Personal profile
Biography
Dr. Xin Sun received her B.S. in Psychology from Beijing Normal University, Ph.D. in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and completed postdoc training at the University of British Columbia. Her research examines the behavioural and neural basis for language and reading acquisition in bilingual children using various methods, including behavioural assessments, surveys, and functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). Another line of her work looks at the role of culture in shaping individuals' intuitive beliefs about learning (i.e., beliefs about intelligence, language learning, and broadly, beliefs about the mind and brain). Dr. Sun’s work has been published in impactful journals, including Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Child Development, Developmental Science, npj Science of Learning, and Human Brain Mapping. Dr. Sun is committed to leveraging psychology, education, and language science to understand the heterogeneity of neurocognitive profiles among children from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds and integrating brain sciences into research and applications to benefit young learners, parents, and educational practitioners.
Interested students are welcome to contact Dr. Sun for PhD and/or research assistant positions at [email protected].
Check out the Culture, Language, and Learning Lab Page
Check out her work at Google Scholar
Education/Academic qualification
Psychology, Banting Postdoctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia
Sept 2022 → Aug 2025
Education and Psychology, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Sept 2016 → Aug 2022
Psychology, BS, Beijing Normal University
Sept 2012 → Jun 2016
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Functional Connectivity Fingerprints of Emerging Reading Skill in the First Months of Schooling
Marks, R. A. (Corresponding Author), Bouhali, F., Sun, X., Caballero, J. F., Kepinska, O., Uchikoshi, Y., Beltz, A., Kovelman, I. & Hoeft, F., 17 Feb 2026, In: Developmental Science. 29, 2, e70142.Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review
Open Access -
Growth mindsets are less endorsed and less associated with academic performance in non-WEIRD cultures
Wang, Y., Tang, X., Wu, S. & Sun, X. (Corresponding Author), 24 Feb 2026, In: npj Science of Learning. 11, 1, 21.Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review
Open Access -
Perceptions of academic ups and downs in relation to effort and ability: A cross-cultural comparison of Chinese and Canadian children
Wang, Y., Khadra, L. & Sun, X. (Corresponding Author), 7 Jan 2026, In: Child Development. 97, 1, p. 200-218 19 p.Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review
Open Access -
Growth mindset in Chinese culture: A meta-analysis
Wang, Y. & Sun, X. (Corresponding Author), 22 Jan 2025, In: Social Psychology of Education. 28, 1, 24.Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review
12 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Implicit measure of growth mindset: reducing social desirability bias and linking to academic performance
Guo, J., Sun, X. & Tang, X. (Corresponding Author), 1 Sept 2025, In: Social Psychology of Education. 28, 1, 166.Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review
1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus)