Animacy and Intentionality (03.2009-present)

This project is composed of two sub-projects:

• How can we perceive animacy in complex context, e.g. with obstables all around?

Director:  Brian Scholl &  Tao Gao (Yale University)

In most daily cases, the objects that we perceive as animate are embedded in complex contexts, and veer frequently to avoid collisions. In what motion patterns can we generate the strongest animate impression to moving objects? Does our perception of animacy follow universal principles regardless of complexity of the context?
I designed a series of experiments by utilizing the "Find-The-Wolf" paradigm (Gao T. et al., 2009), which provides rigorous measurement to perception of animacy. Also, I programmed for all three experiments in Matlab Psychtoolbox(demo), collected and analyzed data at Zhejiang University.  We are currently pushing this project ahead.

• Will perception of intentionality affect downstream cognitive process?

Scientists used to consider higher-level mental constructs as results of lower-level percepts such as continuity in time and space. However, I what to find out whether this process can be somehow reversed! Will percepts of intentionality distort lower-level spatial and temporal properties? How can we explain away such interactive nature between different levels of cognitive process?
As my independent research, I designed several experiments and programmed to examine my assumptions. I am conducting pilot studies at Zhejiang University. Please keep a close eye on this project!
   

Summer Internships at NKLHF (07.2009-09.2009 & 07.2010-09.2010)

Directors: Mowei Shen

I participated in cognitive research projects in both summers at the National Key Laboratory of Human Factors. Despite fulfilling daily work as a research assistant, such as:

• Preparing and standardize  stimuli, running subjects, maintaining equipments, etc.

I also read a wide range of literatures and joined regular discussions in the following projects:

• How shared attention is influenced by unconscious inference based on information from social context.
• How objects are represented in short-time memory.

       

Retrieving 3-D Structure from 2-D Image (06.2009-present)

Directors: Mowei Shen 
Funded by: National Innovative Program of Undergraduate Research (of 120 projects nationwidely)

Intrigued by the complexity and effortlessness of vision process, we originally compared some "mysterious" components of 2-D image to "creases", and designed experiments to examine how "creases" are unfolded into 3-D structure when provided context information, in spite of the ambiguity of 2-D images itself.
              

Interaction of Cognition and Emotion (05.2009-05.2010)

Director: Mowei Shen
Funded by: Student Research Training Program (Zhejiang University)
First-Class Award in College of Science, Zhejiang University

Interested in interaction between cognition and emotion, my team members and I conducted one research project to see whether perception of velocity can be altered when primed by a fearful face. We designed and modified our experiment into several editions. Although no significant result was produced in the end, our scientific attitudes are still recognized by the award committee.
                        

Independent Research in Courses on Social Psychology & Psychometrics

• Forgiveness, Regulatory Focus, and Mood (05.2010-06.2010)

My colleague and I conducted one field experiment to see whether fit between regulatory focus and forgiveness (Santelli et al., 2009) is resulted from apologizee's instant mood, which is primed by recalling promotive/preventive life events before being apologized.  Our research was highly applauded by Prof. Zheng, teacher of social psychology course. 

• Psychometrics: the Procrastination Assessment Scale for University Students (11.2009-01.2010)

My team and I developed the Procrastination Assessment Scale for University Students(PASUS) all by ourselves, a norm-referenced scale with good internal reliability and construct validity for measuring procrastination inclination among Chinese university students.