Dr Hsin-Yuan Chen
PhD (UoN), BA, BSc, MA, MSc, RSci, CPsychol, AFBPsS, GradStat, MBCS
Psychology Technician
School of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health
Role
I provide technical support for the Psychology department, maintaining labs, equipment, and software, while ensuring materials and subscriptions are available. I troubleshoot software, design bespoke scripts, train staff and students, and assist with teaching materials, recruitment, and public engagement. I manage equipment bookings, test libraries, stock, and online platforms, liaise with stakeholders for procurement, ensure accurate budgeting, and uphold health, safety, and ethical standards, drawing on my Psychology degree or relevant experience.
Research
My research investigated the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying hand perception, emphasising the heightened salience of hands with distorted finger postures compared to natural ones. Using visual search tasks, eye-tracking,pupillometry, Simon tasks, hand laterality judgment experiments, and EEG brain activity analysis, I demonstrated that hands capture more attention than whole-body images or control stimuli like chairs in both active and passive viewing conditions. Distorted finger postures were particularly salient, drawing greater visual attention. Behavioural findings confirmed that automatic mental simulation, supported by brain processes, facilitates hand processing, with viewers rapidly simulating hand movements to enhance response efficiency in spatial tasks. EEG analysis further revealed brain activity patterns associated with hand perception, underscoring the neural basis of hands’ role in conveying intentions and emotions.
Research impact
These findings advance our understanding of human perception and brain function, with potential applications in psychological interventions, visual warning designs, and computer vision systems.