Group photo of student participants from the School of Psychology, Shenzhen University at the forum

From September 11 to 13, 2026, the National Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Undergraduate Psychology Students was held at the Jinxiu Campus of Hefei Normal University. Students from the School of Psychology, Shenzhen University delivered outstanding performances. Liu Jia received a Second Prize in the Experimental Design Sub-forum with her project “Do Negative Expectations Generalize More Readily? A Computational Cognitive Investigation of Valence Asymmetry in Pain Expectation Generalization”. Under the supervision of Associate Professor Wu Song, Liang Jingheng and Lin Yuefan won a Second Prize in the Psychological Science Popularization Video Sub-forum for their work "Why Do People Love Cyber Doll-rearing?”

Overview of the Forum

The 2026 Forum was hosted by the Psychology Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education for Higher Education Institutions. It was jointly organized by the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Hefei Normal University, the Virtual Teaching and Research Office for Reforming the Cultivation Model of Top-Notch Psychology Undergraduates (Ministry of Education), the Anhui Provincial Student Mental Health Education Guidance and Development Center, and the Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences for Adolescent Mental Health and Intelligent Crisis Intervention.

The 2026 Forum was hosted by the Psychology Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education for Higher Education Institutions and jointly organised by the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Hefei Normal University, the MOE Virtual Teaching & Research Office for Top-Notch Undergraduate Psychology Training, the Anhui Provincial Student Mental Health Education Guidance and Development Center, and the Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory (Philosophy & Social Sciences) for Adolescent Mental Health and Intelligent Crisis Intervention.

The Forum comprised four sub-forums: Experimental Design, Real-World Problem Solving, Psychological Product Design, and Psychological Science Popularization Video. A total of 512 submissions were nominated by participating institutions across the four tracks, including 106 in Experimental Design, 135 in Real-World Problem Solving, 131 in Psychological Product Design, and 140 in Psychological Science Popularization Video. Following expert review, 78 works advanced to the on-site presentation round.

Experimental Design Sub-forum

Liu Jia’s entry, “Do Negative Expectations Generalize More Readily? A Computational Cognitive Investigation of Valence Asymmetry in Pain Expectation Generalization”, examined the valence asymmetry observed in the generalization of pain expectations and explored its underlying mechanisms from a computational cognitive perspective. On the strength of its solid theoretical grounding, rigorous experimental design, and the novelty of its computational approach, together with a confident on-site defence, the project was awarded a Second Prize in the track.

Award ceremony for the Second Prize in the Experimental Design Sub-forum.

Winning certificate of Liu Jia

Psychological Science Popularization Video Sub-forum

The Psychological Science Popularization Video Sub-forum evaluated entries on four criteria: scientific rigor, innovation, visual clarity, and communication impact. Under the supervision of Associate Professor Wu Song, Liang Jingheng and Lin Yuefan produced the short science communication film “Why Do People Love Cyber Doll-rearing?”, which was awarded the Second Prize in the track.

Group photo of student participants at the Psychological Science Popularization Video Sub-forum

Award presentation for the Second Prize, Psychological Science Popularization Video Sub-forum.

Winning certificate of Liang Jingheng and Lin Yuefan

These two national Second Prizes reflect the solid disciplinary foundation, research competence, and science-communication skills of our undergraduate students. They are also the result of our supervisors’ dedicated mentorship and the School’s long-running innovation and practice training programme. Through refining their research questions, iterating on their submissions, and delivering the on-site presentations, the participating students deepened their understanding of both psychological inquiry and its real-world application.

The School of Psychology will continue to build platforms for research innovation and practice exchange. We are committed to helping students translate classroom learning into research projects, public engagement outputs, and community-based mental health practice—broadening their horizons and strengthening their capabilities through competitive forums and scholarly exchange.

Congratulations to the award-winning students and their supervisor!