Wu M.H. and Briscoe J.A.M.E.S., Regulation of Sox9 Function by SUMOylation in avian neural crest development, In: Shinichi Aizawa Maria Leptin Nancy Papalopulu Claudio D Stern Dider Stainer Patrick Tam, Mechanisms of Development 16th International Society of Developmental Biologists Congress 2009 Book of Abstracts. Elsevier, 2009, 126: S308. |
| Cheung M.C.H., Chau K.H.B., Ng A., Chan A. and Briscoe J., Regulation of Sox9 function by SUMOylation in Avian Neural Crest Development, Mechanisms of Development. Elsevier, 2009, 126: S308. |
| Researcher : Chen Z |
| Project Title: | The Mechanism of Social Pain: A Social Motive Perspective |
| Investigator(s): | Chen Z |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 10/2008 |
| Abstract: |
| Social pain refers to the emotional distress associated with actual or potential threats to social inclusion. It relates to various experiences, such as social exclusion, ostracism, rejection, betrayal, loss of loved ones, etc. My research has shown that people can even experience intense pain when they are asked to recall a betrayal experience (Chen et al., 2008). Recent theorists have hypothesized that social pain is a signal of deficits in social needs, especially the need of belonging; however, no published studies have tested the causal relationship between threatened social needs and feelings of pain, and no studies have tested the mediational role of social needs in the relationship between social exclusion and feelings of pain. This proposal lays out my effort to investigate the social mechanism under which social pain occurs. Social pain theories have linked social pain to the threatened belonging motive. Belonging is a fundamental need, and human beings have a pervasive drive to form and maintain at least a minimum quality of interpersonal relationships (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Williams, 2007). The importance of others for individuals’ security, reproductive success, and mental health makes it necessary and important to have a regulatory system that can monitor individuals’ closeness with other people (Pickett & Gardner, 2005). Such a system should be able to detect deficits in belonging and to alert individuals when such deficits are detected. Pain seems to be an ideal candidate for such an alarm signal, because pain disrupts ongoing activities and diverts attention to the urgent situation (Eccleston & Crombz, 1999). Theorists (Eisenberger & Lieberman, 2004; MacDonald & Leary, 2005) recently argued that social creatures require a system to punish individuals who do not avoid social exclusion and to motivate quick responses to signs of exclusion. Over evolutionary history, when such a system was developed, a physical pain system already existed and provided its foundation; thus, social exclusion is experienced as painful because reactions to rejection are mediated by aspects of the physical pain system. There is mounting evidence to support the similarities in the detection of and the responses to social pain and physical pain. Social pain is likely to be an alarm response to the detection of deficits in belonging; however, no studies have directly tested this hypothesis. Such a test is critical to understand the causal mechanism of social pain. Although many researchers associate the regulatory system and social pain with the need of belonging, Williams and colleagues (see William, 2007) have repeatedly demonstrated that ostracism episodes threaten other fundamental social needs (i.e., self-esteem, control, and meaningful existence) besides belonging. Although some may argue that the maintenance of self-esteem is derivative of the more fundamental need to belong (Brewer, 2005; Gerber & Wheeler, under review; Leary, 1999), the need for control and need for meaningful existence are conceptually distinct from the belonging need. A recent meta-analysis (Gerber & Wheeler, under review) further emphasized the role of control, which has been underappreciated in social exclusion research. This study even went as far as to suggest that control might be even more important than belonging in guiding the cognitive and behavioral responses following ostracism. Further studies are needed to directly compare the importance of belonging and control in guiding responses to social exclusion, but this analysis does suggest the need for control is important in understanding the feelings of pain following social exclusion. Indeed, one of the defining characteristics of loneliness – caused by long-term social exclusion or lack of social connections – is low perceived personal control (see Ernst & Cacioppo, 1998). Because social exclusion threatens both control and belonging, it is reasonable to expect that either threats to belonging or threats to control will trigger pain. That is, the impact of social exclusion on pain may be mediated by both belonging and control (see Figure 1.) Figure 1. Social exclusion, social motives, and social pain No studies have tested the mediational roles of belonging and control. A recent study (unpublished Master’s thesis) by Knack (2006) provided insights to the proposed model. Knack (2006) asked participants to recall a past experience, involving either social pain, physical injury, loss of personal possessions, or a neutral event. After recalling one of these experiences, participants’ feelings of pain were measured. Participants were then given some cookies, and they could decide to eat or not to eat them. This was used as a measure of self-regulation. Those who recalled a past socially painful experience were expected to have impaired self-regulation, thus eat more cookies. Afterwards, participants’ social needs, including belonging and control were measured. This study found that participants experienced higher level of pain after recalling a social pain experience, compared with recalling any of the other experiences. This is consistent with the findings in Chen et al. (2008). Also, participants who recalled a past socially painful experience reported higher levels of threat to the belonging need, compared with participants in the other conditions; however participants in the four experimental conditions did not differ in their feelings of control. It is important to note that before measuring the social needs, participants were given the option to eat or not eat a plate of cookies. Such an exercise can boost the threatened control motive caused by social pain reliving. In addition, this study measured levels of pain before measuring social needs and there were several tasks between these two measures; thus, this study was not able to test the mediational roles of belonging and control in the relationship between social exclusion and feelings of pain. In this proposed research. I will examine the distinct roles of belonging and control in the mechanism of social pain. More specifically, I will test the meditational roles of both belonging and control in the relationship between social exclusion and social pain. I anticipate that both belonging and control will account for unique variance in social pain. |
| Project Title: | The Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Annual Conference 2010 The mechanism of social pain: A social motive perspective |
| Investigator(s): | Chen Z |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 01/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 01/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | Belonged and Powerful: The Interconnection of Belonging and Control |
| Investigator(s): | Chen Z |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 04/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| The last decade has witnessed a proliferation of interest in ostracism, social exclusion, and rejection (the literature has not made clear distinctions among these terms, and in this proposal, we use social exclusion to refer to the experience of being excluded and ignored by individuals or groups). One reason for such wide-scale interest in this phenomenon is likely that ostracism widely affects our daily lives, as we experience constant changes in such things as careers, marriage, residences, and so on. During the process of adapting to the various changes, people can feel disconnected, and they may also feel powerless or lack of sense of control, both of which can be detrimental to physical and mental well-being. On a societal level, growing social isolation has been shown to be linked to increasing social problems such as anti-social behaviors (Twenge, 2000). Many social psychologists consider the need to belong a vital component in understanding the affective and behavioral responses to social exclusion. After being ostracized, people engage in activities to foster the threatened belongingness, such that they conform more to an unanimously incorrect group (Williams, Cheung, & Choi, 2000), they are more likely to unconsciously mimic in-group members (Lakin & Chartrand, 2005), they attend more to social information (e.g., Gardner, Pickett, & Brewer, 2000), and so on (see Williams, 2007 for a review). On the other hand, Williams and colleagues (Williams, 2007, 2009) have repeatedly shown that social exclusion not only thwarts the need for belonging, but also threatens their sense of control, along with other fundamental needs. Further analysis by Williams and colleagues suggest that these motives can be best captured by a dual-motive model, that is, need for belonging and need for control. It was further proposed that when the need for belonging is threatened, people will engage in pro-social responses, and when the need for control is threatened, people will engage in anti-social responses. The literature has accumulated indirect support to these predictions. For example, Carter-Sowell, Chen, and Williams (2008) found that people are more likely to donate money (see also Yeung 2009) after manipulating social exclusion via an online bass-tossing paradigm, during which participants received almost no tosses from the other players. However, Twenge and colleagues (2007) found that people donated less money after manipulating social exclusion via a life-alone paradigm, during which participants were told that they would live alone later in life after a personality test had been administered. Although no direct comparisons between the two paradigms have been made, the life-alone manipulation implies the inescapability of long-term social exclusion and is thus more likely to thwart a sense of personal control than temporary social exclusion induced by the Cyberball game (Cheng, Chen, & Kuokogan, 2008). To better understand the nature of social exclusion, it is important to explore the relationship between the need for belonging and need for control, to examine how they buffer the negative impact of social exclusion, and to test how they moderate the coping responses following social exclusion. In the proposed research, I aim to investigate all of these three issues. Connections between Belonging and Control The relationship between need for belonging and need for control repeatedly shows that manipulation designed to threaten belonging also thwarts control (Williams 2007, 2009). Although no studies have directly tested whether threatening people’s sense of control will lead to lower levels of satisfaction of belongingness, some recent studies suggests such the possibility (Wheeler and Ladd 1982; Zhou et al. 2009). For instance, Zhou et al (Experiment 5, 2009) indicates that money loss intensifies the effect of social exclusion. It is possible that money boosts people’s feelings of control and money loss decreases the sense of control. Therefore, I propose that belonging and control is highly connected or intervened. More specifically, I hypothesized the following propositions: Proposition 1: threatening belonging will decrease people’s sense of control, and threatening control will decrease one’s feeling of belonging; and Proposition 2: fortifying of one type of motive will lead to the increased level of satisfaction of another. Affective responses following social exclusion Will the negative effects of social exclusion be buffered when people’s need for belonging or control is fortified? The literature suggests that this is highly likely. Recent research found that social support can reduce feelings of physical pain (Cogan & Spinnato, 1988; Kulik & Mahler, 1989). For example, feelings of physical pain induced in the laboratory can be reduced with the presence of supportive individuals (e.g., Brown et al., 2003) or the photographs of one’s partner (Master, Eisenberger, Taylor, Naliboff, Shirinyan, and Lieberman, 2009). In addition, recent research has accumulated substantial evidence to suggest that social pain and physical pain share similar systems. It is reasonable to expect that social support or a sense of belonging will buffer the negative effect of social exclusion. In addition, money was recently found to reduce the distress caused by social exclusion (Zhou et al., 2008). Thus, it is reasonable to expect the following: Proposition 3: Both belonging and control will buffer the negative affect response following social exclusion Anti-social vs. pro-social responses following social exclusion As discussed above, Williams proposed that differently threatened motives following social exclusion will lead to different coping response; however, a direct test of this hypothesis is needed. This project attempts to provide an empirical for this hypothesis by focusing on the anti-social and pro-social behaviors following social exclusion. We are in line with Williams (2009) in the following: Proposition 4: threatening different social motives (e.g., belonging or control) will lead to different types of responses (e.g., pro-social or anti-social) |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Carter-Sowell A.R., Wesslemann E.C., Wirth J.H., Law A.T., Chen Z., Kosasih M.W., van der Lee R. and Williams K.D., Strides for belonging trump strides for superiority: Effects of being ostracized for being superior or inferior to the others , In: Eva Dreikurs Ferguson, The Journal of Individual Psychology. Austin, Texas, The University of Texas Press, 2010, 66: 68-92. |
| Chen Z., Social pain is more easily pre-lived than physical pain , Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention. Boston, MA, USA, 2010. |
| Chen Z., The Mechanism of Social Pain: A Social Motive Perspective, Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Chen Z., Law A.T. and Williams K.D., The Uncertainty surrounding ostracism: Threat amplifier or Protector?, In: Robert M. Arkin, Kathryne C. Oleson, and Patrick, J. Carroll, Handbook of Uncertainty Self. New York and Hove, Taylor and Francis Group: Psychology Press, 2010, 291-302. |
| Chen Z., The power of consumption: The Effect of social exclusion on money spending, South China Normal University. 2010. |
| Chen Z., Cheng C.T. and Poon K.T., The quest for personal-relational equilibrium: Anti- versus pro-social responses to ostracism, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Poon K.T. and Chen Z., The body is in pain, So is the mind, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Williams K.D. and Chen Z., The Tenacity of Social Pain, Society of Experimental Social Psychology Annual Meeting. 2009. |
| Researcher : Cheng C |
| Project Title: | Reconciling Stability and Dynamics in Flexible Coping: Toward an Integrative Theory of Coping Flexibility |
| Investigator(s): | Cheng C |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 07/2007 |
| Abstract: |
| To formulate an integrative theory of coping flexibility. To address the issues on pattern stability and temporal stability underlying flexible coping style. To examine the interplay of dispositional and situational influences on coping flexibility. To design a new intervention program on stress management. To provide a more thorough test of the proposed theory by making cross-cultural comparisons. in mechanisms underlying flexible coping style between Hong Kong and North American samples. |
| Project Title: | Executive Functioning and Adaptive Coping: A Neuropsychological Approach |
| Investigator(s): | Cheng C |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 04/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| Purpose of the Proposed Project: The proposed project aims to adopt a neuropsychological approach to the study of coping. To meet this aim, an experiment will be designed to examine executive functioning, which is proposed to account for adaptive coping. This study is the first attempt to link the neuropsychological, or more specifically executive functioning, literature to the study of adaptive coping. In addition, instead of utilizing the typical self-report method in assessing coping outcomes, physiological responses will be used in this project as objective measures of stress reactions. Key Issues and Problems being Addressed: A review of the coping literature reveals two major problems that remained unresolved. First, the extant literature on coping only focus on the social-cognitive processes associated with coping effectiveness. The existing body of studies indicates that individuals with different coping patterns are characterized by distinct social-cognitive characteristics, such as discriminative facility and cognitive integration, when handling stressful life changes. Such individual differences in coping style are related to a variety of coping outcomes, such as psychological well-being, anxiety, life satisfaction, and quality of life. Although these results contribute to our understanding of what constitutes effective coping (i.e., the “what” question), such findings are only descriptive in nature. The more important “how” question remains unexplored, thus limiting the explanatory and predictive power of the current findings. The proposed project seeks to address the unexplored but important “how” question pertaining to coping effectiveness by examining the link between executive functioning and adaptive coping. Second, the majority of existing studies tend to rely on self-report measures in assessing coping outcomes. In these studies, participants are instructed to report how anxious or depressed they feel in stressful situations. Although self-report measures can provide a unique perspective on one’s private experiences, such measures are susceptible to a variety of methodological problems, such as demand characteristics and social desirability effects (see e.g., Gordon, 1987; Kozma & Stones, 1987). Physiological measures serve as an alternative source of valid information in that they provide more objective assessment of participants’ response during stressful encounters. |
| Project Title: | The Tao of Resilience Building: A Cultural-Mediational Approach to Resilience Intervention for Chinese Youngsters |
| Investigator(s): | Cheng C |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Fulbright Hong Kong Scholar Programme |
| Start Date: | 01/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) Design a multiple-component program that adopts a cultural-mediational approach to resilience building; 2) Test the efficacy of the new program. For the Chinese, the effectiveness of the acquired Western skills in fostering resilience may be accounted for by some cultural variables (i.e., mediators). |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan M.P.S. and Cheng C., Cyber social support and well-being among adolescents, Paper presentation at Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference, Hong Kong. 2010. |
| Cheng C., A mixed blessing?: Perception of benefits and costs during the SARS outbreak, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. 2010. |
| Cheng C., Chan T...N..., Chio H.M., Chan P., Chan A.O.O. and Hui W.M., Active versus flexible coping in psychological adjustment to gastrointestinal cancer , Paper presentation at the 22nd Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Boston, U.S.A.. 2010. |
| Cheng C., Coping style of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, State University of New York, Buffalo, U.S.A.. 2010. |
| Cheng C., Emotion regulation as a passive or flexible coping strategy? Views from situational and cultural perspectives, Symposium presentation at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, U.S.A.. 2010. |
| Cheng C., Flexible coping in life transitions: Stable disposition or situational variations?, Paper presented at the 117th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.. 2009. |
| Cheng C., Giving in but not giving up: Exercising secondary control in uncontrollable situations, Invited colloquium at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, U.S.A.. 2009. |
| Cheng C., Multiple “faces” of Facebook users: Perception of offline vs. online personality in facebook-friend dyads., Michigan State University, Lansing, U.S.A.. 2010. |
| Cheng C., Multiple “faces” of Facebook users: Perception of offline vs. online personality in facebook-friend dyads, Kansas University, Lawrence, U.S.A.. 2010. |
| Cheng C., Multiple “faces” of Facebook users: Perception of offline vs. online personality in facebook-friend dyads, Purdue University, West Lafayette, U.S.A.. 2010. |
| Cheng C., Rocky vs. Avatar: A new look at psychological resilience in life transitions, University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A.. 2010. |
| Cheng C., Lo B.C.Y. and Chio H.M., The Tao (Ways) of Chinese Coping, In: M. H. Bond, The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Psychology. Oxford, England, Oxford University, 2009, 399-420. |
| Researcher : Cheng JCK |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Li L. and Cheng J.C.K., Looking where you are going does not help path perception, Annual Conference of Vision Science Society. 2010. |
| Niehorster D.C., Cheng J.C.K. and Li L., Global and local influence of form information on human heading perception, Annual Conference of Vision Science Society. 2010. |
| Researcher : Cheng RWY |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lam S.F., Cheng R.W.Y. and Ma Y.K., Teacher and student motivation in project-based learning, Instructional Sciences. 2009, 37: 565-578. |
| Researcher : Cheung CYA |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Ho M.Y., Cheung C.Y.A., Lai J. and Kendal P.K.C., The efficacy of the Chinese version of Coping Cat Model for Anxiety Disorder in Hong Kong: A preliminary study, The World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Boston, USA, 2010. |
| Researcher : Cheung MWL |
| Project Title: | A multi-method approach to evaluate the effectiveness of the statistical methods on controlling response bias |
| Investigator(s): | Cheung MWL |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 02/2005 |
| Abstract: |
| To evaluate the effectiveness of these statistical methods on controlling response bias via multiple methods; first, the appropriateness and the effectiveness of the current practices on controlling response bias will be evaluated. This provides concrete evidence to support whether it is useful to adjust for response bias or not. Second, the best method in controlling response bias will be determined through computer simulation and real data analysis. The best method can then be recommended to researchers to handle data contaminated with response bias. |
| Researcher : Cheung SH |
| Project Title: | Are the anatomical connections of the human visual system influenced by amblyopic visual experience? |
| Investigator(s): | Cheung SH |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 09/2008 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) Validate the method for reconstructing the optic radiations using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) coupled with probabilistic tractography in a group of normally-sighted participants. 2) Compare the diffusion properties along the optic radiations in a group of amblyopic participants with the group of normally-sighted participants. 3) Correlate the DTI tractography findings on the optic radiations with structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) findings on the primary visual cortex (V1). 4) Determine the relationships between the behavioral deficits and the anatomical (both DTI and sMRI) deficits in amblyopia. |
| Project Title: | 9th Annual Meeting of Vision Sciences Society Crowding without visual awareness |
| Investigator(s): | Cheung SH |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 05/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Ho C.W. and Cheung S.H., Temporal resolution of attention in foveal and peripheral vision, The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Lau S.F. and Cheung S.H., Effects of Kanizsa's illusory contours on crowding strength, The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Lo O.T. and Cheung S.H., Chinese character recognition is limited by overall complexity, not by number of strokes or stroke patterns, The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Yu D., Cheung S.H., Legge G.E. and Chung S.T.L., Reading speed in the peripheral visual field of older adults: does it benefit from perceptual learning?, Vision Research. 2010, 50(9): 860-869. |
| Researcher : Chio HM |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Cheng C., Chan T...N..., Chio H.M., Chan P., Chan A.O.O. and Hui W.M., Active versus flexible coping in psychological adjustment to gastrointestinal cancer , Paper presentation at the 22nd Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Boston, U.S.A.. 2010. |
| Cheng C., Lo B.C.Y. and Chio H.M., The Tao (Ways) of Chinese Coping, In: M. H. Bond, The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Psychology. Oxford, England, Oxford University, 2009, 399-420. |
| Researcher : Chun YMR |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chun Y.M.R., Poon C.S.K., Ip G.W.M. and Yip C.W.K., On attitudes toward fat people: Linking lay theories of social norms to explicit attitudes toward violators of norms, Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. 2010. |
| Researcher : Fung MS |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Kam C.M., Havighurst S.S., Fung M.S. and Tsoi W.L.R., Implementing an Emotion Coaching Parenting Program in Hong Kong, China: Some Preliminary Findings, 2012 Society for Prevention Research (SPR) 18th Annual Meeting, Denver, USA. 2010. |
| Researcher : Hayward WG |
| Project Title: | Own-race and other-race faces in the brain |
| Investigator(s): | Hayward WG |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 03/2008 |
| Abstract: |
| One of the things that makes us human is our ability to recognize other people from their faces. We are much better at recognizing human faces than other, similarly difficult stimuli (eg., monkey faces, upside-down faces), suggesting a strong genetic predisposition for the process. In addition, the social nature of our human species means that there is probably evolutionary pressure to develop a good ability at recognizing faces. Finally, research with newborn infants shows an inbuilt preference for looking at faces over other stimuli (eg., Macchi Cassia, et al., 2004). A vital issue in face recognition research for our increasingly globalized world is whether own-race and other-race faces are equally difficult to recognize. A great volume of research now clearly shows that, if one's experience is differentially with people of one's own race, other-race faces will likely be more difficult to recognize than own-race faces. Understanding this own-race advantage (ORA), and how to alleviate it, is most important in a city such as Hong Kong where people of different races meet to interact and do business. The aim of the current study is to determine which parts of the brain are responsible for the own-race advantage in face processing. There seem to be three primary face-selective regions of visual cortex: the lateral fusiform gyrus (FFA), the inferior occipital gyrus (OFA), and the superior temporal sulcus (STS). Whereas STS seems primarily involved in processing of gaze and expression information, the OFA and FFA seem integral in the processing of facial identity. The FFA appears sensitive to configural information and expertise; sensitivity of the OFA has not be clearly determined but it has been proposed as a site of component processing (eg., Haxby, Hoffman, & Gobbini, 2000). If there is a distinction between these regions on the type of information that they process, studies isolating these types of information should find differences in brain activations. Very few studies have looked at the own-race advantage using brain imaging. Of those using fMRI, some have primarily investigated activations in the amygdala to other-race faces that might be processed as "threatening" (eg., Cunningham, et al., 2004; Phelps, et al., 2000; Wheeler & Fiske, 2005), and are not of primary interest to us. More relevant are studies investigating activity in FFA and/or OFA for own- and other-race faces. Golby et al. (2001) performed a basic study; European American (EA) and African American (AA) participants viewed unfamiliar EA and AA faces with the instruction to remember them for a later test. Brain activations were measured during study in a block design. Later, a behavioural memory test for the studied faces was performed, so that the size of the ORA could be correlated with activations for individual participants. The FFA was the primary area that was examined. The two main results were: (i) more FFA activation for own- than other-race faces, and (ii) a correlation between the behavioural ORA and an ORA in activations in the left FFA and the right MTL (the lack of a correlation in the right FFA is somewhat surprising, given that the FFA occurs more reliably in the right hemisphere). Kim et al. (2006) conducted a similar study in South Korea, using Korean participants viewing famous and unfamiliar Korean and European faces in an event-related design. Faces were encoded while participants performed a familiarity judgment; later, an old/new test was given. Brain imaging was performed during the test. Famous faces showed no race differences in FFA activations, but unfamiliar own-race faces showed stronger FFA activation than unfamiliar other-race faces. Interestingly, and not discussed in the study, other-race (either famous or unfamiliar) but not own-race faces showed inferior occipital activations (OFA). In two recent studies, Hayward and Rhodes have developed new methodologies for examining the own-race advantage in face recognition. Rhodes, Hayward, & Winkler (2006) manipulated spacing between features (configural) or brightness of features (component). Participants showed higher sensitivity for own-race faces for both types of judgment. Hayward, Rhodes, & Schwaninger (in press) had participants study intact faces, and then presented a test phase consisting of either blurred faces (to isolate configural processing) or scrambled faces (to isolate component processing); sensitivity was higher for own-race faces in both test conditions. These findings are interesting as a number of other studies have found own-race advantages for configural processing, but not component processing. In this project, we will use our novel research methods to examine the brain regions responsible for own-race and other-race face processing. |
| Project Title: | Recognizing repeated objects in rapid visual streams |
| Investigator(s): | Hayward WG |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 10/2008 |
| Abstract: |
| 1. What effect does the addition or deletion of features have on repetition blindness for rotated objects? 2. How does spatial frequency filtering affect repetition blindness for rotated objects? 3. Do silhouettes and shaded images show similar effects on repetition blindness for rotated objects? |
| Project Title: | Mechanisms of visual attention in detection and localization of objects |
| Investigator(s): | Hayward WG |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 10/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) Determine whether feature detection requires focal attention; 2) Determine whether feature detection results in automatic salience coding; 3) Determine whether the target repetition advantage observed in detection and localization tasks have their basis in distinct mechanisms; 4) Examine the influence of cognitive load on target repetition effects |
| Project Title: | 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS 2010) Face(book) perception: Is the own-race advantage due to perceptual learning? |
| Investigator(s): | Hayward WG |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 05/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 05/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Andrews S., Harris I.M. and Hayward W.G., Repetition blindness for words and pictures, 37th Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference. 2010. |
| Chan K.H. and Hayward W.G., Further evidence on dimension-specific lateral inhibition in visual search., 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Chan K.H. and Hayward W.G., Sensitivity to attachment, alignment, and contrast polarity variation in local perceptual grouping., Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics. 2009, 71: 1534-1552. |
| Chan K.H., Hayward W.G. and Theeuwes J., Spatial working memory maintenance: does attention play a role? A visual search study., Acta Psychologica. 2009, 132: 115-123. |
| Chan W.L. and Hayward W.G., Specific task strategies affect repetition blindness, 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Cheung O.S., Hayward W.G. and Gauthier I., Dissociating the effects of image similarity and angular disparity in mental rotation and object recognition., Cognition. 2009, 113: 128-133. |
| Harris I.M., Murray A., Hayward W.G., O'Callaghan C. and Andrews S., Divergent representations of manipulable and non-manipulable objects revealed with repetition blindness, 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Hayward W.G., Associate Editor, Visual Cognition. 2009. |
| Hayward W.G., Lam S.M. and Favelle S.K., Face(book) perception: Is the own-race advantage due to perceptual learning?, 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Hayward W.G., Zhou G. and Harris I.M., Repetition blindness for rotated objects: Influence of object coherency, 50th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society. 2009. |
| Hayward W.G., Zhou G., Man W.F. and Harris I.M., Repetition blindness for rotated objects, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 2010, 36: 57-73. |
| Hayward W.G., Social and perceptual contributions to the own-race advantage in face recognition., Vanderbilt University. 2010. |
| Hayward W.G., The own-race advantage in face recognition., National University of Singapore . 2009. |
| Pasqualotto A. and Hayward W.G., A stereo disadvantage for recognizing rotated familiar objects, Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. 2009, 16: 832-838. |
| Rhodes G., Ewing L., Hayward W.G., Maurer D., Mondloch C.J. and Tanaka J.W., Contact and other-race effects in configural and component processing., British Journal of Psychology. 2009, 100: 717-728. |
| Zhao M. and Hayward W.G., Holistic processing underlies gender judgments of faces, Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics. 2010, 72: 591-596. |
| Researcher : Ho CSH |
| Project Title: | Developing an assessment battery for identification and diagnostic testing of secondary school students with specific learning difficulties in Hong Kong |
| Investigator(s): | Ho CSH |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Quality Education Fund |
| Start Date: | 09/2004 |
| Abstract: |
| To investigate the cognitive profiles involved in reading performance among students with and without previous diagnosis of dyslexia; to construct test materials; to establish local norms for the assessment battery. |
| Project Title: | Genetic and environmental influences on Chinese language and literacy development |
| Investigator(s): | Ho CSH |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 08/2007 |
| Abstract: |
| To examine the connection between language and literacy development in Chinese. To examine the contribution of some proximal factors (i.e., reading-related cognitive skills) and distal factors (i.e., perceptual and general learning skills) to language and literacy development in Chinese. To examine the genetic, shared, and nonshared environmental contributions to individual differences in Chinese language, literacy, the proximal and distal skills, and the etiological overlaps of these skills. To examine the developmental trends in the stability and variability of genetic and environmental influences across ages. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan B.M.-.Y. and Ho C.S.H., The cognitive profile of Chinese children with mathematics difficulties, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2010, 107: 260-279. |
| Chan D.W., Ho C.S.H., Chung K.K.-.H., Tsang S.-.M. and Lee S.-.H., Teachers' checklist on reading-related behavioral characteristics of Chinese Primary Students: A Rasch Measurement Model Analysis, Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties . 2010, 15:2: 151-170. |
| Cheung H., Chung K.K.-.H., Wong S.W.-.L., McBride-Chang C., Penney T.B. and Ho C.S.H., Speech perception, metalinguistic awareness, reading, and vocabulary in Chinese-English bilingual children, Journal of Educational Psychology. 2010, 102: 367-380. |
| Chung K.K.-.H., Ho C.S.H., Chan D.W., Tsang S.-.M. and Lee S.-.H., Cognitive profiles of Chinese adolescents with dyslexia, Dyslexia. 2010, 16: 2-23. |
| Chung K.K.-.H., Ho C.S.H., Chan D.W., Tsang S.-.M. and Lee S.-.H., Cognitive skills and literacy performance of Chinese adolescents with and without dyslexia, Reading and Writing. 2010, online: 10.1007/S11145-010-9227-1. |
| Ho C.S.H., Chan W.-.S., Chan D., Chung K., Tsang S.-.M. and Lee S.-.H., 悅讀, 悅寫意(三)初小中文讀寫課程(綜合修訂版 (A set of Chinese Language curriculum and teaching materials based on the Tiered Intervention Model for Primary 1 to 3 pupils in Hong Kong), Hong Kong: Hong Kong Specific Learning Difficulties Research Team. 2010. |
| Ho C.S.H., Investigating the interrelationships among reading-related skills, Chinese word reading and Chinese text reading , Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Ho C.S.H., Chan D., Chung K., Tsang S.-.M. and Lee S.-.H., The Hong Kong behaviour checklist of specific learning difficulties in reading and writing for primary school students (Second Edition) (BCL-P(II)), Hong Kong: Hong Kong Specific Learning Difficulties Research Team. 2010. |
| Ho C.S.H., Understanding reading disability in Chinese: From basic research to intervention. In M.H. Bond (Ed.), Handbook of Chinese Psychology (Second Edition). New York, Oxford Press, 2010, 109-121. |
| Kidd J.C., Wong A.M.Y., Ho C.S.H., Au T.K.F., Lam C.C.-.C., Yip L.P.-.W. and Lam F.W.-.F., In search of shared deficits underlying SLI and dyslexia in Chinese, Posted Presented at the 31st Annual Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, June. 2010. |
| Leung K...N...-.K... and Ho C.S.H., Semantic radical awareness in Chinese dyslexic children and its role in Chinese word reading, Journal of Psychology in Chinese Societies. 2009, 10: 169-190. |
| Wong A.M.Y., Kidd J., Ho C.S.H. and Au T.K.F., Characterizing the overlap between SLI and dyslexia in Chinese: The role of phonology and beyond, Scientific Study of Reading. 2010, 14: 30-57. |
| Wong S.W.-.L. and Ho C.S.H., The nature of the automatization deficit in Chinese children with dyslexia, Child Neuropsychology. 2010, 16: 405-415. |
| Researcher : Ho CW |
| Project Title: | 10th Annual Meeting of Vision Sciences Society (VSS 2010) Temporal resolution of attention in foveal and peripheral |
| Investigator(s): | Ho CW |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 05/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 05/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Ho C.W. and Cheung S.H., Temporal resolution of attention in foveal and peripheral vision, The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Researcher : Ho ITF |
| Project Title: | Effective strategies for social-communication intervention among young autistic children |
| Investigator(s): | Ho ITF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Quality Education Fund |
| Start Date: | 09/2004 |
| Abstract: |
| To carry out effective strategies for social-communication intervention among young autistic children. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Hau K.T. and Ho I.T.F., Chinese students’ motivation and achievement, In: M. H. Bond , The Oxford handbook of Chinese psychology . Oxford University Press, 2010, 187-204. |
| Ku K.Y.L. and Ho I.T.F., Dispositional factors predicting Chinese students’ critical thinking performance, Personality and Individual Differences. 2010, 48: 54-58. |
| Researcher : Ho MY |
| Project Title: | University of Hong Kong - Tsinghua University joint research center for psychological counseling |
| Investigator(s): | Ho MY, Chan CLW, Wong AMP |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | The University of Hong Kong Foundation Seed Grant |
| Start Date: | 06/2001 |
| Abstract: |
| To investigate the effectiveness of commonly used counseling approaches in Hong Kong and in the mainland; to develop evidence-based indigenous approach of counseling; to investigate and develop some indigenous approach of counseling compatible to and compatible with exiting Western models, to organize range of activities such as seminars, conferences, symposiums and publications. |
| Project Title: | 110th Convention of the American Psychological Association Positive Psychology: International, Cross-Cultural and Clinical Implications You are Happy, I am Happy: Relational Subjective Well-Being in Chinese |
| Investigator(s): | Ho MY |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 08/2002 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | Belief in emotional processing after trauma: a comparison among Hong Kong, Beijing, and USA |
| Investigator(s): | Ho MY |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 11/2004 |
| Abstract: |
| To develop a common instrument to measure the belief in emotional processing after a traumatic event among participants in Hong Kong, Beijing and New York; to examine the variation in the belief in emotional processing after experiencing a traumatic event among three culturally distinct cities, viz. Hong Kong, Beijing, and New York. |
| Project Title: | 2009 World Congress of the World Federation for Mental Health Resilience following highly stressful events among the Chinese Hope, Hopelessness, and Suicide Ideation: Why some People will not think about committing suicide even in hopeless situations |
| Investigator(s): | Ho MY |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 09/2009 |
| Completion Date: | 09/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Bai Y. and Ho M.Y., The relationships between key strengths and mental health: A study in Mainland China, World Congress 2009 of the World Federation for Mental Health. Athens, Greece, 2009. |
| Ho J.W.C., Ho M.Y., Chu A.T.W. and Chan M.S., Hopefulness predicts residence after hereditary colorectal cancer genetic testing in Hong Kong Chinese: results of a longitudinal study (Abstract and proceeding), National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference, Birmingham, U.K., 4-7 October 2009. |
| Ho M.Y., Clinical Intervention Based on Positive Psychology: What is it and how to do it?, New Waves in Psychotherapy: Variations in CBT?. Hong Kong, Chinese Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 2010. |
| Ho M.Y., Chak Y.T.C., Yip Y.F. and Wong C.P.Y., Hope Stories Volumes 1 - 3. 希望故事系列 1 – 3册, Hong Kong Christian Service; School of Public Health, HKU, 2010, 1-3. |
| Ho M.Y., Ho J.W.C., Bonanno G.A., Chu A.T.W. and Chan M.S., Hopefulness predicts resilience after hereditary colorectal cancer genetic testing: a prospective outcome trajectories study, BMC Cancer. 2010, 10: 279. |
| Ho M.Y., Introduction to Positive Psychology Intervention, YWCA. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Ho M.Y., Introduction to Positive Psychology, The Methodist Church. Hong Kong, 2009. |
| Ho M.Y. and Bai Y., Posttraumatic growth in Chinese culture, In: Weiss, Tzipi Berger, Roni, Posttraumatic growth and culturally competent practice. Lessons learned from around the globe. New Jersey, USA:, John Wiley & Sons, 2010, 147-156. |
| Ho M.Y., Chan M.W.C. and Chan M.W.Y., Resilience following highly stressful events among the Chinese, World Congress 2009 of the World Federation for Mental Health. Athens, Greece, 2009. |
| Ho M.Y., Cheung C.Y.A., Lai J. and Kendal P.K.C., The efficacy of the Chinese version of Coping Cat Model for Anxiety Disorder in Hong Kong: A preliminary study, The World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Boston, USA, 2010. |
| Ip B. and Ho M.Y., Hope, hopelessness, and suicide ideation: Why some people will not think about committing suicide even in hopeless situations, World Congress 2009 of the World Federation for Mental Health. Athens, Greece, 2009. |
| Lo C.S.L., Ho M.Y. and Hollen S.D., The effects of rumination and depressive symptoms on the prediction of negative attributional style among college students, Cognitive Therapy and Research. 2010, 34: 116-123. |
| Researcher : Hsiao JHW |
| Project Title: | Hemispheric asymmetry in visual word recognition: Computational and experimental approaches |
| Investigator(s): | Hsiao JHW |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 06/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| Visual word recognition in alphabetic languages such as English has been shown to have left hemisphere (LH) lateralization and argued to be linked to the LH superiority in language processing (e.g., McCandliss, Cohen, & Dehaene, 2003). For example, a classical right visual field (RVF, Left Hemisphere) advantage in reading English words has been consistently reported in tachistoscopic recognition, lexical decision, and word naming tasks (e.g. Brysbaert & d'Ydewalle, 1990). Nevertheless, the recognition of Chinese characters, a logographic writing system, has been shown to be more bilateral or right hemisphere (RH) lateralized (e.g., Tan et al., 2000, 2001) and thus is a counterexample of this claim; research in Chinese character recognition has usually exhibited a LVF advantage/bias for orthographic processing/perception (Tzeng et al., 1979; Hsiao & Cottrell, 2009) and a RVF advantage for phonological processing (e.g., Weekes & Zhang). The current proposal aims to identify potential factors accounting for this difference in lateralization between English and Chinese visual word recognition. Specifically, we examine four potential factors through both behavioral, electrophysiological, and computational modeling methods: 1. The influence of perceptual learning; that is, the information structure of the word stimuli to which the readers have long been exposed. Chinese orthography has separate semantic and phonetic orthographic components; a dominant structure exists in which a semantic radical appears on the left and a phonetic radical on the right (SP characters). The minority, opposite arrangement also exists (PS characters). Phonetic radical types outnumber semantic radical types; as the result, the right half of the characters tends to be more informative in recognition. Our computational modeling results suggest that this asymmetric information structure in the lexicon may lead to a behavioral difference between LVF and RVF presentation conditions (Hsiao & Shillcock, 2006). Thus, here we aim to verify this prediction through a corresponding behavioral experiment. 2. The influence of phonetic components: Maurer and McCandliss (2007) proposed the phonological mapping hypothesis and argued that, given that phonological processes are typically left-lateralized (e.g. Rumsey et al., 1997), specialized processing of visual words in visual brain areas also becomes left-lateralized. They specifically pointed out that the LH lateralization in English word recognition may be related to the influence of grapheme-phoneme conversion established during learning to read, and this modulation should be less pronounced in logographic scripts such as Chinese. In a recent ERP study of Chinese character recognition, Hsiao, Shillcock, and Lee (2007) showed that the position of the phonetic component in a character modulates the lateralization of visual N170 amplitude in Chinese character recognition. This effect may be due to the modulation of the phonetic components,; it could also be reflecting the difference in visual complexity between phonetic and semantic radicals; Thus, here we aim to tease apart these two factors through examining whether characters with different structures (e.g., with or without a phonetic component) will have different lateralization through ERP studies. 3. The influence of visual similarity among words in the lexicon: We hypothesize that among the words in a lexicon, the more letters the words share, the more similar the words look visually; for example, to distinguish words “talk” and “walk”, the visual system has to examine specifically the first letter position, and thus may have to rely more on high spatial frequencies. It has been shown that the LH processing has a high spatial frequency (HSF) bias, whereas RH processing has a low spatial frequency bias (e.g., Ivry & Robertson, 1998). Thus, visual similarity in a lexicon may also influence lateralization of the language. We will use computational modeling methods to examine this hypothesis in order to have a better control of the variables. 4. The influence of the requirement to decompose a word into letters in order to perform grapheme-phoneme conversion during learning to read alphabetic languages: Instead of mapping the input to its word identity, in reading words in alphabetic languages, the visual system has to map the word input to its constituent letter identities in order to perform grapheme-phoneme conversion; this mapping may require more high spatial frequency (HSF) /fine-scale information compared with the mapping from word input to its word identity, and thus may result in more LH-lateralization. We will also use computational modeling methods to examine this hypothesis. |
| Project Title: | The two sides of cognition: Hemispheric processing of face and word recognition |
| Investigator(s): | Hsiao JHW |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 09/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) To bring the level of the current neurocomputational models of visual expertise, in particular face recognition and visual word recognition, closer to the anatomy of the visual pathways in order to understand the neural computations performed to support different types of expertise. 2) To identify the factors accounting for the differences in hemispheric lateralization in face, English word, and Chinese character recognition, in particular, the influence of hemispheric asymmetry in encoding spatial frequency contents, the difference in the task usually performed during learning, and the influence of lateralization of phonological/phonemic processing. 3) To examine the influence of differences in hemispheric lateralization on the way we extract visual information through eye movements, in order to understand the interaction between eye movements and the underlying cognitive processes. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Hsiao J.H.W. and Cottrell G.W., What is the cause of left hemisphere lateralization of English visual word recognition? Pre-existing language lateralization, or task characteristics?, The Thirty-first Annual Conference Of The Cognitive Science Society. 2009. |
| Lam S.M. and Hsiao J.H.W., Bilinguals have different hemispheric lateralization in visual processing from monolinguals , Vision Sciences Society Annual Meeting 2010. 2010. |
| Researcher : Hui HCC |
| Project Title: | 15th International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Congress Psycho-cultural Antecedents of Job Satisfaction and Performance: Some Clues from Studies on the Chinese Workforce |
| Investigator(s): | Hui HCC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 07/2000 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | 20th Annual SIOP Conference A Cultural Perspective on Frame of Reference Effects |
| Investigator(s): | Hui HCC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 04/2005 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | An attributional style questionnaire for the measurement of optimism-pessimism among the Chinese workforce |
| Investigator(s): | Hui HCC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 01/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) to develop an attributional style questionnaire that can be administered on the internet ; 2) to investigate the internal structure of the pessimistic attributional style; 3) to examine how attributional style is related to work outcomes such as productivity, job satisfaction, neglect of company, etc. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Hui H.C.C., Ng C.W. and Tai M.H., Chinese religions. In D.A. Leeming, K.W. Madden & S. Marlan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. New York; London, Springer, 2010, pp. 143-146. |
| Hui H.C.C., Extrasensory perception. In D.A. Leeming, K.W. Madden & S. Marlan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. New York; London, Springer, 2010, pp.312-313. |
| Tam K.P., Pak T.S., Hui H.C.C., Kwan S.O. and Goh M., Implicit person theories and change in teacher evaluation: A longitudinal field study., Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 2010, 40: 273-286. |
| Researcher : Ip KY |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lee T.M.C., Ip K.Y., Wang K., Xi C.H., Hu P.P., Mak H.K.F., Han S.H. and Chan C.C.H., Faux pas deficits in people with medial frontal lesions as related to impaired understanding of a speaker's mental state., Neuropsychologia. 2010, 48: 1670-1671. |
| Researcher : Kam CM |
| Project Title: | Becoming an emotion coaching parent for young children |
| Investigator(s): | Kam CM |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 05/2009 |
| Completion Date: | 04/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| 1. To examine the most common meta-emotion philosophy among Chinese parents, and hence its effect on parent child relationship and child outcomes. 2. To develop an emotion coaching parent training program that can be used by parents of young children in Hong Kong 3. To test the effectiveness of a parent training program that teaches parents the adoption of a meta-emotion philosophy and emotion coaching skills. The rapid economic growth in Hong Kong in the past decades allows more families to gain financial stability and affluence. These families can provide more resources to their children. On the other hand, an increasing number of children in Hong Kong is cared for by house maids while their parents spend more and more time at work. Children have more access to computers and often they spend more time interacting with the machine than with people. Nowadays, more and more children are found to lack essential skills to deal with interpersonal demands and problems at school and later in life at work (Lee, 2000; Fong, 2005). As China’s economy is now growing at a double digit rate, similar trend has been seen among families in mainland China. The one-child policy in China further aggravates the situation. There is an increasing need to develop and strengthen the social and emotional competence of children in both Hong Kong and China (Lai et al., 2000). Parallel the demographic changes in our society, there has been a shift in the concerns young parents have for their children, and the popularity of topic focus in parent education programs in Hong Kong. There has been a change from focusing on instilling obedience and fostering academic excellence, to the promotion of self-esteem, IQ, EQ and MQ. Nowadays, parents are also faced with global changes and technological advancement in our society, such as the use of computer and internet (Lam, 2005; Tam et al., 2001; Tsang, 2004). Most parenting intervention programs for young children focused on modifying children's behaviors (EMB Parent Education Implementation Team, et al., 2003). That is especially true if the child has already develops some behavioral problem. Programs such as the Triple P-Positive Parenting (Leung et al., 2003), and the Incredible Years -- Parents, Teachers and Children program by Webster-Stratton (Webster-Stratton, & Hammond, 1997) are two such examples. Other examples in the parent education literature are behavioral modification parent education programs (Alvy, 1994; Dembo, Switzer, & Lauritzen, 1985; Lamb & Lamb, 1978), Parent Effectiveness Training courses (PET) (Gordon, 1970; 1980), Adlerian parent education (Dreikurs et., 1959; Dinkmeyer, 1973), Filial therapy (Guerney, 1964; Kraft & Landreth, 1998), and the rational-emotive parent education program (Ellis & Harper, 1975; Lamb & Lamb, 1998). All of these put heavy emphasis on teaching parents effective ways of influencing their children’s behavior. The parent education program in this proposal is designed around the new theory of meta-emotion (Gottman, Katz & Hooven, 1996, 1997), which emphasizes not just the development of parents’ awareness of their children's emotions, and thus sensitivity to children's emotional needs, but also parents' awareness of their own emotions, in particularly those in direct relation to their children's emotions. Gottman and colleagues introduced the concept of meta-emotion and emotion coaching families in their studies (Gottman, Katz & Hooven, 1996, 1996b). Using their meta-emotion interview, Katz et al identified different groups of parents (dismissing, accepting but not coaching, emotion coaching) who hold diverse views on their children's emotions and their own emotions (Katz & Gottman, 1986; Katz, Mittman & Hooven, 1994). Furthermore, they found that parents' meta-emotion philosophy (PMEP) will influence children's emotion regulatory capabilities and eventually will affect children's peer relations (Gottman, Katz & Hooven, 1997). Adolescents who have parents who show acceptance and have high awareness of their own and their children's emotions will be less likely to develop depressive symptomatology. They also found that both aggressive and nonaggressive children can benefit when parents are more aware and coaching of emotion (Katz & Hunter, 2007; Kate & Windecker-Nelson, 2004). Havighurst and colleagues adopted Gottman's ideas and developed them into a parent education program for parents with preschool children – Tuning in to Kids: Emotionally Intelligent Parenting program (Havighurst & Harley, 2001; Havighurst, 2003). The parenting program taught parents ways of emotion coaching their children, which included skills in labeling emotions, viewing emotions as a time for intimacy and teaching, empathizing and validating their children’s emotions, and problem solving around emotional events (Havighurst, Harley & Prior, 2004). They found initial support for the efficacy of the program. They found improvements in aspects of emotion focused parenting and general parenting. There were also reductions in children’s conduct problems and attention deficit symptoms (Havighurst, Harley & Prior, 2004; Havighurst, Prior, et al., under review). The successful implementation of the Tuning in to Kids Emotion program inspired the authors of this proposal to propose a study on emotion coaching in Hong Kong. Even though we are aware of the influence of culture on parenting practices (Peterson, Steinmetz, & Wilson, 2005), and we know about the specific set childrearing philosophy held among Chinese parents (Chao, 1994; Ebbeck, 1996; Shek, 1996; Lai et al., 2000), we are still confident that an intervention program emphasizing on parents meta-emotion and emotion coaching will benefit our parents and children. In an earlier project, we taught social emotional learning skills in schools. We saw encouraging results in the change in teachers’ behaviors and small children’s social and emotional competence (Kam & Greenberg, 2008). |
| Project Title: | Becoming an Emotion Coaching Parent Coupled with the Teaching of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in School |
| Investigator(s): | Kam CM |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Quality Education Fund |
| Start Date: | 01/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| 1.To enhance parents’ own emotional self care, emotion management and emotion coaching techniques. 2.To improve children’s emotional competence (including emotional awareness and regulation) and social competence. 3.To increase teachers’ awareness, acceptance and management of their own emotion and those of their students. 4.To develop a research-based emotional health education program to be used among schools and families in Hong Kong. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Kam C.M., Havighurst S.S., Fung M.S. and Tsoi W.L.R., Implementing an Emotion Coaching Parenting Program in Hong Kong, China: Some Preliminary Findings, 2012 Society for Prevention Research (SPR) 18th Annual Meeting, Denver, USA. 2010. |
| Researcher : Kao HSR |
| Project Title: | The 3rd Conference of Congress of Chinese Psychologists Chinese Brush Graphonomics: Psychological Science from a Chinese Heritage |
| Investigator(s): | Kao HSR |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 10/1999 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | The 9th International Conference of Cognitive Processing of Chinese Language and Related Asian Languages The Effect of Complexity and Closed/Unclosed Feature Upon Hemispheric Specialization for Reading Chinese Characters |
| Investigator(s): | Kao HSR |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 10/1999 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | World Alzheimer Congress 2000 Brush Handwriting Treatment of Cognitive Deficiencies in Alzheimer's Disease Patients Acupuncture Enhancement in Clinical Symptoms and Cognitive-Motor Abilities of the Alzheimer's Disease Patients |
| Investigator(s): | Kao HSR |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 07/2000 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Researcher : Kidd JC |
| Project Title: | Effect of Phonological Processing Training on the Quality and Structure of Phonological Representations in Poor Readers. |
| Investigator(s): | Kidd JC, Ho CSH, Au TKF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 11/2006 |
| Abstract: |
| Phonological processing refers to explicit knowledge about, and the usage of, the sound structure of one's language (Torgesen, Wagner & Rashotte, 1994; Wagner & Torgesen, 1987). The term is used to refer to three distinct language skills: phonological awareness, or the ability to explicitly think about and manipulate the sounds of language; phonological retrieval, or the ability to efficiently and accurately retrieve phonological codes from long-term memory; and the ability to maintain speech information in phonological short-term memory (Wagner & Torgesen, 1987). Research over the past four decades has reliably indicated that individual differences in phonological processing skills (most notably in phonological awareness) are directly related to individual differences in the acquisition and development of reading abilities. Evidence in this area comes from a number of sources: robust findings of poor phonological processing in children and adults with histories of reading problems and developmental dyslexia; reliable correlations between phonological processing skills and reading abilities in normative samples; and evidence of advancement in reading levels as a consequence of intensive training in phonological skills. With regard to the latter, a good deal of evidence now suggests that training children to attend to the phonemic elements of speech, and teaching skills such as phoneme blending and speech segmentation, for example, is most beneficial as a form of remediation for children who are struggling to learn to read (e.g., Lovett, Steinbach & Frijters, 2000; McGuinness, McGuinness & Donohue, 1995; Pokorni, Worthington & Jamison, 2004). It is thought that training in phonological processing enables a child to come to the understanding that spoken words can be broken down into phonemes, and to understand how phonemes map onto graphemes (letters) during reading and spelling. This knowledge then equips the child with the tools to 'sound-out' new words and teach themselves to read (Share, 1995). Despite the extensive knowledge researchers now have about the importance of phonological processing, very little is known about what accounts for individual differences in phonological processing skills. A popular hypothesis currently being promoted by eminent researchers in this field (e.g., Goswami, 2000; Snowling, 2000)-the so-called phonological representations hypothesis-contends that phonological processing skills are a reflection the quality with which individuals store the auditory forms of spoken words (phonological representations) in the mental lexicon. More specifically, it is suggested that poorer readers or dyslexic individuals do not store representations of speech in a 'distinct' or 'well-structured' manner, therefore making it difficult to access, retrieve, and reflect upon, the sound structure of language during phonological processing tasks and reading (Elbro, 1998). Despite its popularity, only a very small number of studies have explicitly examined the phonological representations hypothesis. These studies have typically been limited to examining whether children and adults with dyslexia show impaired performance on tasks designed to tap phonological representations by comparison to competent readers, but the results of these studies have provided affirmation for the hypothesis (e.g., Dietrich & Brady, 2001; Elbro, 1998; Metsala, 1997; Swan & Goswami, 1997). However, another important prediction of the phonological representations hypothesis is that improvements made in phonological processing skills as a result of intensive training are a direct result of improvements to the structure and the quality with which individuals store their phonological representations in the mental lexicon. That is, training in phonological strategies causes the individual to re-define and more appropriately structure their speech-sound representations. Perhaps surprisingly, no research has yet empirically addressed this prediction, and thus a fundamental tenet of the phonological representations hypothesis remains untested. The proposed research therefore aims to directly examine whether training poor readers in phonological processing leads to improvements on tasks which quantify the quality and structure of phonological representations. |
| Researcher : Lam SF |
| Project Title: | Behavioral control, autonomy support, and internalization in Chinese parenting |
| Investigator(s): | Lam SF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 12/2007 |
| Completion Date: | 11/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| Chinese parenting is considered a paradox in the literature of parenting styles (Chao & Sue, 1996). Authoritative parenting, as conceptualized by Baumrind (1989), has been found consistently to have positive effects on children's functioning (e.g., Steinberge, Mounts, Lamborn, & Dornbusch, 1991). However, there is an anomaly in the findings: Baumrind's paradigm does not apply well in Chinese population. Chinese parents are generally perceived as more authoritarian than their Western counterparts but their children still have high academic achievement. These puzzling findings have urged some researchers to discredit the applicability of Baumrind's conceptualization in Chinese parenting. For example, Chao (1994) argues that the concepts of authoritative and authoritarian parenting are ethnocentric and do not capture the important features of Chinese child rearing. Instead, she advocates an indigenous concept "guan" (管) for understanding Chinese parenting. I agree that indigenous concepts are helpful in understanding psychological phenomena outside the Western cultural context. However, the viability of indigenous concepts would be limited if they are cut off totally from the mainstream literature in the West. Accumulation of knowledge across cultures would be impossible if each culture sticks to its indigenous concepts for understanding of psychological phenomena. I would suggest that indigenous concept should be examined with reference to the prominent Western concepts in cross-cultural settings. I found Chao (1994) very insightful for putting forward the concept "guan." In Chinese, "guan" literally means "to govern," as well as "to care for." When this concept is compared to the concept of "authoritative parenting" in the West, one would notice that an important dimension is missing. As pointed out by Steinberg (1990), authoritative parenting consists of three distinct dimensions: (1) high degree of behavioral control, (2) high degree of warmth or acceptance, and (3) high degree of psychological autonomy. The indigenous Chinese concept "guan" includes the first two dimensions but not the last one. This difference may be a key to the paradox of Chinese parenting. Chinese culture is characterized by Confucian heritage that highly values interdependence and belongingness to social in-groups. In contrast, Western European-American culture prioritizes individuality over interpersonal connectedness (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). Some researchers thus argue that the lack of psychological autonomy might not be so detrimental to Chinese children because parental control may not be associated with violation of children's sense of self (Barber, Sotlz, & Olsen, 2006; Chao & Tsang, 2002). For example, in a cross-cultural study of autonomy and intrinsic motivation, Iyengar and Lepper (1999) found that Anglo-American children showed less motivation when choices were made for them by others than when they made their own choices. However, Asian-American children were most motivated when choices were made for them by their mothers or peers. Nevertheless, can Chinese children really function well without autonomy? Some researchers argue otherwise. Chirkov and Ryan (2001) insist that the need for autonomy is universal and that the effects of parental control may be similar across cultures. To address this debate, some researchers distinguish between two types of control: psychological control and behavioral control (Barber, et al., 2006). They argue that the former is exerted over children's thoughts and feelings in the psychological world and intrudes upon children's sense of self; whereas the latter is exerted over children's activities and behaviors in the physical world and provides children with needed guidance. In a recent cross-cultural study, Wang, Pomerantz, and Chen (in press) found that in both the US and China, parents' psychological control predicted children's dampened emotional functioning but parents' behavioral control predicted children's enhanced academic functioning. The distinction between psychological control and behavioral control is a possible step towards solving the paradox of Chinese parenting. However, the fact that these constructs were measured by children's report may have concealed the major differences between Chinese and Western parenting, hence, giving support to cultural similarities. The same parents' behavior of control may be considered as psychologically intrusive by European-American children but non-intrusive by Chinese children. When Chinese and European-American children report that their parents are not psychologically controlling, they may not be referring to the same parents' behaviors. As internalization is a confound variable in self-report of parental control, it is difficult to compare how psychological and behavioral control affect children across the two cultures. In addition, internalization may have blurred the distinction between psychological and behavioral control. When behavioral control (e.g., solicitation) is not internalized, it can turn into psychological control that is intrusive to children's sense of self. In contrast, when psychological control (e.g., authority assertion) is internalized, it can turn into behavior control that provided needed guidance to children. A solution to the above difficulties is to use objective observation data instead of children's subjective report. When the actual interactions between mother and child are analyzed, researchers are able to tease out the relationship between parental control, internalization, and autonomy support. The purposes of the present study are to investigate the roles of parental control and autonomy support in Chinese parenting and how internalization moderate the effect of parental behaviors on children’s functioning. Specifically, the present study has the following objectives: 1. To investigate how parents' unsolicited assistances in a structured activity are perceived by Chinese children. How intrusive or supportive do the children feel about these unsolicited assistances? Will they internalize their parents' unsolicited assistance? 2. To investigate how these actual behaviors of parents' unsolicited assistances are related to Chinese children's functioning. Are these behaviors associated with Chinese children's emotional functioning and motivation in the task of the structured activity? 3. To investigate how Chinese children's perceptions of parents' unsolicited assistances are related to their functioning. Are these perceptions (controlling vs. supportive) associated with Chinese s emotional functioning and motivation in the task of the structured activity? 4. To provide the foundation for a cross-cultural study on the comparison of Chinese and American parenting on behavioral control and autonomy support. |
| Project Title: | Enhancing school engagement: fact-finding and interventions |
| Investigator(s): | Lam SF, Au TKF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Quality Education Fund |
| Start Date: | 04/2008 |
| Abstract: |
| The goal of this applied project in educational psychology is to promote students' school engagement, with the objectives of: (1) to investigate the antecedents of school engagement among junior secondary students (Form 1 to Form 3) in Hong Kong; (2) to develop and evaluate intervention programs that address these antecedents and promote school engagement among junior secondary students. |
| Project Title: | 31st International School Psychology Association Conference (ISPA) Exploring Student Engagement in Schools Internationally: A Collaborative International Study Yields Further Insights |
| Investigator(s): | Lam SF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 07/2009 |
| Completion Date: | 07/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan J.C.Y. and Lam S.F., The effects of different evaluative feedback on students' self-efficacy in learning, Instructional Science. 2010, 38: 37-58. |
| Cheung R., Lau K., Fong S. and Lam S.F., Adjustment and coping in Chinese parents of children with dyslexia, The 2010 Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Lam S.F., Law Y.K. and Shum M.S.K., Classroom discourse analysis and educational outcomes in the era of education reform: An analysis of whole classroom discourse in writing lessons and educational outcomes, British Journal of Educational Psychology. United Kingdom, The British Psychological Society, 2009, 79: 617-641. |
| Lam S.F., Wong P.H., Lam M. and So A.W.O., Enhancing social cognitions and skills: Evaluation of an intervention program with randomized field experimental design, The Hong Kong Psychological Society Conference. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Lam S.F., Jimerson S., Basnett J., Cefai C., Duck R., Farrell P., Hatzichristou C., Kikas E., Liu Y., Negovan V., Nelson B., Polychroni F., Shin H., Stanculescu E., Veiga F.H., Wong P.H., Yang H. and Zollneritsch J., Exploring student engagement in schools internationally: A collaborative international study yields further insights, A Symposium at the 31st Annual International School Psychology Association Colloquium, Malta. 2009. |
| Lam S.F., Wong P.H., Leung D., Ho D. and Au-yeung P., How Parents Perceive and Feel about Participation in Community Activities: The Comparison between Parents of Preschoolers with and without Autism, The 30th Annual International School Psychology Association Colloquium. Utrecht, Netherlands, 2009. |
| Lam S.F., Cheng R.W.Y. and Ma Y.K., Teacher and student motivation in project-based learning, Instructional Sciences. 2009, 37: 565-578. |
| Ng F., Pomerantz E. and Lam S.F., Chinese and American Parents’ Beliefs about Children’s Achievement: Indigenous Chinese Notions and Their Implications for Parents and Children. , The 20th Biennial International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development Meeting. Wüzburg, Germany, 2009. |
| Oakland T., Chaus I., Lam S.F., Musabelliu G.I., Pfohl W. and Qamar S.W., ISPA’s Role in the Promotion of Quality Assurance, The 30th Annual International School Psychology Association Colloquium. Utrecht, Netherlands, 2009. |
| Zhou N., Lam S.F. and Chan K.C., Solving the Chinese classroom paradox: A cross-cultural comparison on teacher's controlling behaviors, The 22nd Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science. Boston, USA, 2010. |
| Researcher : Lam SM |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Hayward W.G., Lam S.M. and Favelle S.K., Face(book) perception: Is the own-race advantage due to perceptual learning?, 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Lam S.M. and Hsiao J.H.W., Bilinguals have different hemispheric lateralization in visual processing from monolinguals , Vision Sciences Society Annual Meeting 2010. 2010. |
| Researcher : Lau EYY |
| Project Title: | Neurocognitive and Psychosocial Functioning of Individuals with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Hong Kong Chinese. |
| Investigator(s): | Lau EYY, Ip MSM, Lee TMC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 05/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| Background. Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSA for short) is one of the most common sleep disorders causing excessive daytime sleepiness, affecting 2% of females and 4% of males in the middle-aged workforce in Hong Kong [1, 2]. OSA is characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep, resulting in excessive night-time snoring, periodic breathing interruptions (apneas/hypopneas) and intermittent blood gas abnormalities (hypoxemia and hypercarbia). The increased respiratory effort is associated with arousals leading to fragmented sleep. During the daytime, individuals with OSA experience excessive sleepiness and fatigue, decreased cognitive function and personality changes, causing significant negative consequences in work and driving performance as well as lowered quality of life [3, 4]. OSA and Neurocognitive Consequences. Research in the past 20 years has highlighted numerous neuropsychological deficits associated with moderate to severe OSA, including attention, memory, executive functions, and motor abilities (for review, see [5]). Aloia et al. [5] reported from a review of 37 studies that impaired attention/vigilance, executive functioning and memory were reported in at least 60% of the studies, while construction and psychomotor impairments (fine manual dexterity) were noted in 80% of studies. Global cognitive functioning and language were least affected. Studies on mild to moderate OSA patients suggested the absence of large deficits in executive functions, short and long-term memory, whereas there are inconsistencies in the findings on selected measures of attention, working memory and visual memory (for a review, see [6]). Redline et al. [7] suggested mild and subtle deficits in working memory component of attention as the principal cognitive impairment of mild OSA. Adams et al. [8] identified a small but significant association between polysomnographic indices of sleep-related breathing difficulties and three neuropsychological constructs: declarative memory, signal discrimination and working memory. Two studies have reported reduced performance in selected aspects of visual memory in mild to moderate OSA patients [9, 10]. However, other studies did not find significant differences between mild OSA subjects and controls in measures of attention, visual memory and executive function [9, 11-15]. To account for the inconsistencies in the findings of OSA studies, Décary et al. [16] pointed out the lack of standardization of the use of neuropsychological test batteries to be the factor contributing to the contradictory findings across studies. They therefore proposed a standardized assessment battery that hopefully can eliminate the confusion. This standardized battery facilitates comparison of findings across studies, but it does not address the lack of a sound theoretical neurocognitive framework to guide the choice and interpretation of neuropsychological tests [17]. Among the unresolved issues, the controversy over executive deficits of OSA patients deserves special attention and further exploration. Impairment in executive function is frequently reported in studies of patients with moderate to severe OSA, with large effect sizes, although the findings are not always consistent [18, 19]. These inconsistencies may be related to ambiguity in task classification, an absence of unifying explanations in terms of cognitive mechanisms, poorly defined concepts of frontal lobe function, executive function, memory and attention, and usage of tasks insensitive to mild deficit [20]. Theory-driven studies with sensitive and theoretically-defined experimental measures are called for to further delineate basic and executive attentional functions of OSA patients. To our knowledge, there has been a paucity of studies that included neurocognitive measures in investigating OSA in Chinese populations [21-23]. Peng et al. [21] reported delayed P3 latency using event-related potential measurement, suggesting cognitive deficits in patients with an unspecified degree of OSA. The focus of Hui et al.’s studies [22, 23] was compliance to treatment in patients with moderate to severe OSA, and the scope of the neuropsychological assessment was very limited. These studies also did not control for multiple statistical comparisons. The neurocognitive functioning of Chinese patients with OSA remains largely unknown. Recent Findings. To investigate neurocognitive function in the OSA population in a systematic way, Lau et al. [24] adopted the working memory model of Baddeley and colleagues [25]. It was reported that individuals with moderate to severe OSA who received treatment continued to show “normalized” performance on basic attention tasks but enduring difficulties on tasks requiring the central executive (Spatial 2-back task, Working Memory Span task) and complex attention and executive function on neuropsychological testing. These deficits were found to be associated with illness severity and pre-treatment hypoxemia indices. Such findings provide support to the use of the working memory model to distinguish basic and complex attention function, which may be differentially affected in individuals with different severity of OSA and differentially responsive to treatment in more severe cases. Psychosocial Outcomes. Patients with OSA frequently report symptoms of depression and impaired psychological well-being [26]. In the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, longitudinal data demonstrated a dose-response association between OSA and depression in a community sample [20]. Sateia [27] reviewed the studies investigating quality of life in patients with OSA and summarized that patients with moderate to severe OSA typically report diminished quality of life. Peng et al. [21] reported elevated depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms in a group of Chinese OSA patients but the severity of their illness was not specified. Current Study. This study aims at establishing the cognitive and psychosocial profile of Hong Kong Chinese with mild OSA using a theory-based and empirically validated working memory model. While patients with more severe OSA demonstrate post-treatment residual executive deficits, associated with hypoxemia and severity of their illness[24], it is predicted that individuals with mild OSA will show a different cognitive profile, characterized by difficulties with basic attention and vigilance but normal executive function when basic working memory function is controlled. In other words, their performance will be more similar to individuals with excessive sleepiness and categorically different from individuals with moderate to severe OSA before or after treatment. Specifically, individuals with mild OSA are hypothesized to perform worse than matched controls on tests that require basic attention and vigilance, associated with sleepiness; but not complex attention and executive function when effects of basic working memory function is accounted for. Moreover, we hypothesize that cognitive deficits will predict psychosocial outcomes. |
| Project Title: | Neurocognitive and psychosocial outcomes of obstructive sleep apnea in Hong Kong Chinese |
| Investigator(s): | Lau EYY, Ip MSM, Lee TMC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Health and Health Services Research Fund - Mini Grants |
| Start Date: | 10/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| OSA patients are hypothesized to perform worse than matched controls on tests that require basic attention, associated with sleepiness; and complex attention, associated with hypoxemia. Moreover, we hypothesize that cognitive deficits will predict different psychosocial outcomes. |
| Project Title: | 20th Annual Rotman Research Institute Conference Objective Executive Functioning versus Subjective Cognitive Efficiency: Which is More Important to Quality of Life in Individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea? |
| Investigator(s): | Lau EYY |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 03/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 03/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lau E.Y.Y., Canadian Psychological Association Certificate of Academic Excellence 2009, 2009. |
| Lau E.Y.Y., Frontal Lobe and Attention, Neuropsychology Symposium in Epilepsy 2010, Hospital Authority NTW Cluster, Hong Kong. 2010. |
| Lau E.Y.Y., Eskes G.A., Morrison D.L., Rajda M. and Spurr K.F., Objective versus Subjective Executive Functioning: Which is More Important to Quality of Life in Individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea? , 21st Annual Rotman Research Institute Meeting, Toronto, Ontario.. 2010. |
| Lau E.Y.Y., Eskes G.A., Morrison D.L., Rajda M. and Spurr K.F., Predictors of Executive Functions in Individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. , SLEEP 2010 24th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS), San Antonio, Texas. . 2010. |
| Lau E.Y.Y., Eskes G.A., Morrison D.L., Rajda M. and Spurr K.F., Predictors of Executive Functions in Individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. , Sleep. 2010, 33: A125. |
| Researcher : Lau IYM |
| Project Title: | Understanding cross-cultural persusasion within a communication framework |
| Investigator(s): | Lau IYM |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 01/2003 |
| Abstract: |
| To examine the processes underlying cross-cultural persuasion by applying a communication framework. |
| Project Title: | Cross-cultural adjustment of perspective |
| Investigator(s): | Lau IYM |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 11/2004 |
| Abstract: |
| To ascertain the nature of one of the basic processes in interpersonal interaction, that of perspective taking. |
| Researcher : Lau S |
| Project Title: | Self-Regulation of Goal Pursuit |
| Investigator(s): | Lau S |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 01/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| Although both the achievement goal theory and the regulatory focus theory have generated significant amount of research findings, constructs from the two theories have largely been investigated separately. A major purpose of the proposed research is to test a mediation model that integrates constructs from both theories. Specifically, the aim of the proposed research is to use the regulatory theory to answer the question of why achievement goals lead to different kinds of appraisal. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Nie Y. and Lau S., Complementary roles of care and behavioral control in classroom management: The self-determination theory perspective., Contemporary Educational Psychology. 2009, 34: 185-194. |
| Researcher : Lau SF |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lau S.F. and Cheung S.H., Effects of Kanizsa's illusory contours on crowding strength, The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Researcher : Lee MYT |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lee M.Y.T., Guo L.G., Shi H.Z., Li Y.J., Luo Y.J., Sung C.Y.Y., Chan C.C.H. and Lee T.M.C., Neural correlates of Traditional Chinese Medicine induced advantageous risk-taking decision making, Brain and Cognition. 2009, 71: 354-361. |
| Researcher : Lee TMC |
| Project Title: | Selective attention biases of people with major depressive disorder, and its relationship with brain damages. |
| Investigator(s): | Lee TMC, Leung KK |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 09/2005 |
| Abstract: |
| Attention bias towards mood-congruent information has been postulated to be one of the essential psychological substrates of major depressive disorder. Attention biases could have at least two levels of meanings: a) initial orienting, i.e. attention being captured involuntarily to certain types of information; and b) difficulties in inhibiting or shifting the attention from the current attentional focus once certain types of information has been attended to, either voluntarily or involuntarily. However, research findings are inconsistent in demonstrating these phenomena in people with major depressive disorder. This study aims to investigate whether people with major depressive disorder exhibit these two types of attention biases. In addition, it has been postulated that major depressive disorder is associated with frontal-limbic dysregulation. In particular, various studies suggest that amygdala, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and hippocampus are involved in depression. This study also attempts to investigate whether people with brain lesions arising from stroke or brain trauma at the above areas also exhibit the attention biases to depression-related information. It also follows that question of whether those who show these attention biases due to brain lesions also exhibit depressive features will also be examined. |
| Project Title: | A post-discharge service for brain injury patients in Central and Western District |
| Investigator(s): | Lee TMC, Chan SSC, Hung KN, Li LSW, Leung KK |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | S.K. Yee Medical Foundation - General Award |
| Start Date: | 12/2006 |
| Abstract: |
| To establish medical services for the poor and sick and provide equipment and apparatus for such services; to provide medical education; to acquire and/or construct maintain and/or alter any buildings or works necessary or convenient for the above-mentioned objects or any of them; to assist, promote, establish, contribute, manage, control or support any charitable institutions or associations providing medical services for the poor and sick. |
| Project Title: | Cognitive Dysfunction after Anesthesia (CoDA) Study |
| Investigator(s): | Lee TMC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 01/2007 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) To determine the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction in elderly Chinese patients undergoing general anesthesia and major non-cardiac surgery. 2) To compare the incidence of cognitive impairments after BIS-guided and routine care anesthesia. 3) To determine the risk factors (including genetic and other inflammatory markers) for cognitive impairment after major non-cardiac surgery. 4) To refine the battery of neuropsychological tests for the assessment of postoperative cognitive dysfunction in Hong Kong Chinese patients. |
| Project Title: | Research Output Prize (Faculty of Social Sciences) |
| Investigator(s): | Lee TMC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Research Output Prize (in Faculty) |
| Start Date: | 11/2007 |
| Abstract: |
| The Research Output Prize accords recognition to an author (or team of authors) of a single research output published or created in the preceding calendar year. Faculties are free to determine what form of research output best represents their research achievement and how it should be selected. |
| Project Title: | Effects of moods on risk-taking behavior: cognitive and neural mechanisms |
| Investigator(s): | Lee TMC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Travel Grants for NSFC/RGC JRS |
| Start Date: | 12/2007 |
| Abstract: |
| Travel grants for NSFC/RGC JRS. |
| Project Title: | Effects of mood on risk-taking behavior: cognitive and neural mechanisms |
| Investigator(s): | Lee TMC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Matching Fund for NSFC Academic Collaboration Award |
| Start Date: | 01/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| Effects of mood on risk-taking behavior: cognitive and neural mechanisms |
| Project Title: | Effects of olfactory training on inhibition presented by people suffering from strokes |
| Investigator(s): | Lee TMC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 03/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 01/2011 |
| Abstract: |
| Key Issues In accordance with the principle of cross-modal neuroplasticity, this study will examine the effect on frontal inhibition via manipulating the input by another frontal sensory modality – olfaction. Inhibitory control Cerebral vascular accident (CVA) is one of the most common causes for adult-onset disability (Dobkin, 2004). One common site of CVA is the middle cerebral artery affecting blood supply to the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC). Previous studies have consistently reported the significant role of the lateral PFC in inhibitory control (e.g. Garavan et al., 1999; MacDonald et al., 2000; Lee, Chan et al., 2005, 2007, Picton et al., 2006). Inhibition control, the ability to suppress irrelevant or interfering stimuli/impulses in order to execute goal-directed behaviour, is a major component of executive control for self-regulation, attention, and memory (Miller & Cohen, 2001, Cicerone et al., 2000). Neuroplasticity The human brain has the capacity for plastic reorganization through learning and experience (Moucha & Kilgard, 2006). Training could induce plasticity presented as experience-dependent dendritic sprouting, which guides neurons to connect with each other after learning (Robertson & Murre, 1999). Indeed, ours (So, Lee et al., 2006; Yuen, Lee, Li, Chan et al., 2007; Kwok, Lee, Poon et al., 2008) and others’ (Teasell et al., 2005) research in animals and humans indicates enriched experience can enhance reorganization in the adjacent intact cortex and contribute to functional recovery after CVAs or other brain trauma. Olfactory perception and cognitive Inhibition The PFC is involved in both cognition inhibitory control and olfactory perception. For inhibitory control, previous studies have found that it is operated upon a neural network of diverse brain regions, with the lateral PFC (Wager et al., 2005) being a prime neural correlate. Lesion of the lateral PFC results in poor performance on tasks of cognitive inhibitory control, e.g. the Stroop task (Stuss et al., 2001). Olfactory perception also takes place in the PFC. Specifically olfactory information processing involves the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) (Jones-Gottman & Zatorre, 1988). Given the high degree of interconnectedness within the PFC, it is highly possible that functions subserved by the PFC can influence each other. For example, Westervelt et al. (2005) reported that odour identification ability is moderately correlated with general cognitive functioning, language skills, memory, attention, and executive functioning. Olfactory perception shares similar prefrontal substrates with the anterior attentional system (Stuss et al., 1995, 2005) and executive functioning. Gottfried & Zald (2005) reported the relationships between the OFC in working memory, cross-modal (odour-verbal) matching, in addition to olfactory perception. On the other hand, surgical excisions of the PFC are related to impairments of odour identification, odour discrimination and olfactory memory. Rossi et al. (2008) also showed that sniffing alimentary odorants increased the motor potentials evoked in hand muscles represented in the motor cortex. Objectives Building on previous reported data, we propose the following cross-modal neuroplasticity study. We shall examine the specificity and generalizability of the effect of olfactory stimulation. 1. olfactory training will be associated with improved cognitive inhibitory control as measured by the Stroop Colour-Word test (Stroop) (Lee & Chan, 2000); and 2. the gain would generalize to other PFC performance as measured by the Rotman-Baycrest Battery (Robbia) test (battery of tasks tapping PFC functions; Stuss et al., 1995). However, there will not be any changes to the performance in a non-frontal task, the Judgement of Line Orientation Test, the neural correlates of which are the cerebellum and the parietal regions (Lee, Hung, Chan, et al., 2005) References (attached) |
| Project Title: | 8th World Congress on Brain Injury Neuropsychology for Chinese |
| Investigator(s): | Lee TMC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 03/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 03/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | The Brain Mechanisms to Use Electronic "Bat Ears" to Replace Vision: From Human to Animal Users |
| Investigator(s): | Lee TMC |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) - Group Research Project |
| Start Date: | 06/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) To test the hypothesis that learning of “bat ears” signals requires binding of auditory to visuo-spatial information before an effective navigation can occur. 2) Cross-modal learning is modulated by visuo-spatial memory. 3) To monitor the learning process with the “bat ears” in the auditory and visual cortices of the animal subject. 4) To investigate the connectivity between the perirhinal/entorhinal cortex and both the visual and auditory systems in the animal model. 5) To investigate the involvement of the hippocampal system, specifically perirhinal/entorhinal cortex in the learning, i.e., activation of the visual cortex, with the “bat ear”. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan C.C.H., Li Y.Z., Guo L.G., Zhou X.N., Luo Y.J. and Lee T.M.C., Chinese herbal medicine and cognitive and emotion functions during 60-day head-down bed rest., Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine. 2010, 81: 754-760. |
| Chan C.C.H., Li Y.Z., Guo L.G., Zhou X.N., Luo Y.J. and Lee T.M.C., Chinese herbal medicine and cognitive and emotion functions during 60-day head-down bed rest, Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine. 2010, 81: 754-760. |
| Chan S.C., Raine A. and Lee T.M.C., Attentional bias towards negative affect stimuli and reactive aggression in male batterers, Psychiatry Research. 2010, 176: 246-249. |
| Gao J., Cheung R.T.F., Lee T.M.C., Chu L.W., Cheung C., Qiu D., Mak H.K.F. and Chan Y.S., Declined frontal white matter integrity in Alzheimer’s disease: a diffusion tensor imaging study, Medical Research Conference, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2010. Hong Kong Medical Journal. 2010, 16 (suppl 1): 21. |
| Gao J., Cheung R.T.F., Lee T.M.C., Chu L.W. and Chan Y.S., Task-induced brain deactivation reflects the altered default model network in normal and abnormal aging, Fifth International Symposium on Healthy Aging, Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, The University of Hong Kong, 6–7 March 2010, The Ballroom, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong; Abstract Book. 2010, 46. |
| Gao J., Cheung R.T.F., Lee T.M.C., Chu L.W., Cheung C., Fung G., Qiu D.G. and Chan Y.S., The anteroposterior pattern of white matter decline in normal and abnormal aging supports retrogenesis: a diffusion tensor imaging study, Fifth International Symposium on Healthy Aging, Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, The University of Hong Kong, 6–7 March 2010, The Ballroom, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong; Abstract Book. 2010, 46. |
| Lau W.M., Yau S.Y., Lee T.M.C., Ching Y.P., Tang S.W. and So K.F., Corticosterone suppresses dendritic maturation of immature neurons in hippocampus, which is counteracted by antidepressant treatment, Neuroscience Bulletin. 2009, 25(1): 450. |
| Lau W.M., Yau S.Y., Lee T.M.C., Ching Y.P., Tang S.W. and So K.F., Effect of corticosterone and paroxetine on masculline mating behavior: Possible involvement of neurogenesis, Pan Pacific Symposium on Stem Cells Research, April 16-19, 2010, Taiwan. 2010, 77. |
| Lau W.M., Yau S.Y., Lee T.M.C., Ching Y.P., Tang S.W. and So K.F., Possible involvement of neurogenesis in male rat mating behavior, Cell Transplantation. 2010, 19(3): 347. |
| Lee M.Y.T., Guo L.G., Shi H.Z., Li Y.J., Luo Y.J., Sung C.Y.Y., Chan C.C.H. and Lee T.M.C., Neural correlates of Traditional Chinese Medicine induced advantageous risk-taking decision making, Brain and Cognition. 2009, 71: 354-361. |
| Lee T.M.C., Ip K.Y., Wang K., Xi C.H., Hu P.P., Mak H.K.F., Han S.H. and Chan C.C.H., Faux pas deficits in people with medial frontal lesions as related to impaired understanding of a speaker's mental state., Neuropsychologia. 2010, 48: 1670-1671. |
| Lee T.M.C., Chan C.C.H., Leung W.S., Fox P.T. and Gao J.H., Sex-related differences in neural activity during risk taking: An fMRI study., Cerebral Cortex. 2009, 19: 1303-1312. |
| Liu K.P.Y., Chan C.C.H., Wong R.S.M., Kwan I.W.L., Yau C.S.F., Li L.S.W. and Lee T.M.C., A randomized controlled trial of mental imagery augment generalization of learning in acute post-stroke patients., Stroke. 2009, 40: 2222-2225. |
| Mak K.Y., Wong M.M.C., Han S.H. and Lee T.M.C., Gray matter reduction associated with emotion regulation in female outpatients with major depressive disorder: A voxel-based morphometry study, Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 2009, 33: 1184-1190. |
| Mak K.Y., Hu Z.G., Zhang J.X.X., Xiao Z.W. and Lee T.M.C., Neural correlates of regulation of positive and negative emotions: An fMRI study. , Neuroscience Letters. 2009, 457: 101-106. |
| Mak K.Y., Hu Z.G., Zhang J.X.X., Xiao Z.W. and Lee T.M.C., Sex-related differences in neural activity during emotion regulation., Neuropsychologia. 2009, 47: 2900-2908. |
| Wang H., Lau W.M., Yau S.Y., Li S.Y., Leung N.E.L.S.O.N., Wang N.I.N.G.L.I., Tang S.W., Lee T.M.C. and So K.F., The roles of paroxetine and corticosterone on adult mammalian retinal ciliary body cell proliferation, The Chinese Medical Journal. 2010, 123: 1305-1310. |
| Wang H., Lau W.M., Yau S.Y., Li S.Y., Leung N., Wang N.L., Tang S.W., Lee T.M.C. and So K.F., Roles of paroxetine and corticosterone on adult mammalian ciliary body cell proliferation, Chinese Medical Journal. 2010, 123: 1305-1310. |
| Yau S.Y., Lau W.M., Tong J., Ching Y.P., Lee T.M.C. and So K.F., Hippocampal cell proliferation and dendritic enrichment is essential for beneficial effects of exercise on stressed animal model, Hellenic Society for Neuroscience, 23rd Annual Meeting, September 13-14, 2009, Greece.. 2009, 78-79. |
| Yau S.Y., Lau W.M., Tong J., Wong R., Ching Y.P., Qiu G., Tang S.W., Lee T.M.C. and So K.F., Hippocampal cytogenesis and dendritic plasticity support running-enhanced memory and depression behavior, Proceedings of the International Anatomical Sciences and Cell Biology Conference, May 26-29, 2010. 37. |
| Yau S.Y., Lau W.M., Tong J., Wong R., Ching Y.P., Qiu G., Tang S.W., Lee T.M.C. and So K.F., Hippocampal cytogenesis and dendritic plasticity support running-enhanced memory and depression behaviour in stressed rat, The 4th Beijing International Forum on Rehabilitation, Oct. 28-30, 2009. 6-7. |
| Yau S.Y., Lau W.M., Tong J.B., Ching Y.P., Qiu G., Lee T.M.C. and So K.F., Hippocampal neurogenesis and dentritic enrichment are involved in neuroprotective of physical exercise on stress., Neuroscience Bulletin. . 2009, 25 Supp 1: 379-380. |
| Yuan Y., Zhu Z.D., Shi J.F., Zou Z.L., Yuan F., Liu Y.J., Lee T.M.C. and Weng X.C., Gray matter density negatively correlates with duration of heroin use in your lifetime heroin-dependent individuals, Brain and Cognition. 2009, 71: 223-228. |
| Researcher : Leung WS |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lee T.M.C., Chan C.C.H., Leung W.S., Fox P.T. and Gao J.H., Sex-related differences in neural activity during risk taking: An fMRI study., Cerebral Cortex. 2009, 19: 1303-1312. |
| Researcher : Li L |
| Project Title: | Symposium on Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization (APGV 06) Perception of 2D Image Motion During Head Movement |
| Investigator(s): | Li L |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 07/2006 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | An investigation of visual cues for active control of self-motion in the normally-sighted and the low-vision patients |
| Investigator(s): | Li L |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 10/2006 |
| Completion Date: | 10/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| (1) Determine whether optic flow variables (e.g. motion parallax, reference objects, field of view, traveling speed etc.) affecting perception of self-motion are also used for active control. Findings on this topic will shed light on the coupling of perception to action. (2) Examine the interplay between flow and non-flow cues (such as visual direction cues of the goad) and the effect of position, velocity, and acceleration control dynamics on the cue usage for controlling self-motion. (3) Develop computational models to quantitatively assess the visual cues used to support control performance. From the modeling data, infer what and where the effective visual cue is in a display without monitoring the observer's eye movements. (4) Conduct pilot studies to examine control of self-motion behavior in low-vision patients using the same novel performance metrics and modeling schemes we develop for normally-sighted participants. |
| Project Title: | An investigation on the influence of concurrent head movement on human visual perception of object motion |
| Investigator(s): | Li L |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 04/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) Provide a thorough, quantitative description and an analysis of the influence of concurrent head movement on visual estimation of object motion. 2) Identify and investigate the sources of static visual cues that affect object motion perception during head movement. 3) Determine the operational nature of neural mechanisms involved in changing visual sensitivity to object motion during head movement. |
| Project Title: | Vision Science Society Annual Meeting 2010 Use of optic flow and visual direction in steering toward a target |
| Investigator(s): | Li L |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 05/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 05/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Li L. and Cheng J.C.K., Looking where you are going does not help path perception, Annual Conference of Vision Science Society. 2010. |
| Li L., Optic Flow, In: Pashler, Hal , Encyclopedia Of Mind. 2009, Forthcoming. |
| Li L., Optimal Combination Of Form And Motion Information In Human Heading Perception, Human Systems Integration Division, NASA Ames Research Center, CA, USA. 2010. |
| Li L., Visual Information Governing Perception And Action, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 2010. |
| Li L., Visual Information Governing Perception And Action, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, P. R. China. 2010. |
| Li L., Visual Information Governing Perception And Action, VEN Lab, Department of Psychological, Cognitive, and Linguistic Sciences, Brown University, RI, USA. 2010. |
| Li S., Niehorster D.C. and Li L., Use of optic flow and visual direction in steering toward a target. , Annual Conference of Vision Science Society. 2010. |
| Li W.O., Saunders J.A. and Li L., Recruitment Of A Novel Cue For Active Control Depends On Task Dynamics, In: Andrew Watson, Journal Of Vision. 2009, 9 (10): 9. |
| Niehorster D.C., Cheng J.C.K. and Li L., Global and local influence of form information on human heading perception, Annual Conference of Vision Science Society. 2010. |
| Researcher : Li S |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Li S., Niehorster D.C. and Li L., Use of optic flow and visual direction in steering toward a target. , Annual Conference of Vision Science Society. 2010. |
| Researcher : Lo BCY |
| Project Title: | Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training in Children |
| Investigator(s): | Lo BCY, Au TKF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 10/2008 |
| Completion Date: | 03/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| In the field of clinical psychology, the introduction of mindfulness-based intervention has been termed "the third wave" in contemporary literature, as it revolutionized treatment focus by incorporating eastern philosophical concepts and ideology into traditional intervention programs. Mindfulness is commonly associated with meditation practice and is defined as the experience of "paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally" (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p.4). Specifically, mindfulness techniques have been proved useful in alleviating symptoms or distress in a wide range of conditions including stress reduction (Wall, 2005), anxiety problems (Semple, Reid & Miller, 2005), management of chronic pain (Reibel, Greeson, Brainard & Rosenzwig, 2001) and depression (Segal, Williams & Teasdale, 2002). In spite of its usefulness in clinical applications, the underlying mechansim of how mindfulness practice could bring about such positive changes remains largely unknown. This lack of understanding leads to further questioning of whether the beneficial effects observed can be generalized to different population. In light of these questions, the present project wishes to examine whether the positive gains of mindfulness training commonly observed in adult population extend to school-aged children population. So far, experimental studies on mindfulness training program for children are very limited, potentially because the core concepts of mindfulness are philosophical in its nature and are relatively hard to deliver to young children. In view of these concerns, the present project will develop a mindfulness training program protocol for children that incorporates interactive in-class games and activities using toys and everyday objects. The objectives of the research are to assess whether: 1) children who admitted to a mindfulness training program show any changes in their cognitive and emotional regulation performance as compared to their baseline functions 2) any changes observed in the mindfulness group are significantly different to that of children who have not been admitted to the training program 3) specific changes in cognitive and emotion functions observed in the mindfulness group, if any, mediates overall changes in well-being |
| Project Title: | Mindfulness training for children in local school setting |
| Investigator(s): | Lo BCY, Au TKF |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Health Care and Promotion Fund - Research Grant Projects |
| Start Date: | 04/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) To promote mental health in school setting through the direct delivery of a mindfulness training program. Underprivileged children, children with special emotional regulation problem and/or learning difficulties (such as attention problem) are specifically targeted. These include students who meet one or more of these criteria: (i) student from low income family (e.g. those who receive comprehensive social security assistance scheme), (ii) student who has been diagnosed with developmental disorders or learning disability, (iii) students reported by their teachers to have significant behavioural or emotional regulation problems. 2) To serve as a start-up point following "train-the trainer" model. School teachers and social workers will be invited to join and observe the group sessions. Program resources will be shared and discussed with school staff to facilitate their understanding of the training program, as well as to exchange ideas on program content and students' progress. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Cheng C., Lo B.C.Y. and Chio H.M., The Tao (Ways) of Chinese Coping, In: M. H. Bond, The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Psychology. Oxford, England, Oxford University, 2009, 399-420. |
| Researcher : Lo OT |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lo O.T. and Cheung S.H., Chinese character recognition is limited by overall complexity, not by number of strokes or stroke patterns, The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Researcher : Ma YK |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lam S.F., Cheng R.W.Y. and Ma Y.K., Teacher and student motivation in project-based learning, Instructional Sciences. 2009, 37: 565-578. |
| Researcher : Mak BSK |
| Project Title: | How 12-14 month old infants perceive faces of same age peers and adult faces |
| Investigator(s): | Mak BSK |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 01/2005 |
| Abstract: |
| This proposal aims at examining whether 12- to 14-month-old infants show preference for faces which look like their facial features, such as faces of same age peers, over those of adults. In early face perception, little has been done on why young infants show great interest in children's faces. Do they prefer children's faces because they perceive thrie faces as similar to self? |
| Project Title: | Art therapy for elderly with dementia |
| Investigator(s): | Mak BSK |
| Department: | Social Sciences Faculty |
| Source(s) of Funding: | The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust |
| Start Date: | 04/2008 |
| Abstract: |
| To examine whether art therapy would alleviate the behavioral and psychological problems of agitation, irritability, anxiety and depression in demented elderly people. |
| Researcher : Mak KY |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Mak K.Y., Wong M.M.C., Han S.H. and Lee T.M.C., Gray matter reduction associated with emotion regulation in female outpatients with major depressive disorder: A voxel-based morphometry study, Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 2009, 33: 1184-1190. |
| Mak K.Y., Hu Z.G., Zhang J.X.X., Xiao Z.W. and Lee T.M.C., Neural correlates of regulation of positive and negative emotions: An fMRI study. , Neuroscience Letters. 2009, 457: 101-106. |
| Mak K.Y., Hu Z.G., Zhang J.X.X., Xiao Z.W. and Lee T.M.C., Sex-related differences in neural activity during emotion regulation., Neuropsychologia. 2009, 47: 2900-2908. |
| Researcher : Ng CW |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Hui H.C.C., Ng C.W. and Tai M.H., Chinese religions. In D.A. Leeming, K.W. Madden & S. Marlan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. New York; London, Springer, 2010, pp. 143-146. |
| Researcher : Niehorster DC |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Li S., Niehorster D.C. and Li L., Use of optic flow and visual direction in steering toward a target. , Annual Conference of Vision Science Society. 2010. |
| Niehorster D.C., Cheng J.C.K. and Li L., Global and local influence of form information on human heading perception, Annual Conference of Vision Science Society. 2010. |
| Researcher : Pak TS |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Tam K.P., Pak T.S., Hui H.C.C., Kwan S.O. and Goh M., Implicit person theories and change in teacher evaluation: A longitudinal field study., Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 2010, 40: 273-286. |
| Researcher : Pasqualotto A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Pasqualotto A. and Hayward W.G., A stereo disadvantage for recognizing rotated familiar objects, Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. 2009, 16: 832-838. |
| Researcher : Poon CSK |
| Project Title: | Do self-prediction biases hinder the use of external aids in implementation of vaccination behavior? A preliminary investigation using a university sample |
| Investigator(s): | Poon CSK |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 03/2007 |
| Completion Date: | 08/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| The influenza vaccination rate in Hong Kong traditionally lags behind many developed countries (van Essen et al., 2003). Since the SARS outbreak in 2003, people's intentions to receive influenza vaccination have strengthened (Lau et al., 2006). According to several theories, intention strength (or commitment) is an important determinant of behavior (e.g., Ajzen, 1991; Rogers, 1983; Weinstein, 1988). A meta-analytic review indicates that intention strength is the most useful predictor of health-protective behaviors, accounting for 23% of behavioral variance (Godin & Kok, 1996). Generally, the stronger the current intentions with regard to a behavior, the more likely it is that the behavior will later be carried out. Yet, the predictive validity of intentions is not impressive. Among those who intend to go for influenza vaccination, some will fail to do so (Dibonaventura & Chapman, 2005). Similar intention-action gaps prevail in other health-protective behaviors, such as cervical cancer screening (Orbell & Sheeran, 1998) and breast self-examinations (Miller et al., 1996). What gives rise to intention-action gaps? In this project, we propose and test a conceptual model that traces intention-action gaps to how people evaluate their likelihood of engaging in a behavior in the future. |
| Project Title: | How do unrealistically thin images in the media affect women’s body dissatisfaction, mood, and self-esteem? |
| Investigator(s): | Poon CSK |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 03/2008 |
| Abstract: |
| Cultural standards of thinness have become many women’s personal concerns. In Hong Kong, the media images of unrealistically thin slimming product endorsers may create the association that being thin equals beauty, popularity, and success. This project will examine how media-nurtured consciousness that “thin is good” may influence women’s inner experience. Past work has found that when exposed to unrealistically thin images in the media, some women feel badly about themselves and experience negative affect (Bessenoff, 2006; Groesz et al., 2001; Pinhas et al., 1999). However, a conceptual framework that explicates the specific mechanisms through which societal standards of thinness influence women’s body dissatisfaction, mood, and self-esteem is lacking. Little is known about how women within a common cultural environment might differentially interpret existing standards of thinness. To fill these gaps, we develop an affective-cognitive model that explicates the mechanisms through which cultural standards of thinness influence women. In this model, women’s cognitive-affective sensitivity to appearance affects how much they attend to cultural standards of thinness. As thinness is a key aspect of appearance, women who anxiously expect, readily perceive, and intensely react to social rejection based on appearance (i.e., women with high appearance-based rejection sensitivity or Appearance RS) will attend to, and hence be susceptible to the influence of, cultural standards of thinness. Appearance RS can be seen as a “hot” reflexive cognitive-affective predisposition (cf. Ayduk et al., 2000; Chow et al., in press; Park, 2007). Women who attend to cultural standards of thinness may differ in their subjective interpretations of such standards. We suggest that the cultural thin ideal will be differentially interpreted by women who believe that social values and standards are fixed (entity world theory) and those who believe that these attributes are malleable (incremental world theory). These lay world theories are empirically independent from self-presentation concerns, intellectual abilities, self-esteem, confidence in other people and the world, political conservatism and liberalism, authoritarianism, and belief in a just world (Dweck et al., 1995a; 1995b; Chiu, Dweck, et al., 1997). As entity world theorists tend to invest in the status quo and regard societal standards as fundamentally important (Chiu, Dweck, et al., 1997), they may readily perceive existing standards of thinness as legitimate. By contrast, incremental world theorists tend to believe that social standards can be altered as individuals work towards principles that should guide the society (e.g., individual rights and liberty) (Chiu, Dweck, et al., 1997). Thus, they may not readily perceive existing standards of thinness as legitimate. Arguably, such standards can undermine people’s right to dignity and liberty. The dignity of many non-super-thin people may be threatened if they are judged based on their weight. Their liberty may be restricted in that conformity to stringent standards of thinness may entail rigid restraint of food intake. We suggest that how much women are affected by societal standards of thinness depends on the perceived legitimacy of these standards. Images of unrealistically thin women in the media exemplify the cultural thin ideal. The inner experiences of ordinary women exposed to these images depend on their subjective interpretations of societal standards. To the extent that they perceive existing standards as legitimate, they will feel obliged to conform to them. Hence, they may compare themselves to thin models they wish to emulate. Such comparison may make them feel more dissatisfied with their own bodies and dampen their self-esteem and mood. To the extent that they doubt the legitimacy of existing standards, they will feel less pressed to conform to them. Hence, thin models will not easily make them feel more dissatisfied with their bodies. Their self-esteem and mood not be easily dampened by such models. We suggest that how much the perceived legitimacy of cultural standards of thinness affects women’s reactions to thin media images depends on their Appearance RS. As high (vs. low) Appearance-RS individuals are more susceptible to the influence of cultural standards of thinness, the perceived legitimacy of such standards should exert greater influence on high (vs. low) Appearance-RS individuals. In sum, we develop an affective-cognitive model that explicates the mechanisms through which cultural standards of thinness influence women. In this model, Appearance RS predisposes women to the influence of societal standards of thinness. Women’s interpretations of such standards affect their experiences. We hypothesize that entity (vs. incremental) world theorists perceive cultural standards of thinness as more legitimate; such differences in the perceived legitimacy of cultural standards will produce distinct reactions to thin media images. This project will systematically test the implications of this model using correlational and experimental approaches. |
| Project Title: | Sensitivity to rejection based on non-conformity to social norms: Implications for the experience of university freshmen living in halls of residence |
| Investigator(s): | Poon CSK |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 06/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| Social norms are expectations or standards of behaviors within a social group. They are socially approved ways of how one is expected to act in a group setting. Different social norms may prevail in different social groups. Hong Kong secondary school graduates transitioning to local universities, for instance, are often exposed to norms of their new social groups (e.g., students belonging to the same residential hall) which may be different from those prevalent in their secondary schools. Shouting slogans at orientations camps, for example, is a norm prevalent in some university-based social groups. People may differ in how they respond to social norms. Whereas some people closely attend to social norms in their environment and conscientiously conform to them, some do not. People’s emotions associated with their conformity to norms may also differ. As to be elaborated, we propose that individual differences in sensitivity to rejection based on non-conformity to social norms (i.e., norm-based rejection sensitivity or norm-based RS) can explain inter-individual variations in responses to social norms within a group. High norm-based RS individuals are those who possess both anxious concerns and expectations about being rejected by a group (or some members of a group) if they do not conform to norms of the group. Our conceptualization of norm-based RS is modeled after Downey and Feldman’s (1996) more general construct of personal rejection sensitivity (personal-RS). Personal-RS is as a general tendency to anxiously expect rejection from others. In the personal-RS scale, participants are asked to imagine themselves making requests of others (e.g., family members, romantic partners, and friends). For each scenario, participants indicate their anxious concerns and expectations of rejections (i.e., requests being turned down by others) (Downey & Feldman, 1996). Personal-RS has been linked to individual differences in the experience of intimate relationships and their resolutions (Ayduk et al., 2001; Downey & Feldman, 1996). While norm-based RS and personal-RS are conceptually related to some degree, we expect that norm-based RS can predict unique inter-individual variations in social information processing and emotions within a group context, beyond and above personal-RS, because of its reference to group norms. The first objective of the proposed research is to develop a scale that measures individual differences in norm-based RS. The internal consistency, convergent validity, divergent validity, and test-retest reliability of this measure will be empirically evaluated. Our second objective is to examine the relation of norm-based RS to social information processing within a group context. In the proposed research, we choose to focus on university freshmen’s experiences in their halls of residence. Residential halls provide a fairly novel group context for us to assess how pre-existing individual differences in norm-based RS among university freshmen influence their processing of incoming norm-related information during their first weeks in a new group environment. We suggest that high norm-based RS individuals process norm-related social information differently from low norm-based RS individuals. To avoid rejection due to non-conformity, high (vs. low) norm-based RS individuals may more eagerly seek out expected standards of behavior and more closely attend to norm-related information early on in their stay in the residential halls. As a result, high (vs. low) norm-based RS individuals may possess better knowledge of social norms, implicit or explicit, of their residential halls. Furthermore, high norm-based RS individuals may frequently monitor how well their behaviors conform to such norms. As a self-monitoring strategy, high (vs. low) norm-based RS individuals may engage in more frequent social comparisons of how well they live up to norms of their residential halls relative to their hallmates. These possibilities will be tested. Our third objective is to examine the relation of norm-based RS to emotional well-being within a group context. Again, we focus on the emotional well-being of university freshmen living in residential halls. We intend to evaluate whether pre-existing differences in norm-based RS, measured before their move into the residential halls, predict their emotional well-being towards the end of their first year in their residential halls. We suggest that, to avoid rejection due to non-conformity, high (vs. low) norm-based RS individuals may be more prone to follow social norms of the residential halls, even when these norms are inconsistent with their own preferences. With time, high (vs. low) norm-based RS individuals may more feel alienated from their true selves and more stressed due to incongruence between their overt behaviors and true preferences. These negative emotions may lead them to devalue the quality of their experience in the residential halls: High (vs. low) norm-based RS individuals may evaluate the quality of their friendship with hallmates less favorably and value hall education less. By contrast, low (vs. high) norm-based RS individuals may be less prone to follow social norms inconsistent with their true preferences. Hence, low (vs. high) norm-based RS individuals are less likely to be faced with the negative emotional consequences of behaving incongruently with their true preferences. These possibilities will be explored in the proposed research. In sum, the objectives of the proposed research are as follows: (1) To develop a questionnaire that measures individual differences in norm-based rejection sensitivity (i.e., norm-based RS) (2) To examine the relation of norm-based RS to social information processing within a group context (3) To examine the relation of norm-based RS to emotional well-being within a group context |
| Project Title: | The Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Norm-based rejection sensitivity: Its affective, behavioral, and cognitive concomitants when personal preferences collide with social norms |
| Investigator(s): | Poon CSK |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 01/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 01/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | Susceptibility to normative social influence: The role of relative cognitive accessibility of internal versus external routes to social acceptance |
| Investigator(s): | Poon CSK |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 06/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| Normative social influence occurs when people conform to a group’s social norms (i.e., implicit or explicit rules of behaviors a group has for its members) in order to be accepted by others. Normative conformity often leads to public compliance (or overt change in behavior), without private (or genuine) acceptance of the group’s social norms. Psychologists have demonstrated that people conform to a group’s social norms due to their concern about how they will be seen by others in the group (Asch, 1955). Psychologists have also identified some situations under which people are more likely to conform to normative pressures. For example, conformity will increase when the number of people in a group increases, or when the group is personally important to an individual (Latane, 1981). While normative conformity has been thought to be motivated by people’s fundamental need for social acceptance, the role of people’s perception of the bases of social acceptance in normative conformity has not been systematically investigated. This project aims to fill this gap in the literature. People in general are motivated to gain social acceptance (Baumeister & Leary, 1997). We propose that their susceptibility to normative social influence depends on their perception of the bases of social acceptance. Most people know, at some level, that social acceptance may be contingent on a variety of factors. Some of these factors are relatively external in that they represent relatively superficial aspects of the self that are readily observable by other people and dependent on others’ evaluations (e.g., an attractive physical appearance, public compliance to overt standards of behavior). By contrast, some factors are relatively internal in that they represent intrinsic, core, abstract aspects of the self or are not highly dependent on others’ opinions (e.g., moral adequacy, virtues such as kindness and understanding towards others). At any time, the relative cognitive accessibility of internal (versus external) routes to social acceptance may naturally vary among people (Poon, Ip, & Chan, 2009). Accessibility refers to the ease with which knowledge is retrieved (Higgins, 1996). Research has shown that the accessibility of relevant knowledge structures influences people’s interpretations and reactions in the social world (Chun, Poon, & Ip, 2010; Dweck et al., 1995a; 1995b; Jain et al., 2009; Kammrath & Dweck, 2006; Levy et al., 1998; Plaks et al., 2001; Poon & Koehler, 2006; 2008). In a similar vein, we suggest that the relative accessibility of internal (vs. external) routes to social acceptance will influence how people navigate in the social world. Different routes to a goal are substitutable for each other (Kruglanski, 1996; Poon, Pang, & Yu, 2008). Conceivably, when the relative cognitive accessibility of internal routes to social acceptance is low, the accessibility of external routes will be relatively high. People readily see social acceptance as primarily contingent on public compliance to prevailing behavioral standards. Conversely, when the relative cognitive accessibility of internal routes to social acceptance is high, the accessibility of external routes will be relatively low. People readily see that their social acceptability is not primarily dependent on their overt compliance to prevailing group norms, as they are highly cognizant of internal routes to social acceptance. As people see that social acceptance is highly contingent on overt compliance to prevailing norms when the relative accessibility of intrinsic routes is low (vs. high), we hypothesize that they will be more susceptible to normative social influence under condition of low (vs. high) relative accessibility of internal routes. To the extent that the relative cognitive accessibility of internal versus external routes to social acceptance is amenable to manipulation, we further hypothesize that increasing the relative cognitive accessibility of internal routes to social acceptance will reduce people’s susceptibility to normative social influence. These hypotheses will be tested in this project. Objectives in point form: (1) To test the hypothesis that people whose relative cognitive accessibility of internal routes to social acceptance is low (vs. high; as we measure it) are more susceptible to normative social influence (2) To examine the possibility that experimentally increasing the relative cognitive accessibility of internal routes to social acceptance will attenuate people’s susceptibility to normative social influence |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan H.K.G., Poon C.S.K. and Ip G.W.M., Rejection concerns and beliefs about thinness norms accentuate effects of thin-ideal images, Annual Meeting of the Association for Psychological Science, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. 2010. |
| Chun Y.M.R., Poon C.S.K., Ip G.W.M. and Yip C.W.K., On attitudes toward fat people: Linking lay theories of social norms to explicit attitudes toward violators of norms, Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. 2010. |
| Poon C.S.K., Yip C.W.K. and Ip G.W.M., Norm-based rejection sensitivity: Its affective, behavioral, and cognitive concomitants when personal preferences collide with social norms, Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. 2010. |
| Researcher : Poon KT |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chen Z., Cheng C.T. and Poon K.T., The quest for personal-relational equilibrium: Anti- versus pro-social responses to ostracism, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Poon K.T. and Chen Z., The body is in pain, So is the mind, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Researcher : Saunders JA |
| Project Title: | Perception of 3D slant from texture and stereoscopic depth cues |
| Investigator(s): | Saunders JA |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 01/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| A rich variety of visual cues are available for perceiving the 3D structure of objects and scenes. The availability of multiple cues raises the question of how information from different sources is integrated. Bayesian statistical estimation provides a theoretical approach for understanding integration of multiple cues. Bayesian estimation takes into account the uncertainties associated with different sensory cues to obtain a statistically most likely estimate of a property (Landy, Maloney, Johnston, Young, 1995). Such models has been found to provide a good account for the relative perceptual weighting of different sensory cues in combined cue stimuli (eg, Ernst & Banks, 2002; Knill & Saunders, 2003; Hillis, Watt, Landy & Banks, 2004; Alais & Burr, 2004; Saunders & Backus, 2006). A Bayesian model can also potentially account for another general phenomena in 3D perception: perceptual compression of depth. Across a range of 3D attributes, the depth dimension tends to appear compressed relative to frontal dimensions (for review, see Foley (1980) or Norman, Todd, Perroti & Tittle (1996)). Perceptual compression of depth tends to increase with viewing distance (Ono & Commerford, 1977; Johnston, 1991; Norman et al, 1996), and more generally when depth information is poor (Gogel, 1960). For example, perceived depth from a single depth cue is more compressed than when multiple depth cues are available (Bulthoff, 1991; Tassinari, Domini & Caudek, 2008). To account for perceptual compression in the Bayesian framework, one would assume a prior function that is biased toward frontal orientations (eg, Hillis et al, 2004). When such a prior is combined with sensory information about surface slant, the result would be biased, and the amount of bias would depend on the reliability of the sensory cue. Thus, the influence of a biased prior can qualitatively explain the general phenomenon of perceptual compression of depth. The proposed studies will provide a quantitative test of this hypothesis. Across a range of conditions, I will measure both the reliability of sensory cues and the amount of perceptual compression of depth. If perceptual compression of depth is due to the influence of a biased prior, the amount of compression should vary predictably as a function of the measured reliability of sensory cues. I will specifically test perception of 3D surface slant (the orientation of a surface relative to the line of sight), in conditions where slant information is provided by texture gradients, stereoscopic depth cues, or both texture and stereo. The experiments will vary a number of factors that are known to affect these cues: viewing distance, size of field of view, amount of surface slant, and type of surface texture. This research will measure the effect of these factors on both perceptual bias and slant discrimination, in consistent and comparable conditions. Objectives: • Measure the bias in perceived 3D surface slant from texture and stereo cues, across a range of viewing conditions. • Test whether a Bayesian model of sensory cue integration can account for perceptual biases. |
| Project Title: | Is optic flow used in an optimal manner for perception of heading and control of walking? |
| Investigator(s): | Saunders JA |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 01/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) Test the contribution of optic flow to locomotion across changes in visual environment and stimulus duration. 2) Test whether optic flow and non-visual self-motion cues are integrated in a statistically optimal manner, both for perception of self-motion and for control of locomotion. 3) Compare walking performance and perceptual judgments of self-motion for closely matched conditions. |
| Project Title: | 10th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society Rotation Is Used To Perceive Path Curvature From Optic Flow |
| Investigator(s): | Saunders JA |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 05/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 05/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Li W.O., Saunders J.A. and Li L., Recruitment Of A Novel Cue For Active Control Depends On Task Dynamics, In: Andrew Watson, Journal Of Vision. 2009, 9 (10): 9. |
| Saunders J.A., Rotation is used to perceive path curvature from optic flow, Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. 2010. |
| Researcher : So AWO |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lam S.F., Wong P.H., Lam M. and So A.W.O., Enhancing social cognitions and skills: Evaluation of an intervention program with randomized field experimental design, The Hong Kong Psychological Society Conference. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Researcher : Tam KP |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Tam K.P., Pak T.S., Hui H.C.C., Kwan S.O. and Goh M., Implicit person theories and change in teacher evaluation: A longitudinal field study., Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 2010, 40: 273-286. |
| Researcher : Tang JCY |
| Project Title: | Exploring Developmental Dyscalculia in Hong Kong |
| Investigator(s): | Tang JCY |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 01/2008 |
| Completion Date: | 09/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| The ability to deal efficiently with numbers is extremely important in our everyday life. Whilst most of us take this ability for granted, Western research suggests that up to 6.5% of the population suffer from developmental dyscalculia, a condition characterized by a lack of intuitive grasp of numbers or simple number concepts and a weak ability to acquire arithmetic skills. This condition appears to be congenital and persists into adulthood. Poor numeracy is a serious handicap both in the workplace and in everyday life. Adults with poor numeracy are more likely to be unemployed, depressed, or get arrested than normal individuals and those with poor literacy skills (Parsons & Bynner, 2005). Children with dyscalculia are often labelled as “lazy” or “uncooperative”. They also report anguish during mathematics classes and feeling stupid (Bevan & Butterworth, forthcoming). Compared to some Western countries, there is a lack of recognition and hence an absence of research on dyscalculia in Hong Kong (HK). This lack of awareness in the general public and among professionals – teachers and clinicians – leaves many sufferers undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Consequently, there is a desperate need for standardized tests to be developed, allowing an efficient and accurate assessment of numerical abilities and deficits. The proposed research will raise awareness of dyscalculia in the general public and help reduce the stigma attached to sufferers. The proposed research also aims to (1) examine basic numerical capacities in normally-achieving children, (2) study the developmental trends of numerical abilities (e.g., at what age do signs of automatic access to numerical magnitudes emerge), (3) identify children with specific difficulties with numbers and related concepts, and (4) pinpoint the underlying deficits which lead to poor mathematics achievements in these children. Existing dyscalculia screening protocols used in the West consist of both linguistic and non-linguistic tasks (e.g., Butterworth, 2003; Landerl et al., 2004; Iuculano et al., under revision), which can be adapted for the HK population. However, the proposed study is not a mere replication of Western research. Specific considerations in terms of experimental design will be made to suit the local population. Although fundamental numerical capacities (e.g., distinguishing between larger and small set sizes), are believed to be innate and universal across countries, research has indicated differences in mathematics performance. Normally-developing children aged between 5 and 10 in East Asian countries, such as Taiwan and Japan, have superior mathematics performance compared to Western children (e.g., Stevenson et al., 1986, 1993; Stevenson & Stigler, 1992) and this differential performance may, in part, be due the differences in the language-specific cognitive representation of numbers (Resnick & Ford, 1981; Miura, 1987). Since mathematics performance relies heavily on the mastering and use of symbolic numerals, it is reasonable to expect an earlier grasp of symbolic numerals in Asian children compared to their Western counterparts. In an Italian sample, children at the age of 8 start to show signs of automatic access to number semantics (meanings), but it is not until age 10 when they achieve the level of automaticity comparable to adults (Girelli et al., 2000; Tang et al., 2006). It is therefore not surprising that research in Western countries on dyscalculia often employ children of around 8-9 years old (e.g., Landerl et al., 2004; Iuculano et al., under revision). In contrast, recent research has shown that mainland Chinese children as young as 5 years old begin to show signs of automatic access to number semantics (Zhou et al., 2007). The proposed study will investigate, in HK children, the age at which automaticity emerges and at which it reaches maturity. In the proposed study, tasks will tap the capacities in dealing with approximate quantities (e.g., dot estimation), exact numerosities (e.g., dot comparison), and symbolic numerals (e.g., number comparison). Recent research in Britain suggests that dyscalculics have specific deficits in their “number module” which is specialized for recognizing and mentally manipulating exact numerosities. Moreover, dyscalculic children’s deficit in dealing with numerosities is distinct from the problem displayed by children with low numeracy who show poor understanding of symbolic numerals. With respect to approximate quantity tasks, the performance of children with dyscalculia or low numeracy does not differ from that of normally-achieving children (Iuculano et al., under revision). The proposed project focuses on the investigation into the aforementioned capacities in HK children and the identification of those with deficits in one or more of these areas. Dyscalculic and suspected cases will be followed up and tested at regular intervals to determine whether their condition persists or improves over time. Another goal of the study is to develop a cost- and time-effective way of studying numerical capacities and deficits. The majority of tasks will be computer-based and both online and offline versions will be made available. This way, researchers can make use of existing computing facilities at schools, administering tasks to a number of children simultaneously. A web-based battery of tests will also facilitate future research. Large-scale studies with children and adults can be carried out over internet in supervised/unsupervised conditions, enabling the collection of large amount of data for the development of a standardized screening protocol for dyscalculia. With a representative sample, an accurate prevalence rate of dyscalculia can be established in HK. The online tasks can also be used in collaboration with researchers abroad for comparison studies. The proposed study will act as the first systematic investigation into developmental dyscalculia in HK, providing a clear picture of the capacities and deficits of normally-developing children and children who have specific problems with numbers and related concepts. This project will serve as the basis for the development of a standardized screening protocol for dyscalculia. The findings will help raise public awareness of the condition and change the misconceptions surrounding the dyscalculic children. They will also bring about a significant impact on teaching methods and educational policies and shed new light on to design of more appropriate intervention programmes. Children will benefit from, not only a more suitable education of mathematics, but also a more supportive environment. The recognition of this condition will help elevate the self-esteem of these children. |
| Project Title: | 19th World Congress of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions Developing a Web-based Testing Platform for the Identification of Developmental Dyscalculia |
| Investigator(s): | Tang JCY |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 06/2010 |
| Completion Date: | 06/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Development of Automaticity in Two-digit Number Processing, 22nd Annual Convention, Association for Psychological Science. Boston, USA, 2010. |
| Chan W.L., Au T.K.F. and Tang J.C.Y., Poster Title: Developmental Changes in Automatic Two-digit Number Processing, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Cheng G., Tang J.C.Y. and Cappelletti M., Poster Title: Processing Order and Quantity Information in the Healthy and Dysfunctional Brain: A TMS Study, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Tang J.C.Y., Developing a Web-based Testing Platform for the Identification of Developmental Dyscalculia, Chinese Medical Journal. 2010, 123(2): 283. |
| Tang J.C.Y., Developing a Web-based Testing Platform for the Identification of Developmental Dyscalculia, The 19th World Congress of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions and the 6th Congress of the Asian Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions. 2010. |
| Tang J.C.Y., Explaining Poor Arithmetic with Developmental Dyscalculia and Mathematics Anxiety, National Taichung University. 2010. |
| Tang J.C.Y., Imaging Number-form Synaesthesia, National Taichung University. 2010. |
| Tang J.C.Y. and Chan N.Y., Poster Title: Teasing Apart the Effects of Maths and Test Anxiety on Arithmetic Performance, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Tang J.C.Y., Leung S.C., Ying K.H.D., Li W.M. and Chan W.L., Poster Title: The Left-digit Effect in Price and Date Perception, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Tang J.C.Y. and Sham M.Y.J., Poster Title: The Musical Stroop Effect in Adult and Child Pianists, Hong Kong Psychological Society Annual Conference. 2010. |
| Researcher : Tseng C |
| Project Title: | Object Recognition in Motion |
| Investigator(s): | Tseng C |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 06/2009 |
| Completion Date: | 09/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| There are several categories of perceptual experience associated with objects in motion. When an object moves very slowly, such as the moon moving across the night sky, we are not aware of the motion even though we can clearly see the object. As the speed of an object increases, we begin to perceive motion. When we see a strolling cat, a child riding a bicycle, or a leaf blowing in the wind, we recognize the object while also having a clear sense of its motion. Beyond a certain speed, objects become blurred but we still can perceive their motion, as occurs when riding in a train and a second train passes in the opposite direction on an adjacent track. A class of phenomena termed “motion standstill,” distinct from the perceptual experiences mentioned above, provides valuable information about the limits of both human motion and pattern computations. In motion standstill, an observer perceives a pattern that is moving quite rapidly as being motionless while its details are clearly visible. The significance of motion standstill is that it demonstrates that the pattern-recognition system can produce a single, stable perceptual image from a changing sequence of images that represent movement. This principle as a goal of human pattern recognition was clearly enunciated by Lu, Lesmes, & Sperling (1999). A theory for the circumstances under which the (third-order) motion system would fail but pattern recognition might easily succeed and thereby produce the phenomenon of motion standstill. Earlier reports had concentrated on motion standstill as a failure of motion perception—which of course it is. But failure of motion perception in itself is an incomplete account of the phenomenon. Motion perception must fail, yes, but concurrently, pattern recognition must succeed. That a sequence of rapidly translating images can provide the perception of a stable, motionless object, is the remarkable aspect of the phenomenon of motion standstill. Most reports on standstill in literature were by-products of observations made from other aspects of motion (previous standstill reports), possibly because the circumstances for observing it were not fully understood. Recent theory in human motion systems has made it possible to isolate each individual motion system with psychophysical methods and define the optimal spatial-temporal ranges to observe motion standstill in first, second, and third-order motion displays (Lu et al, 1999; Lu et al, 2004; Tseng et al, 2006). These studies provide inspiring answers to why motion appears stopped during motion standstill, but the issue of how the parallel shape, pattern, and color systems survive has not been addressed directly. The goal of this study is to provide this missing piece of information and to characterize how our color and shape/pattern recognition systems efficiently integrate, segment, and maintain a unified percept of moving objects with perceptual motion standstill phenomenon. |
| Project Title: | 32nd European Conference on Visual Perception (1) Selective attention modulates motion speed learning by suppressing visible irrelevant stimuli (2) Two separate mechanisms in motion speed learning revealed by task difficulty manipulation |
| Investigator(s): | Tseng C |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 08/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| Project Title: | Noise Exclusion Ability in 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month-old Infants |
| Investigator(s): | Tseng C |
| Department: | Psychology |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 02/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| Visual development provides the foundation for interpreting the environment around us . However, the visual sense is the most immature of the senses in newborns. Newborns see objects such as their parents in a blur, much like nearsighted adults, but they demonstrate an ingenuous preference for novel stimuli. Visual system undergoes rapid development the first year of life and continues to improve over many years to adult levels and eventually dominates other sensory systems that are mature at birth (Teller, 1997). The stimuli that evoke visual experience promote brain growth and development. For infants with developmental abnormality, visual input is limited or distorted; consequently, they are at risk for long-term disorders such as amblyopia or impairment in reading such as dyslexia, detected at later stages of life. Recent studies have suggested noise exclusion is a general ability that limits our spatial attention and perceptual learning ability, and may contribute to the etiology of life-long disorders such as dyslexia and amblyopia. Noise exclusion involves optimizing a perceptual filter so that signals are processed and noise is excluded. Evidence from young children and adults has shown that individuals with reading problems have difficulty excluding noise (Brady et al, 1983; Sperling et al., 2005, 2006, 2008; Ziegler et al, 2005). The results of partial recovery of adult amblyopes’ visual ability after enhancing their noise exclusion ability in a visual task are encouraging (Zhou, 2006; Huang, et al., 2008). They show the potential to develop an effective intervention with a simple visual learning task looks promising. The goals of the proposed study are twofold. First, we want to explore whether the deficits of noise exclusion can be detected within the first few months after birth. Reports mentioned above were mainly from individuals who are diagnosed due to their below-average performance after school age. It is naturally desirable to develop an assessment to allow early detection and intervention. Secondly, our existing knowledge about perceptual development mainly comes from investigating stimuli without noise. Our proposed study stimuli will be embedded within noise from which we hope may serve a building block for investigating more complex forms of visual inhibition. The major challenges in our proposed study of infant vision are: (1) the limited ways we have at our disposal to communicate with interested observers, and (2) the maturational process in infant visual systems (including muscles, organs, neural system maturity) needs to be considered in full. For (1), the Co-PI is an expert in infant testing, and has extensive experiences in using a “Forced-choice Preferential Looking (FPL)” paradigm, which will be adopted in this series of experiments (details in next section). For (2), our stimuli will be graded according to the visual information processing mode which predicts changes in maturational level of the visual system, so that the results may be easily compared with the existing observations in clear display. In summary, our research team consists of capable research staff and tried and trusted research methods to tackle the important issue of visual development. The proposed study seeks to accomplish the following objectives: 1. To develop visual acuity stimuli embedded in visual noise to test infants’ noise-exclusion ability. 2. To develop visual motion stimuli embedded in visual noise to test infants’ noise-exclusion ability. 3. To study the developmental trajectory of infants’ noise-exclusion ability in the first years of life (in 3, 6, 9, and 12 month intervals). In addition, this proposed research will provide educational and research training for several part-time research assistants and under/graduate students. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chou P. and Tseng C., Art therapy in Taiwan in the mew millennium, Taiwanese Journal of Art Therapy. 2009, 1(2): 15-31. |
| Huang Y., Chou T. and Tseng C., Two separate mechanisms in motion speed learning revealed by task difficulty manipulation, Perception 38 ECVP Abstract Supplement, page 100. 2009. |
| Kanai R., Walsh V. and Tseng C., Subjective discriminability of invisibility: A framework for distinguishing perceptual and attentional failures of awareness. Consciousness and Cognition, Consciousness and Cognition. 2010. |
| Tseng C., A psychophyscial approach to study unconcisous perception, Department of Psychology, National Cheng-chi University, Taipei, Taiwan. 2009. |
| Tseng C., Vidnyánszky Z., Papathomas T. and Sperling G., Attention-based long-lasting sensitization and suppression of colors. , Vision Research. 2009. |
| Tseng C., How the poor (psychologists) study human brain?, Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. 2010. |
| Tseng C., Out of sight, out of mind? - a psychophysical study on visual disappearance., Graduate Institute of Neural and Cognitive Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. 2010. |
| Wang S.W. and Tseng C., Selective attention modulates motion speed learning by suppressing visible irrelevant stimuli, Perception 38 ECVP Abstract Supplement, page 138. 2009, 38. |
| Researcher : Tsoi WLR |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Kam C.M., Havighurst S.S., Fung M.S. and Tsoi W.L.R., Implementing an Emotion Coaching Parenting Program in Hong Kong, China: Some Preliminary Findings, 2012 Society for Prevention Research (SPR) 18th Annual Meeting, Denver, USA. 2010. |
| Researcher : Wong CPY |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Ho M.Y., Chak Y.T.C., Yip Y.F. and Wong C.P.Y., Hope Stories Volumes 1 - 3. 希望故事系列 1 – 3册, Hong Kong Christian Service; School of Public Health, HKU, 2010, 1-3. |
| Researcher : Wong PH |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lam S.F., Wong P.H., Lam M. and So A.W.O., Enhancing social cognitions and skills: Evaluation of an intervention program with randomized field experimental design, The Hong Kong Psychological Society Conference. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Lam S.F., Jimerson S., Basnett J., Cefai C., Duck R., Farrell P., Hatzichristou C., Kikas E., Liu Y., Negovan V., Nelson B., Polychroni F., Shin H., Stanculescu E., Veiga F.H., Wong P.H., Yang H. and Zollneritsch J., Exploring student engagement in schools internationally: A collaborative international study yields further insights, A Symposium at the 31st Annual International School Psychology Association Colloquium, Malta. 2009. |
| Lam S.F., Wong P.H., Leung D., Ho D. and Au-yeung P., How Parents Perceive and Feel about Participation in Community Activities: The Comparison between Parents of Preschoolers with and without Autism, The 30th Annual International School Psychology Association Colloquium. Utrecht, Netherlands, 2009. |
| Researcher : Wong PH |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Lam S.F., Wong P.H., Lam M. and So A.W.O., Enhancing social cognitions and skills: Evaluation of an intervention program with randomized field experimental design, The Hong Kong Psychological Society Conference. Hong Kong, 2010. |
| Lam S.F., Jimerson S., Basnett J., Cefai C., Duck R., Farrell P., Hatzichristou C., Kikas E., Liu Y., Negovan V., Nelson B., Polychroni F., Shin H., Stanculescu E., Veiga F.H., Wong P.H., Yang H. and Zollneritsch J., Exploring student engagement in schools internationally: A collaborative international study yields further insights, A Symposium at the 31st Annual International School Psychology Association Colloquium, Malta. 2009. |
| Lam S.F., Wong P.H., Leung D., Ho D. and Au-yeung P., How Parents Perceive and Feel about Participation in Community Activities: The Comparison between Parents of Preschoolers with and without Autism, The 30th Annual International School Psychology Association Colloquium. Utrecht, Netherlands, 2009. |
| Researcher : Zhao M |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Zhao M. and Hayward W.G., Holistic processing underlies gender judgments of faces, Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics. 2010, 72: 591-596. |
| Researcher : Zhou N |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Zhou N., Lam S.F. and Chan K.C., Solving the Chinese classroom paradox: A cross-cultural comparison on teacher's controlling behaviors, The 22nd Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science. Boston, USA, 2010. |