Yian Xu

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I have received my Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Northeastern University, Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University, and B.A. in French Language and Literature from Peking University. 

My research takes a cross-cultural and developmental approach to examine how people intuitively make sense of the world, and how it affects decision-making in criminal justice and mental health: 

  • Social Cognition
  • Early Childhood Development
  • Intuitive Biology Thinking
  • Psychological Essentialism
  • Psychology and Law

I am committed to helping undergraduate and graduate students (especially women and those from diverse/minority/underrepresented backgrounds) to build research/teaching experience: 

  • First-Year Scholar Program
  • Sophomore Scholar Program
  • Summer Undergraduate Research Program
  • Undergraduate Research Assistant
  • Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
  • Capstone Research Project
  • Honors Thesis
  • Volunteer Research Assistant

Check out departmental resources/instructions for student research opportunities: 

https://radow.kennesaw.edu/psychscience/resources/general.php

Please plan ahead and contact me at least one semester in advance (yxu11@kennesaw.edu) to discuss potential research opportunities with me. For example, if you are interested in research opportunities in Spring 2025, you should contact me no later than October 2024 to make sure you meet the departmental deadline for URA applications.  

I am currently not recruiting graduate research assistants. 

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