The Institute of Psychology (IP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was established in 1951 in Beijing. Its predecessor was the Institute of Psychology, Academia Sinica, which was founded in 1929.
The institute strives to understand the human mind by exploring both the biological and environmental factors underlying the mind and behavior. It also aims to become a world-renowned research center that promotes scientific innovation and socioeconomic development.
The institute comprises the Division of Mental Health and Behavior Genetics, the Division of Cognitive and Developmental Psychology and the Division of Social and Engineering Psychology. In addition, the institute is home to the CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health and the Institutional Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science. IP’s main research areas include early identification and intervention for mental disorders; social prediction and decision making; disaster and trauma psychology; cyber psychology and virtual behavior; and development, education, and the cultivation of creativity.
Up to November 5, 2019, the institute has a staff of almost 211, including 151 scientific researchers (46 professors, 76 associate professors and 45 research fellows), 60 administrative and technical staff, and 2 foreign experts. Among the institute’s staff are 2 Academicians of The World Academy of Sciences—a UNESCO-funded program; 1 representatives of the 18thCPC (Communist Party of China) National Congress; 1 representatives of the 19thCPC (Communist Party of China) National Congress; 1 member of the 12th CPPCC (Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) National Committee ; 1 recipient of the National Natural Science Foundation’s Distinguished Young Scholar Award; and 2 recipients of awards from the National New Century Talents Program.
The institute offers master’s and Ph.D. programs in fundamental psychology, developmental and educational psychology, applied psychology, health psychology and cognitive neuroscience. It also offers postdoctoral programs. Currently, the institute has 139 Ph.D. students and 165 master’s students as well as 44 postdoctoral scholars. Three Ph.D. dissertations have received the National 100 Excellent Dissertations Award and ten have won the CAS Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award.
The institute is funded by a series of major research grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, CAS and other ministries and organs. These grants have supported research in various areas and nurtured many outstanding achievements. During the period from 2011 to 2015, the institute received a First-class National Scientific and Technological Progress Award, a Third-class Scientific Progress for National Defense Award, 4 Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Awards and two other awards.
The institute has facilities for research in the areas of cognitive and experimental psychology, physiological psychology, behavior, and behavioral genetics. The institute is also affiliated with the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Network and the Service System of the China Information Center for Psychological Science. The institute has the largest psychology library in China, with more than 50,000 books and more than 50 psychology-related databases.
The institute publishes three academic journals. PsyCh Journal, China’s first international psychology journal, published jointly with Wiley-Blackwell, is the institute’s flagship journal and features cutting-edge research articles, reports and reviews spanning the entire spectrum of scientific research in psychology and its applications, both within and outside China. Acta Psychologica Sinica and Advances in Psychological Science are among the leading psychology journals in China.
The institute has established long-term and regular exchange programs with many world-renowned universities and institutes such as the University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Rutgers University, Miami University of Ohio, and the National Institute of Drug Abuse in the United States; Nijmegen University and VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands; the University of Adelaide in Australia; the University of Munich and Saarland University in Germany; and Sweden’s University of Stockholm.
