Dr. Lixia Yang

Dr. Lixia Yang, PhD.

Professor
Director of the Cognitive Aging Laboratory (CAL)
Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)

Email: lixiay@psych.ryerson.ca email-icon google scholar
Tel: (416) 979 – 5000 Ext. 6522

Dr. Yang received her doctorate in psychology from the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2000. She then worked as a post‐doctoral research fellow at the Max‐Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany, and later at the University of Toronto. In 2005, Dr. Yang joined the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Yang’s research interest covers three related areas: cognitive plasticity of the aging brain, cultural differences in attention and memory, as well as emotion-cognition interaction in aging.

Recent Contributions

I. Recent Publications (Journal Articles)

2022

  1. Su, C., Yang, L., Dong, L., & Zhang, W. (2022). The Psychological Well-Being of Older Chinese Immigrants in Canada amidst COVID-19: The Role of Loneliness, Social Support, and Acculturation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(14), 8612. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148612 
  2. Lee, A. D. Y., Wang, P. P., Zhang, W., & Yang, L. (2022). COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress and Loneliness in Chinese Residents in North America: The Role of Contraction Worry. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 7639. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137639
  3. Truong, L.; Kandasamy, K.; Yang, L. (2022). Cognitive Control in Young and Older Adults: Does Mood Matter? Brain Sciences, 12, 50. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/1/50
  4. Su, C., Yang, L., Dong, L., & Zhang, W. (2022). The Psychological Well-Being of Older Chinese Immigrants in Canada amidst COVID-19: The Role of Loneliness, Social Support, and Acculturation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(14), 8612. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148612 
  5. Lee, A. D. Y., Wang, P. P., Zhang, W., & Yang, L. (2022). COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress and Loneliness in Chinese Residents in North America: The Role of Contraction Worry. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 7639. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137639
  6. Truong, L.; Kandasamy, K.; Yang, L. (2022). Cognitive Control in Young and Older Adults: Does Mood Matter? Brain Sciences, 12, 50. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/1/50
  7. Yu, L.; Lecompte, M.; Zhang, W.; Wang, P.; & Yang, L. (2022). Sociodemographic and COVID-Related Predictors for Mental Health Condition of Mainland Chinese in Canada Amidst the Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 171. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010171. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/1/171/pdf

2021

  1. Wang, L.., Yu, J., Chen, D., & Yang, L. (2021). Relationships among COVID-19 Prevention Practices, Risk Perception and Individual Characteristics: A Temporal Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 10901. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph182010901. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/20/10901
  2.  Na, L. Yang, L., Yu, L., Bolton, K., Zhang, W., & Wang, P. (2021). The Appraisal and Endorsement of Individual and Public Preventive Measures to Combat COVID-19 and the Associated Psychological predictors among Chinese Living in Canada. Open Journal of Public Health. https://openpublichealthjournal.com/VOLUME/14/PAGE/592/FULLTEXT/  
  3. Na, L.& Yang, L. (2021). Psychological and behavioral responses during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals with mobility and/or self-care disabilities. Disability and Health Journal. ttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2021.101216. https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1duaC6uM4neMIg
  4.  Kong, Y., Shaver, L. Shi, F., Yang, L., Zhang W., Wei, X., Zhu, Y., Wang, Y., Wang, P. (2021). Attitudes of Chinese immigrants in Canada towards the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine for prevention and management of COVID-19: a cross-sectional survey during the early stages of the pandemic. BMJ open. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/9/e051499.long
  5. Wong, B. I., Lecompte, M., & Yang, L. (2021) The age-related associative deficit simulated by relational divided attention: encoding strategy and recollection, Memory, 29:3, 406-415, DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2021.1898645 
  6. Yang, L., *Truong, L., & *Li, L. (2021). Survival processing effect in memory under semantic divided attention. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology. 10.1037/cep0000210. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cep0000210 

2020

  1. Yang, L., Yu, L., Zhang, W., Wei, X., Shi, F., & Wang, P. (2020). The perceived psychological distress towards COVID-19 and its demographic predictors. Annuals of Epidemiology, 52, p 107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2020.08.034  
  2. Zhang, W., Chai, L., Fan, J., Wang, P., Wei, X. & Yang, L. (2020). COVID-19, racial discrimination, and psychological distress. Annuals of Epidemiology, 52, p106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2020.08.032
  3. Kong, Y., Shaver, L., Shi, F., Yang, L., Zhang, W., Wei, X., Wang, Y., & Wang, P. (2020). Belief and Usage of Traditional Chinese Medicine as Preventative Measure against COVID-19 Infection During the Pandemic among Chinese Immigrants in Canada. Annuals of Epidemiology, 52, p105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2020.08.027 
  4. Yang, L., Gallant, S. N., Wilkins, L. K., & Dyson, B. (2020). Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes of Self-Guided Executive Function Training and Low-Intensity Aerobic Exercise in Healthy Older Adults. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 12: 576744. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.576744 
  5. Wilkinson, A., & Yang, L. (2020). Long-term maintenance of multiple task inhibition practice and transfer effects in older adults: A 3.5-year follow-up. Psychology and Aging, 35(5), 765–772. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000430 

II. Book Chapters

  • Yang, L., *Wong, B., & *Li, L. (2019). Culture and memory. Clinical Cultural Neuroscience: Foundations and Assessment (Ed., O. Pedraza). Oxford University Press, New York, USA.
  • *Gallant, S., & Yang, L. (2015, December). Directed Forgetting. The encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging (Ed., S. K. Whitbourne), 1-5. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Willey Blackwell. DOI: 10.1002/9781118521373.wbeaa324
  • *Truong, L., & Yang, L. (2015, December). Dual Mechanisms of Cognitive Control. The encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging (Ed., S. K. Whitbourne), 1-4. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Willey Blackwell. DOI: 10.1002/9781118521373.wbeaa325
  • *Wilkinson, A.J., & Yang, L. (2015, December). Cognitive Plasticity. The encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging (Ed., S. K. Whitbourne), 1-5. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Willey Blackwell. DOI: 10.1002/9781118521373.wbeaa327
Curriculum VitaeDownload