Yongfa Zhang (张永发)

Yongfa Zhang (张永发)

Psychology PhD Candidate

Yongfa Zhang

Research interest I am a Ph.D. candidate in Psychology at Tsinghua University (清华大学心理与认知科学系), where I also earned my Master’s degree in Psychology in 2021. Under the supervision of Dr. Fei Wang (王非), I am conducting research in the computational neural mechanisms of self-related information processing. I also work with Dr. Jie Sui from the University of Aberdeen. I am expected to complete my Ph.D. in June 2026 and am actively seeking postdoctoral or faculty positions.
I welcome potential collaborations and opportunities.

Research Interests

My research focuses on the psychological, computational, and neural mechanisms of social cognition, with a particular emphasis on the self. I am interested in the nature of the self, its representation in the brain, and the possibility of characterizing self-related processes using computational models. I also aim to study how different aspects of the self are shaped by innate factors, social experience, cultural context, and interpersonal relationships. Methodologically, I use a multimethod approach that combines behavioral experiments, large-scale data analysis, natural language processing, computational modeling, and neuroimaging techniques across both healthy and clinical populations.

I am also interested in applied topics such as video games, flow experience, and artificial intelligence.

  • Research Keywords: Social Cognition, Self, Self-Positivity, Flow Experience, Video Games
  • Methods: fMRI, DTI, TMS, EEG, fNIRS, Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Drift Diffusion Modeling, Bibliometric Analysis

Publications

#co-first author; *corresponding author

Published (6)

  1. Zhang, Y., Sun, Y., Wang, H., Pan, W, Wang, F., & Sui, J. (2026). Neural Compensation in Medial Prefrontal Cortex Preserves Self-Prioritization in Aging: A Computational Approach. Journal of Neuroscience, 46(1). https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0487-25.2025
    (IF2024 = 4.0, ESCI Q2)

  2. Liang, Q., Zhang, Y., Li, Z., Wang, Y., Cheng, X., Zhang, J., Wang, F., Huang, X., Wang, F. & Lu, L. (2025). Examining the Role of Similarity and Positivity Cognition in Intertemporal Decision-Making among Male Abstinent Heroin Users: Insights from a Future Self-Continuity Perspective. Collabra: Psychology, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.150270
    (IF2024 = 3.2, SSCI Q1)

  3. Liang, Q., Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Cheng, X., Zhang, J., Wang, F., Huang, X., Wang, F. & Lu, L. (2025). Dissociation of Self and Mother-Related Processing in Abstinent Heroin Misusers. Translational Psychiatry, 15(372). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03594-y
    (IF2024 = 6.2, SSCI Q1)

  4. Zhang, Y., & Wang, F.* (2024). Developments and trends in flow research over 40 years: A bibliometric analysis. Collabra: Psychology, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.92948
    (IF2024 = 3.2, SSCI Q1)

  5. Zhang, Y., Wang, F.*, & Sui, J. (2023). Decoding individual differences in self-prioritization from the resting-state functional connectome. NeuroImage, 276, 120205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120205
    (IF2024 = 4.5, ESCI Q1)

  6. Zhang, Y.#, Liang, Q.#, & Wang, F.* (2022). Influence of competition-outcome feedback in video games on players’ flow experience. Current Psychology, 42(21), 17583-17594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02935-0
    (IF2024 = 2.9, SSCI Q1)

In submission (3)

  1. Zhang, Y., Zou, F., Jia, S., & Wang, F.* (Under Review). Mapping the Positive Self-Bias Embedded in Human Languages. https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/mnv37_v1
  2. Jia, S., Zhang, Y. *, & Wang, F. * (Under Review). Mapping the Landscape of AI-empowered Psychology: A Topic Modeling-based Bibliometric Analysis. https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/vwxbk_v2
  3. Guan, F, Xie, W, Wang, F, Ma, H, Li Y., Zhang, Y. *, Peng, K * (In Submission). Adaptive Neural Connectivity Changes in Lowland-to-Highland Migration: A Multimodal MRI Predictive Study.

Funding

  • Future Talented Program of Social Sciences in Tsinghua University (202223)

Honors & Awards

  • 2025: China National Scholarship
  • 2025: Wangdazhong Scholarship of Tsinghua University
  • 2024: Award for Outstanding Poster at the Doctoral Students Forum of Tsinghua University
  • 2024: Yatu Academic Excellence Scholarship of Tsinghua University
  • 2023: Excellent Comprehensive Scholarship of Tsinghua University
  • 2021: Excellent Master Thesis of Tsinghua University

Peer Review Service

  • Reviewer, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2026)
  • Reviewer, Frontiers in Psychiatry (2025)
  • Reviewer, Acta Psychologica (2025)
  • Reviewer, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2025)

Invited Talks

[2023.12]: The theoretical and practical issues of resting-state fMRI

  • Invited by Prof. Pei Sun to give a guest lecture in Brain Science Experiments course at Tsinghua University

Professional Training

[2024.07]: Multimodal Neuroimaging Analysis Training with FSL

  • Training in FSL neuroimaging analysis (structural MRI, functional MRI, and DTI)
  • Organized by Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Instructed by Yazhuo Kong (孔亚卓) and Jixin Liu (刘继欣)

Industry Experience

Full-time Data Analyst for 4 years across multiple industries including insurance, gaming, internet technology, and education.

Hobbies

🎾 Tennis (level: NTRP 3.5)
⛰️ Hiking and mountain climbing

Tennis Hiking