Yifei Chen

Department: Psychology
Faculty Adviser: Jordan Taylor
Year of Study: G1
Undergraduate School: UC Berkeley
Undergraduate Major: Cognitive Science

Personal Bio

Hi all~ I first got into research at Berkeley, where I worked on how people adapt simple movements when given different types of feedback, like hit/miss, numeric, or visual. After that, I spent a year at UC Irvine looking into how adversity and PTSD affect decision-making under uncertainty. Now, I’m back in the motor learning world for grad school at Princeton.

Outside of research, I love spending time with my friends/loved ones, as well as on my own (doing art, Zelda, listening to music, etc.). I love Princeton because it is less overwhelming than a city, and it brings me more inner peace :)

Fun Fact

I work in a motor learning lab, but my own motor skills are kind of terrible!

Research Pitch

I’m interested in how people learn and adapt their movements. It’s something we don’t usually think about, even though our motor skills are complex, like solving a tricky math problem. For instance, sometimes you think you know where you’re moving, but your body’s doing its own thing behind the scenes! In my research, I explore how the brain adapts both consciously (explicit) and unconsciously (implicit) to different types of feedback and how the two processes interact. I use pretty simple experiments, like asking people to do hand movements while changing the feedback they get—whether it’s visual, numerical, or just a basic hit/miss signal.

Upcoming Programs That I Am Attending:

Plans for Summer 2025

Interested in participating in Summer 2025 ReMatch+ program.