معرفی
Xiaoyun Chen serves as an ESRC Post Doctoral Fellow within the Department of Psychology at Lancaster University, conducting interdisciplinary research on curiosity mechanisms through neural, developmental, and cognitive lenses.
Her research program systematically investigates four interconnected domains: 1) neural and physiological correlates of information-seeking behaviors across age groups; 2) executive function-curiosity relationships in early childhood development; 3) curiosity-driven decision-making patterns in individuals with high autistic traits; and 4) metacognitive foundations of information-seeking behaviors. This multi-method approach integrates physiological monitoring with behavioral paradigms to map curiosity's cognitive architecture.
Her 2025 publications reveal strong developmental and metacognitive emphases, examining infant-caregiver interaction dynamics and metacognition-curiosity interdependencies in learning contexts. These works demonstrate methodological sophistication through eye-tracking and pupillometry applications.
Dr. Chen's scholarly recognition includes:
- Competitive ESRC NWSSDTP Postdoctoral Fellowship
- LuCiD Travel Award for developmental research
- LuCiD Annual Blog First Prize for science communication
Her research is supported by the ESRC NWSSDTP grant 'An Investigation of the Physiological Basis of Curiosity in Young Children and Adults' (2024-present). She actively translates findings through public engagement including Lab Tours for Lancashire County Council, ICDL Family Fun Day workshops, and Lancaster Music Festival knowledge exchanges.
As a core member of Lancaster's Developmental Psychology research group, she operates specialized facilities for eye-tracking and pupillometry research, focusing on real-time physiological correlates of curiosity in naturalistic developmental contexts.
