I am a professor and doctoral supervisor at Shenzhen University, currently serving as the head of the Department of Basic Psychology. I obtained my Master’s degree in Basic Psychology from Beijing Normal University in 2009 and my Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands in 2013. I have published over fifty papers as the first author or corresponding author in top journals such as the Journal of Neuroscience, Cerebral Cortex and Neuroimage. I currently serve as a member of the General Psychology and Experimental Psychology Professional Committee of the Chinese Psychological Society, a director of the Guangdong Cognitive Science Society, and a Reviewing Editor for Frontiers in Psychology. I am also the principal investigator for two projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Additionally, I hold titles such as high-level talent in Shenzhen, overseas high-level talent in Shenzhen, leading talent in Nanshan District, distinguished young scholar at Shenzhen University, and Excellent Teacher in Shenzhen.
ACEDEMIC POSITIONS
Dec 2022 - Present:Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Psychology, Shenzhen University
Dec2017 - Dec 2022 Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor (2020) at the School of Psychology, Shenzhen University
May 2014 - Dec 2017 Lecturer and Master’s Supervisor at the School of Psychology, Shenzhen University
EDUCATION
Sep 2009 - Dec 2013 Doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Groningen, Netherlands
Sep2006 - June 2009 Master’s Degree from the Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University
Sep 2001 - June2005 Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Technology, Beijing University of Science and Technology
HONORS & AWARDS
2020 Excellent Teacher in Shenzhen
GRANTS
2022-2025 National Natural Science Foundation of China, General Project: Principal Investigator, “Neural Mechanisms and Neurobehavioral Regulation of Prosocial Behavior under Resource Scarcity” (32171013), total funding of 580,000 RMB,
2019~2022 National Natural Science Foundation of China, General Project: Principal Investigator, “The Driving Role and Neural Mechanisms of Empathy and Its Subcomponents on Helping Behavior” (31871109), total funding of 600,000 RMB
2016~ 2018 National Natural Science Foundation of China, Youth Project: Principal Investigator, “Regulatory Mechanisms of Context on the Perception of Others’ Pain” (31500877), total funding of 240,000 RMB
2021~ 2024 Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission, General Project: Principal Investigator, “Neural Regulation Techniques for Prosocial Behavior under Resource Scarcity”, total funding of 600,000 RMB
PUBLICATIONS
Zhao, H., Xu, Y., Li, L., Liu, J., & Cui, F. (2024). The neural mechanisms of identifiable victim effect in prosocial decision making. Human Brain Mapping. 45(2):e26609.
Gu, R., & Cui, F.* (2024). Rethinking the relationship between empathy and prosocial behavior. Science Bulletin. 5.
Wu, J., Li, W., Yao, X., Liu, J., & Cui, F. (2024). Is kindness more important than fairness? The interplay of prosociality and fairness in complex moral judgments. Acta Psychologica Sinica. Accepted.
Cui, F., Liao, X., & Liu, J.* (2023). The neural mechanisms of mathematical anxiety affecting mathematical conceptual knowledge processing: A resting-state fMRI study. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 55(6), 968-977.
Xu, Y.#, Zhao, H.#, Liu, J., & Cui, F.* (2023). Higher empathy, greater fairness: Empathy traits moderate the resource allocation unfairness induced by the identifiable victim effect. Psychological Science(Chinese), 46(2), 427-434.
Li, W., Meng, J., & Cui, F.* (2023). Scarcity mindset reduces empathic response to others’ pain: Behavioral and neural evidence. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 18(1), 1-10.
Cui, F.#, Deng, K.#, Liu, J., Huang, X., Yang, J., Luo, Y.-j., Feng, C., & Gu, R. (2023). Resource scarcity aggravates ingroup favoritism: Neural mechanisms and cross-scenario validation. British Journal of Psychology. 114(4):778-796.
Cui, F.#, Huang, X.#, Liu, J., Luo, Y.-j., & Gu, R. (2023). Threat-induced anxiety boosts selfishness in resource sharing: Behavioral and neural mechanisms. Human Brain Mapping. 44(9):3859-3872.
Liu, Z., Zhao, H., Xu, Y., Liu, J., & Cui, F.* (2023). Prosocial decision-making under time pressure: Behavioral and neural mechanisms. Human Brain Mapping. 44(17):6090-6104.
Yang, J.#, Gu, R.#, Liu, J., Huang, X., Deng, K., Luo, Y.-j., & Cui, F.* (2022). To blame or not? Modulating third-party punishment with the framing effect. Neuroscience Bulletin. 38(5):533-547. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-021-00808-3
Cui, F., Huang, X., Luo, Y.-j., & Liu, J.* (2022). How resource sharing resists scarcity: The role of cognitive empathy and its neurobiological mechanisms. Cerebral Cortex. 32(23):5330-5342
Cui, F.#, Zhong, Y.#, Feng, C.#, & Peng, X.* (2022). Anonymity in sharing morally salient news: The causal role of the temporoparietal junction. Cerebral Cortex, bhac433. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhac433
Cui, F., Tang, J., Huang, X., & Wu, S.* (2022). The more wealth, the greater the responsibility: The effects of fund quantity and source on third-party punishment in public goods dilemmas. Psychological Science(Chinese), 45(3), 665-671.
Cui, F., Huang, X., Li, X., Liao, C., Liu, J.*, & Luo, Y.-j. (2021). Moral conflict in economic decision making: The role of the anterior cingulate cortex-striatum pathway. Cerebral Cortex, bhab146. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhab146.
Peng, W., Lou, W., Huang, X., Ye, Q., Tong, R. K.-Y., & Cui, F.* (2021). Suffer together, bond together: Brain-to-brain synchronization and mutual affective empathy when sharing painful experiences. Neuroimage, 238, 118249.
Jiang, D., Tang, J., Guan, Q., & Cui, F., & Luo, Y. (2021). Money gained through suffering is less valuable: Pain reduces the sensitivity to outcome magnitude in economic decision making. Social Neuroscience. 16(5):564-572. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470919.2021.1953135.
Cui, F., Yang, J., Gu, R., & Liu, J.* (2021). Functional connectivity of the right temporoparietal junction and moral processing brain network predicts social framing effects: Evidence from resting-state fMRI. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 53(1), 55-66.
Peng, X.#, Lu, J.#, Li, L., Cao, Q., & Cui, F.* (2020). Three stages of perceiving consecutively moral behaviors: Neurophysiological effect of agent and valence on moral judgments. Social Neuroscience, 15(4), 458-469.
Liu, J., Gu, R., Liao, C., Lu, J., Fang, X., Xu, P., Luo, Y.-j., & Cui, F.* (2020). The neural mechanism of the social framing effect: Evidence from fMRI and tDCS studies. Journal of Neuroscience, 40(18), 3646-3656.
Lu, J., Huang, X., Liao, C., Guan, Q., Qi, X.-R., & Cui, F.* (2020). Social mindfulness shown by individuals with higher status is more pronounced in our brain: ERP evidence. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13, 1432.
Gu, R., Liu, J., & Cui, F.* (2019). Pain and social decision-making: New insights from the social framing effect. Brain Science Advances, 5(4), 221–238.
Liu, J., Liao, C., Lu, J., Luo, Y., & Cui, F.* (2019). Moral contagion: Devaluation effect of immorality on hypothetical judgments of economic value. Human Brain Mapping, 1-13.
Peng, W., Huang, X., Liu, Y., & Cui, F.* (2019). Predictability modulates the anticipation and perception of pain in both self and others. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 14(7), 747-757.
Liu, J., Yuan, B., Luo, Y., & Cui, F.* (2019). Intrinsic functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex predicts the individual moral bias in economic valuation partially through the moral sensitivity trait. Brain Imaging and Behavior. 14(5):2024-2036.
Lu, J., Peng, X., Liao, C., Guan, Q., Luo, Y., & Cui, F.* (2019). The stereotype of professional roles influences neural responses to moral transgressions: ERP evidence. Biological Psychology, 145, 55-61.
Cui, F., Wang, C., Cao, Q., & Jiao, C.* (2019). Social hierarchies in third-party punishment: A behavioral and ERP study. Biological Psychology, 146, 107722.
Peng, W., Peng, H., Lu, J., Bi, F., & Cui, F.* (2019). Others’ pain appraisals modulate the anticipation and experience of subsequent pain. Neuroscience, 410, 16-28.
Lu, J., Liao, C., Luo, Y., & Cui, F.* (2019). Deceptive behavior under altruistic and self-serving motives. Psychological Science(Chinese), 42(4), 905-912.
Liao, C., Gu, R., Lu, J., Xu, P., Luo, Y., & Cui, F.* (2019). The impact of anticipated anxiety on facial expression processing. Psychological Science(Chinese), 42(2), 258-264.
Cui, F.*, Wu, S., Wu, H., Wang, C., Jiao, C., & Luo, Y. (2018). Altruistic and self-serving goals modulate behavioral and neural responses in deception. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 1-8.
Liao, C., Wu, H., Guan, Q., Luo, Y., & Cui, F.* (2018). Predictability and probability modulate the neural responses to others’ pain: An event-related potential investigation. Biological Psychology, 138, 11-18.
Liao, C., Wu, S., Guan, Q., Luo, Y., & Cui, F.* (2018). Transcranial direct current stimulation of the medial prefrontal cortex modulates the propensity to help in costly helping behavior. Neuroscience Letters, 674, 54-59.
Cui, F.*, Zhu, X., & Luo, Y. (2017). Social contexts modulate neural responses in the processing of others’ pain: An ERP study. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 17, 850-857.
Jiao, C., Wang, T., Peng, X., & Cui, F.* (2017). Impaired empathy processing in individuals with internet addiction disorder: Evidence from an event-related potentials study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, 498.
Cui, F.*, Zhu, X., Cheng, J., & Luo, Y. (2017). Working memory load modulates the neural responses to others’ pain: Evidence from an ERP study. Neuroscience Letters, 644, 24-29.
Cui, F.*, Gu, R., Zhu, X., & Luo, Y. (2017). The temporal dynamics of perceiving others’ painful actions. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1847.
Cheng, J., Jiao, C., Luo, Y., & Cui, F.* (2017). Music-induced happy mood suppresses the neural responses to others’ pain: Evidence from an ERP study. Scientific Reports, 7, 13054.
Zhang, H., Jin, Y., Chan, J. S. Y., Yang, F.-C., & Cui, F.* (2017). Dysfunctional early processing of facial expressions in hazardous drinkers: Evidence from an ERP study. Scientific Reports, 7, 13360.
Fu, Y.#, Luo, Y., & Cui, F. (2017). The effect of choice consistency on outcome evaluation: An ERP study. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 49(8), 1089-1099.
Cheng, J.#, Luo, Y., & Cui, F.* (2017). The effect of cognitive load on empathic responses to pain: Evidence from an ERP study. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 49(5), 622-630.
Cui, F.*, Zhu, X., Thomas, R. M., & Luo, Y. (2016). Instructions of cooperation and competition influence the neural responses to others’ pain: An ERP study. Social Neuroscience, 11(3), 289-296.
Cui, F.*, Gu, R., Zhu, X., & Luo, Y. (2016). When your pain signifies my gain: Neural activity while evaluating outcomes based on another person’s pain. Scientific Reports, 6, 26426.
Cui, F., Ma, N., & Luo, Y.* (2016). Moral judgment modulates neural responses to the perception of others’ pain: An ERP study. Scientific Reports, 6, 20851.
Arnstein, D.#, Cui, F.#, Keysers, C., Natasha, M., & Gazzola, V.* (2014). μ-suppression during action observation and execution correlates with BOLD in dorsal premotor, inferior parietal, and SI cortices. Journal of Neuroscience, 31, 14243-14249.
Cui, F., Abdelrahman, A., Keysers, C., & Gazzola, V. (2015). Responsibility modulates pain-matrix activation elicited by the expressions of others in pain. Neuroimage, 114, 371–378.
Cui, F., Arnstein, D., Thomas, R. M., Natasha, M., Keysers, C., & Gazzola, V.* (2014). Functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity analyses reveal efference-copy to primary somatosensory area, BA2. PLOS ONE, e84367.
Cui, F., & Luo, Y. (2009). An ERP study of emotion face processing in individuals with different empathic abilities. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 17(4), 390-393.
Cui, F., Nan, Y., & Luo, Y. (2008). A review of cognitive neuroscience studies on empathy. Advances in Psychological Science, 16(2), 250-254.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Lecturer in 'Experimental Psychology' for undergraduates in the Faculty of Psychology
