Education background

Visiting Fellow, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University       

Ph.D., Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

M.A., School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University

B.S., School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University

Work Experience

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

List of project
1.A longitudinal study of the contributions of phonological processing to mathematics development in kindergarten children(PI)
Nov. 2019-Nov.2022
2.Different contributions of cognitive profiles to fractions of Chinese primary children: A cross-sectional study (PI)
Collaborator: Jon Star, Harvard University           Jan.2017-June.2019
3.How do phonological awareness, phonological memory, and RAN contribute to early arithmetic of young children? The mediation effect of early numeracy knowledge (Co-I)
Collaborator: Catherine McBride, Direct Grant of the Chinese University of Hong Kong   
Jun.2018-June.2019
4.An eye movement exploration of the visual factors during fatigue driving (PI)
Supervisor: Xuemin Zhang, National Undergraduate Innovation Program            Nov.2011-Mar.2013
5.The aging effect of task switching (PI)
Supervisor: Dahua Wang, BNU Undergraduate Innovation Research Grant          
Nov.2010-Mar.2012

List of papers

1.    Dang, X. X., Chen, Y. H.,& Yang, X. J.(2020). Distinguishing between High-confidence True and False Memories: Evidence from Eye Movements.Australian Journal of Psychology.

2.    Yang, X. J.& Zhang, X. (2020). Dissociated contributions of cognitive profiles to symbolic and non-symbolic mathematics.Early Childhood Research Quarterly.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.04.003

3.    Wu, H.,Yang, X.,Chen, Y. (2020). How do Working Memory and Inhibition Contribute to the SNARC Effect in Chinese School-aged Children?Cognitive Development.

4.    Yang, X. J.& Meng, X. Z. (2020). How does visual processing contribute to reading and mathematics of Chinese young children?Frontiers in Psychology.Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00462

5.    Wong, S. W. L., Zheng, M., Cheung, H.,Yang, X. J.,Ho, C. S. H., McBride, C. (2020).The effect of twinning on Chinese and English vocabulary development. Child Development. doi:10.1111/cdev.13400

6.    Yang, X. J., & McBride, C. (2020). Phonological processing matters in early Chinese reading and mathematics.Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2020.1771679

7.    Yang, X. J., McBride, C., Ho, C. S. H., & Chung, C. C. (2019). Longitudinal associations of phonological processing skills, Chinese word reading, and arithmetic.Reading and Writing.doi: 10.1007/s11145-019-09998-9

8.    Yang, X. J., Chung, C. C., & McBride, C. (2019). The contributions of executive functioning and visual-spatial skills to Chinese children’s mathematical learning.Educational Psychology.1,1-27. doi: 10.1080/01443410.2018.1546831

9.    Yang, X. J., Peng, P., & Meng, X. Z. (2019). The Domain-general Precursors of Chinese Reading Acquisition in Beginning Readers: The Mediation Effect of Domain-specific Factors.Frontiers in Psychology. 9, 1-13.doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02670

10.   Yang, X. J., Peng, P., & Meng, X. (2019). How do metalinguistic awareness, working memory, reasoning, and inhibition contribute to Chinese character reading of kindergarten children?. Infant and Child Development, e2122. doi:10.1002/icd.2122

11.   Li, H., Booth, J. R., Bélanger, N. N…Yang, X. J… & Liu, L. (2018). Structural correlates of literacy difficulties in the second language: Evidence from Mandarin-speaking children learning English. NeuroImage.179, 288-297. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.06.037.

12.   Cheung, S. K.,Yang, X. J.,Dulay, K. M., & McBride, C. (2018). Family and individual variables associated with young Filipino children's numeracy interest and competence. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 36(2), 334-353. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12222

13.   Peng, P.#, Yang, X. J.#(Co-first author),& Meng, X. (2017). The relation between approximate number system and early arithmetic: The mediation role of numerical knowledge. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 157, 111-124.

14.   Feng, X., Li, L., Zhang, M.,Yang, X.,Tian, M., Xie, W.,.. & Ding, G. (2017). Dyslexic children show atypical cerebellar activation and cerebro-cerebellar functional connectivity in orthographic and phonological processing. Cerebellum, 16(2), 496-507.

15.   Yang, X. J.& Meng, X. Z. (2016). Dissociation between exact and approximate addition in developmental dyslexia.Research in Developmental Disabilities, 56,139-152. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.05.018

16.   Yang, X. J.,Han, Y. G., & Wang, D. H. (2013). The aging effect of task switching.Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 11(3), 359-366. [杨秀杰, 韩雨歌, &王大华. (2013). 任务切换的老化效应. 心理与行为研究, 11(3), 359-366.] (CSSCI)

17.     *Yang, X. J.& Feng, Y. N. (2013). Effects of negative emotion and gender difference on task switching.Chinese Mental Health Journal, 27(5), 396-400. [*杨秀杰&冯亚楠. (2013). 消极情绪对任务切换的作用及其性别差异. 中国心理卫生杂志, 27(5), 396-400.] (CSSCI)

Lecturer (2020-Now)

Educational Psychology, Beijing Normal University (in Chinese, 2020. 9-now)

Teaching assistant (2012-2018)

Statistics Consultation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (in English, 2018.7-2019.2)

Statistics Consultation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (in English, 2017.9-2018.1)

Psychological Testing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (in English, 2016.12-2017.4)

Teaching Struggling Readers Around The World (K-12), Canvas Network MOOC (in English, 2019)

Abnormal Child Psychology, Peking University (in Chinese, 2015.9-2016.1)

Experimental Child Psychology, Peking University (in Chinese, 2014.9-2015.1)

Developmental Psychology, Peking University (in Chinese, 2013.9-2014.1)

Invited Reviewer:

Educational Psychology Review;

Research in Developmental Disabilities;

Reading and Writing;

International Journal of Behavioral Development;

British Journal of Developmental Psychology;

Early Childhood Research Quarterly.

Professional Memberships:

The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD);

 The Association for Psychological Science (APS);

 The Association for Reading and Writing in Asia (ARWA)；  International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD);

 Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society (MCLS)

Honors and awards
1.The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (香港政府奖学金, 2016-2019), University Grants Committee (TOP 250 students worldwide in all fields: https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/index.html)
2.The First Prize for Graduation Thesis Competition （博士研究生毕业论文比赛一等奖）, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2019)
3.The Global Scholarship for Research Excellence, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2018)
4.Overseas Academic Activities Travel Grants, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2016-2019)
5.Travel Fund of MCLS (The Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society) (2019)
6.国家奖学金（2013-2014， 2014-2015）、国家励志奖学金（2010-2011； 2011-2012）等

Conferences

Yang, X. J., &Dulay, K. M., Cheung, S. K., McBride, C(2019). Developmental trajectories of early numeracy and print knowledge in young Filipino children: The roles of phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and vocabulary knowledge. Symposium has been accepted and will be presented atMathematical Cognition and Learning Society conference (MCLS) (June, Canada).

Yang, X.J.& Meng, X. Z. (2019). How does visual acuity contribute to Chinese reading and mathematics? The mediating effects of orthographic knowledge and early numerical processing. Paper presented atInternational Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS) (Mar, France).

Yang, X. J., & McBride, C. (2019). How do phonological processing abilities contribute to early Chinese reading and mathematics?. Paper presented atAssociation for Reading and Writing in Asia (ARWA) (Feb, India).

Yang, X. J., & McBride, C. (2018). Longitudinal associations of phonological processing skills, Chinese word reading, and arithmetic. Paper presented atThe International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) (July, Austrilia).

Yang, X.J.& Meng, X. Z. (2018). The absence of global precedence in children with developmental dyslexia. Paper presented atThe International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) (July, Austrilia).

Cheung, S. K.,Yang, X. J.,Dulay, K. M., & McBride, C. (2018). Home Learning Environment or Parents’ Characteristics: Which Matters More for Filipino Children’s Numeracy Skills? Paper presented atThe 70th International OMEP Conference(June, Czech).

Yang, X. J.,Han, Y. G., & Wang, D. H. (2018). The aging effect of task switching.U.S.-Hong Kong 2018 Aging Conference "Aging across Time and Contexts"(May, Hong Kong).

Yang, X. J.,Lo, J. C. M., McBride, C., & Ho, C. S-K. (2018). Pathways to reading and arithmetic: the role of rapid automatic naming, phonological working memory, and phonological awareness. Paper presented atAssociation for Reading and Writing in Asia (ARWA)(February, Japan).

Yang, X.J.(2018). Phonological awareness, RAN, and vocabulary contribute to early numeracy and print knowledge of Filipino Children. Paper presented atthe Exchange Conference of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Beijing(May, Hong Kong).

Yang, X.J.,Meng, X. Z., & McBride, C. (2017). The Domain-general and Domain-specific Precursors for Chinese character recognition in Beginning Readers: A longitudinal study. Paper presented atthe Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)(April, USA).

Yang, X.J.,Peng, P., & Meng, X. Z. (2017). Do Domain-general Cognitive Skills Matter in Early Chinese Character Reading? Paper presented atAssociation for Reading and Writing in Asia (ARWA)(February, Hong Kong).

McBride, C., Lo, J. C. M.,Yang, X.J.,Ho, C. S.-H., &Waye, M. (2017).Delay copying uniquely explains spelling in both Chinese and English. Paper presented atthe Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)(April, USA).

Yang, X.J.& Meng, X. Z. (2016). The Domain-general and Domain-specific Precursors for Chinese Reading Acquisition. Paper presented atthe Psychological Association Conference for Four Beijing Universities(May, China).

Yang, X.J.(2015). An eye movement exploration of the visual factors during fatigue driving. Paper presented atthe Exchange Conference of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Beijing(May, Hong Kong).

Yang, X.J.& Meng, X. Z. (2014). Dissociation between exact calculation and approximation in developmental dyslexia. Paper presented atBritish Dyslexia Association International Conference(March, UK).