Dr. Yang Hu is an Associate Professor at the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University (ECNU). He obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees from ECNU. After completing his Ph.D. at Center for Economics and Neuroscience (CENs), University of Bonn in Germany, he subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in France and Peking University in China.

Dr. Hu’s primary research interest is social neuroscience (neuroeconomics), and social psychology. He employs behavioral economic games, computational modeling, and various cognitive neuroscience techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and eye-tracking, to explore the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying different forms of social and moral decision-making. His current research primarily focuses on topics corruption and third-party justice, as well as the factors modulating these processes. He has published papers as the (co-) first author or corresponding author, in highly influential journals such as eLife, Psychological Science, Journal of Neuroscience, Neuroimage, Psychoneuroendoctrinology, Social Psychological and Personality Science, British Journal of Social Psychology, and Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. His collaborative research was published in key journals such as PNAS, Journal of Neuroscience, Proceedings of Royal Society-B: Biological Sciences, Human Brain Mapping. For more details, please check CV_YangHU_202312_update.pdf. 

Social Neuroscience & Neuroeconomics

·         Neurocomputational mechanism ofsocial/moral decision making (e.g., corrupt behaviors, third-party justice and other moral/immoral behaviors), contexual modulators, and individual differences, combining various neuroscience approaches (esp., fMRI), computational modelling combining with behavioral paradigms.

Social Psychology & Decision-Making

·         Computational mechanism ofindividualsocial/moral decision making (e.g., corrupt behaviors, third-party justice and other moral/immoral behaviors), contexual modulators, and individual differences, combining large-scale online experiments, personality measures, with computational modelling

·         Computation-based application study with the following goals: 1) constructing the predictive model of corrupt (and other im/moral) behaviors taking machine learning approaches; 2) establishing effective intervention to combat corrupt (and other immoral) behaviors and nudge prosocial behaviors

Undergraduate Course

“Introduction to Methods for Cognitive Science” (Fall semesters: 2022, 2023)

“Seminar for Research on Social Psychology” (Spring semesters: 2023, 2024)

“Introduction to Psychology” (For psychology minor; Fall semesters: 2022, 2023)

Graduate Course

“Introduction to Research on Psychology” (With other colleagues; Fall semesters: 2022, 2023)

“Advanced Methods in Research on Psychology” (With other colleagues; Fall semesters: 2022, 2023)

“Seminar for Research on Social Emotion and Decision-Making” (With Dr. Xiaoxue Gao; Fall semester: 2022)

“The Psychology of Anti-Corruption: A Multidisciplinary Approach” (Spring semesters: 2024)

“Advance in Research on Psychology” (With other colleagues; Spring semesters: 2023, 2024)

1. “The influence of guilt on corrupt behavior: moderation of the person to whom the guilt is directed and the underlying neurocognitive basis” (32200853; 01/2023-12/2025; Active), PI, supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China

2. “Corrupt behaviors and interpersonal relationship: evidence from computational modeling and brain imaging” (23ZR1418400; 04/2023-03/2026; Active) , PI, supported by Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai

3. “Key brain bases of social and moral behaviors” (Subproject of the STI 2030-Major Projects; 2021ZD0200500; 09/2026 – 09/2026; Active), PI, supported by Ministry of Science and Technology, China

4. “Psychological research on corruption” (2022ECNU-XWK-XK003; 06/2023-05/2025; Active), PI, supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Ministry of Education, China

5. “Neurocomputational basis of third-party justice: perspectives from decision process” (2019M660007; 11/ 2019 – 03/2021; Complete), PI, supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation

6. “The optimal procedures, mechanisms, and modelling of group decision-making: An investigation based on behavioral and neural data” (71942001; 01/2020 – 12/2024; Active), Participant, supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China

Selected Publications († Equal Contribution, * Corresponding Author [CA]; for full publication list, please check  PublicationList_YangHU_202311_update.pdf; for non-first coauthor or non-CA papers, please contact first author or CA for pdf):

1. Hu, Y., Qiu, S., Wang, G., Liu, K., Li, W., *Yu, H., *Zhou, X. Are Guilt-Prone Power-Holders Less Corrupt? Evidence from Two Online Experiments. Social Psychology and Personality Science, online published.2023_SPPS_Are Guilt-Prone Power-Holders.pdf 

   [Media: SPSP: https://spsp.org/news/press-releases/guilt-prone-people-corruption?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=; 

   UC Santa Barbara: https://www.news.ucsb.edu/2023/021101/people-power-who-are-guilt-prone-are-less-likely-be-corrupt;  StudyFinds: https://studyfinds.org/people-less-likely-accept-a-bribe/; EurekAlert!: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/989684;

   华东师范大学官网: https://www.ecnu.edu.cn/info/1094/63176.htm; 

   心理与认知科学学院官网: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ICUsl8vWWqTXNmeLgTU4iw]

2. †Tang, Y., †*Hu, Y., Zhuang, J., Feng, C., *Zhou, X. Uncovering Individual Variations in Bystander Intervention of Injustice through Intrinsic Brain Connectivity Patterns. Neuroimage, in press.

3. Liao, J., Ou, J., *Hu, Y., Tobler, P. N., & *Wu, Y. (2023). Testosterone administration modulates inequality aversion in healthy males: evidence from computational modeling. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 106321. 2023_PNEC_Testosterone administration modulates inequality aversion.pdf 

4. Hu, Y., †Philippe, R., †Guigon, V., †Zhao, S., Derrington, E., Corgnet, B., . . . Dreher, J-C. (2022). Perturbation of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex makes power holders less resistant to tempting bribes. Psychological Science, online published.2022_PS_Perturbation of Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex.pdf

   [Media: CNRS: https://www.insb.cnrs.fr/fr/cnrsinfo/la-perturbation-du-cortex-prefrontal-dorsolateral-rend-plus-sensible-la-corruption] 

5. Hu, Y., Hu, C., Derrington, E., Corgnet, B., *Qu, C., & Dreher, J-C. (2021). Neural basis of corruption in power-holders. eLife, 10, e63922. 2021_eLife_Neural basis of corruption in power-holders.pdf

6. †Hu, Y., †Pereira, A., Gao, X., Campos, B., Derrington, E., Zhou, X., Cendes, F., *Dreher, J-C. (2021). Right temporoparietal junction underlies avoidance of moral transgression in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Neuroscience, 41(8), 1699-1715. 2021_JoN_Right Temporoparietal Junction Underlies Avoidance.pdf
   

7. †*Qu, C., †*Hu, Y., Tang, Z., *Dreher, J-C. (2020). Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying flexible immoral decisions benefiting self and others: an fMRI investigation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, nsaa029. 2020_SCAN_Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying immoral.pdf

8. †*Hu, Y., †Ma, J., †Luan, Z., Dubas, J., *Xi, J. (2019). Indirect reciprocity in adolescents: Evidence from incentivized inequality-related economic paradigms. Journal of Adolescence, 74, 221-228.2019_JoA_Adolescent indirect reciprocity.pdf

9. †Hu, Y., †*Fiedler, S., Weber, B. (2019). What drives the (un)empahtic bystander to intervene? Insights from eye-tracking. British Journal of Social Psychology, 9(3), 733-751. 2020_BJSP_What drives the (un)empathic bystander to intervene.pdf 

10. *Hu, Y., †He, L., †Zhang, L., Wölke, T., Dreher, J-C., Weber, B. (2018) Spreading Inequality: Neural computations underlying pay-it-forward reciprocity. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, nsy040. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsy040 2018_SCAN_Spreading inequality.pdf
    

11. †*Hu, Y., †Strang, S., Weber, B. (2015) Helping or punishing strangers: Neural correlates of altruistic decisions as third-party and of its relation to empathic concern. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 9:24. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00024 2015_FBN_Helping or punishing strangers.pdf

12. Hu, J., †Hu, Y., †Li, Y., *Zhou, X. (2021) Computational and neurobiological substrates of cost-benefit integration in altruistic helping decision. Journal of Neuroscience, 41(15), 3545-3561. 

13. *Yin, L., Hu, Y., Dynowsky, D., Li, J., Weber, B. (2017). The good lies: Altruistic goals modulate processing of deception in the anterior insula. Human Brain Mapping, 38(7), 3675-3690. doi:10.1002/hbm.23623

14. †Ou, J., †*Wu, Y., Hu, Y., Gao, X., *Li, H., & Tobler, P. N. (2021). Testosterone reduces generosity through cortical and subcortical mechanisms. PNAS, 118(12), e2021745118.

15. Wu, Y., Zhang, Y., Ou, J., Hu, Y., & Zilioli, S. (2020). Exogenous testosterone increases the audience effect in healthy males: evidence for the social status hypothesis. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1931).

Book Chapter

• †Hu, Y., †Gao, X., Yu, H., He, Z., & *Zhou, X. (2021). Neuroscience of moral decision making. In S. D. Sala (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Behavioural Neuroscience: Elsevier. 2021_Hu et al. Neuroscience of Moral Decision Making_edited.pdf

  [Media: 心理与认知科学学院官网: http://psy.ecnu.edu.cn/f5/f1/c17484a390641/page.htm]

Popular Science Article/Interview

• “什么决定了人类的善与恶”

  天桥脑科学研究院（TCCI）追问专访 (https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jhoeZSHaYl6iDIP_I7nACQ;“利维坦”转载：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/trppyY_9omwL_zoL0Ap0mw )