About

Chia-Yi Chiu is an Associate Professor of Applied Statistics at Teachers College, Columbia University, affiliated with the Human Development Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics faculty. Her educational background includes a PhD in Quantitative Methodology, Measurement, and Evaluation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MS in Statistics from the same institution, an MA in Mathematics in Teaching from the University of Northern Colorado, and a BS in Mathematics from National Taiwan Normal University. Her research focuses on educational measurement, particularly on the development of assessment tools that enable real-time monitoring of teaching and learning in classroom settings. While much research in educational measurement centers on “big data,” Professor Chiu has concentrated on “small data,” making significant contributions to the field of nonparametric cognitive diagnosis through the development of its theory and innovative algorithms for STEM assessments. Her work is recognized for its groundbreaking impact on classroom assessments and educational diagnostics.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Law
• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Economics
• Medicine
• Statistics
• Philosophy
• Demography
• Socioeconomics
• World Wide Web
• Market economy
• Linguistics
• Political economy
• Mathematics
• Development economics
• Geography
• Virology
• Economic growth
• Demographic economics
• Internal medicine
• Social psychology

Selected publications

• Corrigendum to “Latent profile analysis of students' motivation and outcomes in mathematics: An organismic integration theory perspective” [Heliyon Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2017, Article e00308]

  Heliyon · 2025-02-27

  erratumOpen accessSenior author

  [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00308.].

  PublisherDOI

• Meritocracy Beliefs Are Positively Related to Institutional Trust Only in Societies With Many Economic Freedoms: A Multi‐Society Multi‐Level Analysis

  Journal of Social Issues · 2025-11-28 · 3 citations

  articleCorresponding

  ABSTRACT Meritocracy refers to the ideology that reward should be allocated to individuals based on their merits (effort and abilities). Social psychologists have studied it as a universal justice principle in reward allocation and a belief that justifies merit‐based social stratification. Taking a geopolitical stance, we further contextualize meritocracy is a socially and historically situated hierarchy‐legitimizing construct used to reinforce social division of labor and justify social inequality in the post‐industrial neoliberal society, so that the society can excel in global competition. As such, subscription to meritocracy should be associated with higher institutional trust in more mature market economies only. To test this hypothesis, we collated World Values Survey (WVS) data related to institutional trust and meritocracy beliefs from 84,638 participants in 57 societies (47.34% males, mean age = 42.89, SD = 16.43) and society‐level data of these societies’ economic freedom, economic performance, and economic inequality. Institutional trust data were analyzed both at the society level and the individual level. The results showed that at the society level, institutional trust was higher in a society that stronger shared beliefs in meritocracy and had many more economic freedoms. At the individual level, in societies with more economic freedoms, people trusted public institutions more if they held stronger meritocracy beliefs. In contrast, in societies with fewer economic freedoms, institutional trust was higher among people who opposed to meritocracy beliefs.

  PublisherDOI

• The relationship between cultural tightness–looseness and COVID-19 cases and deaths: a global analysis

  UNC Libraries · 2025-05-16

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• List of Contributors

  2025-06-27

  other
  PublisherDOI

• Consistency of interest mediates the positive relationship between growth mindset and presence of meaning in life among Hong Kong adolescents: A cross‐lagged panel study

  Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · 2025-01-22 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Meaning in life protects individuals from mental distress during social upheaval. We posit that a growth mindset and consistency of interest positively predict meaning in life during social upheaval. The present research tested the hypothesis that among adolescence living in a period of social upheaval, the presence of a growth mindset (the belief in malleability of valued personal attributes) positively predicts persistent engagement in purpose-congruent interests (consistency of interest), which in turn positively predicts the feeling that life is meaningful (presence of meaning in life). To test this hypothesis and to clarify the temporal causal connections among growth mindset, consistency of interest, and presence of meaning in life, we conducted a 3-wave longitudinal cross-lagged panel study with 275 Hong Kong adolescents between late 2017 and early 2020, which covered a period of social upheaval. As hypothesized, having a growth mindset predicted meaning in life two years later through the mediating effect of consistency of interest. These findings extended past findings by identifying a new causal pathway for the temporal causal effects of a growth mindset on the presence of meaning in life over two years in a population and context with high vulnerability to mental distress. (193 words).

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Geopolitical Psychology: An Emerging Perspective

  Journal of Social Issues · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT This article aims to introduce geopolitical psychology as an emerging interdisciplinary perspective in psychological science. Broadly defined, this perspective (a) synergizes insights from geography, political economy, and psychology, and (b) broadens and deepens the understanding of the society–psychology nexus and its transformations vis‐à‐vis the transactions of the person and the historical, current, and imagined geopolitical contexts. We propose eight propositions to organize currently disparate research on geopolitical psychology and guide future investigations in this field. We also elaborate on the methodology of geopolitical psychology. We believe that geopolitical psychology can deepen the understanding of key social and psychological phenomena, offer new theoretical insights, lead to critical interrogations of received social representations, and inspire collective actions to change the status quo. We also expect geopolitical psychology to be able to address past critiques of intrapersonal psychology as a socially indifferent science, and conceptually and methodologically connect psychological science with its cognate disciplines in humanities and social sciences.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Collectivism was Associated Late Vaccination Uptake During COVID Pandemic: A National Survey and A Global Analysis

  2025-02-27

  preprintOpen access

  Introduction Vaccination by enabling herd immunity was crucial to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Collectivism as a cultural value prioritizes social responsibility over personal choice and prescribes the use of the wait-and-adjust heuristic in decision-making. Past COVID-19 research showed that in more collectivist cultures, enforcement of non-pharmaceutical interventions was more effective and infection and mortality rates were lower. However, more collectivist cultures, with their greater reliance on the wait-and- adjust heuristic in decision-making, might delay vaccination before the vaccines’ effectiveness and safety was ascertained.Methods The hypothesized relationship between collectivism and slow vaccination uptake was tested in two studies. In a national survey (n = 5,438) conducted in China (a country with significant regional variations in collectivism), 153 days after COVID-19 vaccines were available, respondents’ collectivism and their vaccination behavior and intention were measured (Study 1). Next, data on collectivism and daily changes in vaccination rates from 183 cultures were analyzed with a series of multilevel models to assess the relationship of collectivism with changes in the vaccination rates across cultures (Study 2).Results When vaccines were unavailable, more collectivist cultures had fewer COVID-19 infection and death rates. However, after vaccines were released in China, more collectivist Chinese citizens were less likely to receive early vaccination (Study 1). Furthermore, around the world, more collectivist cultures had slower vaccination rates in the first year of vaccination administration (Study 2). Conclusions Although collectivism motivates compliance with NPI requirements, it is associated with late vaccination uptake. Past research shows that strengthening a shared sense of identity and inoculation against misinformation are two effective COVID-19 control strategies. The present research suggests that for pandemic management, identity strengthening is particularly commendable in less collectivist cultures before and after vaccines are available, whereas misinformation inoculation is particularly commendable in more collectivist cultures when vaccines are available.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Collectivism was Associated Late Vaccination Uptake During COVID Pandemic: A National Survey and A Global Analysis

  2024-07-04

  preprintOpen access

  Uptake of vaccination was crucial to ending the COVID pandemic by enabling herd immunity. Collectivism is a cultural value that prioritizes collective over personal wellbeing and prescribes cooperation and dependency on group opinions when making personal decisions. Past studies showed that collectivist (vs. individualist) cultures were more successful in enforcing non-pharmaceutical interventions, and hence had lower infection and death rates before vaccines were available. However, collectivists, being more influenced by group opinions in decision-making, might delay vaccination uptake until they are certain that the vaccines are effective and safe for others. We tested our hypotheses in a national survey of Chinese citizens (n = 5,438, Study 1) five months after COVID-19 vaccines were publicly available, and in a study of 183 countries/territories (Study 2). Consistent with past findings, before vaccines were available, more collectivist cultures had fewer COVID-19 infections and deaths per million. However, after vaccines were released in China, Chinese citizens who were more collectivist were less likely to receive early vaccination (Study 1). Furthermore, more collectivist cultures had slower vaccination rates in the first year of vaccination administration (Study 2). These results have important implications for future pandemic control and public health communications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Growth mindset in Chinese societies: Introduction to the special issue

  Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology · 2024-01-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The JPRP Special Issue on Growth Mindset in Chinese Context was put together to address three questions. First, is the growth mindset less popular among the Chinese than Americans and Europeans? Second, is the growth mindset less relevant to human performance and psychological well-being in Chinese societies than in Western societies? Third, can the effectiveness of growth-mindset interventions in Chinese societies be enhanced, and if yes, how? In this editorial article, we review the research literature on growth mindset in the Chinese context. Our review focuses on articles published in the last five years (2019–2024). Most of these articles were published in English outlets. This review aims to situate the 13 articles included in the present issue in a broader theoretical background. The present editorial article consists of five sections: (1) the relative prevalence of the growth mindset in Chinese and Western societies; (2) evidence for the beneficial psychological and achievement effects of growth mindset in Chinese societies; (3) the supportive conditions for the development of a growth mindset; (4) the effectiveness of growth mindset interventions in Chinese societies; and (5C) future directions for growth mindset research in the Chinese context.

  PublisherDOI

• Collectivism was Associated Late Vaccination Uptake During COVID Pandemic: A National Survey and A Global Analysis

  2024-07-04

  preprintOpen access

  Introduction Vaccination by enabling herd immunity was crucial to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Collectivism as a cultural value prioritizes social responsibility over personal choice and prescribes the use of the wait-and-adjust heuristic in decision-making. Past COVID-19 research showed that in more collectivist cultures, enforcement of non-pharmaceutical interventions was more effective and infection and mortality rates were lower. However, more collectivist cultures, with their greater reliance on the wait-and- adjust heuristic in decision-making, might delay vaccination before the vaccines’ effectiveness and safety was ascertained.Methods The hypothesized relationship between collectivism and slow vaccination uptake was tested in two studies. In a national survey (n = 5,438) conducted in China (a country with significant regional variations in collectivism), 153 days after COVID-19 vaccines were available, respondents’ collectivism and their vaccination behavior and intention were measured (Study 1). Next, data on collectivism and daily changes in vaccination rates from 183 cultures were analyzed with a series of multilevel models to assess the relationship of collectivism with changes in the vaccination rates across cultures (Study 2).Results When vaccines were unavailable, more collectivist cultures had fewer COVID-19 infection and death rates. However, after vaccines were released in China, more collectivist Chinese citizens were less likely to receive early vaccination (Study 1). Furthermore, around the world, more collectivist cultures had slower vaccination rates in the first year of vaccination administration (Study 2). Conclusions Although collectivism motivates compliance with NPI requirements, it is associated with late vaccination uptake. Past research shows that strengthening a shared sense of identity and inoculation against misinformation are two effective COVID-19 control strategies. The present research suggests that for pandemic management, identity strengthening is particularly commendable in less collectivist cultures before and after vaccines are available, whereas misinformation inoculation is particularly commendable in more collectivist cultures when vaccines are available.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Psychological Reactions to Foreign Cultures: Effects of Simultaneous Activation of Cultures

  NSF · $315k · 2008–2011

Frequent coauthors

• Ying‐yi Hong

  117 shared

• Angela K.‐Y. Leung

  Singapore Management University

  41 shared

• Ivy Yee‐Man Lau

  35 shared

• Kim‐Pong Tam

  Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

  29 shared

• Melody Manchi Chao

  Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

  21 shared

• Sau-lai Lee

  Chinese University of Hong Kong

  20 shared

• Michael W. Morris

  19 shared

• Jeanne Ho-Ying Fu

  The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

  18 shared

Labs

• Chia-Yi Chiu LabPI

Education

• Ph.D., Quantitative Methodology, Measurement, and Evaluation program, Educational Psychology

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• M.S., Statistics

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• M.A., Mathematics in Teaching

  University of Northern Colorado

• B.S., Mathematics

  National Taiwan Normal University

Awards & honors

• John P. Yackel Professor of Educational Measurement and Asse…
• Provost Award in Innovations in Education and Teaching Pilot…
• Chancellor’s Scholar Award: Innovation in Research, 2017-202…
• Brenda H. Loyd Outstanding Dissertation Award, 2010, Nationa…