My research program examines how the development of face expertise interacts with environmental experiences to shape brain, cognition, and behavior. The overarching goal of my research is to develop a systematic understanding of the development of face perception across the lifespan, and the fundamental mechanisms that translate real-world experiences into adaptive changes in perceptual capabilities. To achieve this goal, I take a multi-method approach by using behavioural, eye-tracking, computational modeling, artificial intelligence, and neuroimaging techniques (e.g., EEG, fNIRS).
ACEDEMIC POSITIONS
2023.05-PresnetAssistant Professor, Shenzhen University, School of Psychology, China
2021.09-2023.04 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Canada
2020.10-2021.08 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Canada
2017.09-2021.08 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Canada
EDUCATION
2013.09-2017.07 Ph.D., Development of Psychology, Brock University, Canada
2010.09-2013.06 M.Ed in Developmental and Educational Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, China
2006.09-2010.07 B.S. in Applied Psychology, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, China
HONORS & AWARDS
2017 Brock Best Doctoral Thesis
2016 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad
2016-2017 Brock Research Fellowship
GRANTS
2025-2027 The neural and cognitive mechanisms of naturalistic face learning in infancy and adulthood, The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
2024~2026 The development of face learning and social adaptive functioning in children with autism spectrum condition. Guangdong Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Grant
2018-2023 The influence of facial dimorphism on perceivers' trust: explanation from a social psychological perspective, The National Social Science Foundation of China (NSSFC)
2023-2026 The development of naturalistic face learning in infants and adults, Shenzhen Stability Support Top-level Project
PUBLICATIONS
1.Zhou, X., Siddiqui, H., & Rutherford, M. D. (2024). Face perception and social cognitive development in early autism: A prospective longitudinal study from 3 months to 7 years of age. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14144
2.Zhou, X., Mondloch, C. J., Chien H., & Moulson, M. (2022). Multi-cultural cities reduce deficits in recognizing naturalistic images of other-race faces: Evidence from a novel face learning task. Scientific Reports,12,8950. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11550-9
3.Zhou, X., Vyas, S., Ning, J., & Moulson, M. (2021). Naturalistic Face Learning in Infants and Adults. Psychological Science, 33(1), 135-151. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976211030630
4.Zhou, X., Itz, M., Vogt, S., Kaufmann, J., Schweinberger, S., & Mondloch, C. J. (2021). Similar use of shape and texture cues for own- and other-race faces during face learning and recognition. Vision Research, 188, 32-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2021.06.014
5.Zhou, X., Elshiekh, A., & Moulson, M. C. (2019). Lifetime perceptual experience shapes face memory for own- and other-race faces. Visual Cognition, 27(9–10), 687–700. https://doi.org/10.1080/13506285.2019.1638478
6.Proietti, V., Laurence, S., Matthews, C. M., Zhou, X., & Mondloch, C. J. (2019). Attending to identity cues reduces the own-age but not the own-race recognition advantage. Vision Research, 157, 184–191.
7.Zhou, X., Matthews, C. M., Baker, K. A., & Mondloch, C. J. (2018). Becoming familiar with a newly encountered face: evidence of an own-race advantage. Perception, 47(8), 807–820.
8.Zhou, X., Mondloch, C. J., & Emrich, S. M. (2018). Encoding differences affect the number and precision of own-race versus other-race faces stored in visual working memory. Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 80(3), 702–712.
9.Zhou, X., & Mondloch, C. J. (2016). Recognizing ‘Bella Swan’and‘Hermione Granger’: no own-race advantage in recognizing photos of famous faces. Perception, 45(12), 1426–1429.
10.Farrell, A. H., Semplonius, T., Shapira, M., Zhou, X., Laurence, S., Willoughby, T., … Evans, A. D. (2016). Research activity in Canadian developmental psychology programs. Canadian Psychology, 57(2), 76–82.
11.Zhou, X., Short, L. A., Chan, H. S. J., & Mondloch, C. J. (2016). Judging normality and attractiveness in faces: direct evidence of a more refined representation for own-race, young adult faces. Perception, 45(9), 973–990.
12.Laurence, S*., Zhou, X*., & Mondloch, C. J. (2016). The flip side of the other-race coin: They all look different to me. British Journal of Psychology, 107(2), 374–388.
13.Sai, L*., Zhou, X*., Ding, X. P., Fu, G., & Sang, B. (2014). Detecting concealed information using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Brain Topography, 27(5), 652–662.
14.Li, Q., Zhou, X., & Xu, F. (2013). The relation between friends’ trustworthiness and elementary children’s trust and its development. Psychological Development and Education, 29(3), 232–237.
15.Li, Q., Xu, F., & Zhou, X. (2012). 3-to 4-Year-olds’ trust judgment trait: trait effect based on trustee’s trustworthiness and age differences. Psychological Development and Education, 28(4), 345–352.
16.Li, Q., Xu, F., & Zhou, X. (2012). The Development of the 3-to 5-year-olds’ strategies wen making trust judgment based on trustee’s competence. Psychological Development and Education, 28(2), 140–144.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Lecturer in “Development Psychology” and “Developmental and Educational Psychology” for undergraduates, “Advances in Psychology Research” and “Special Topics in Applied Psychology” for master and PhD students.
