[Edited Book]  VanderLaan, D. P. & Wong, W. I.* (2022). Gender and sexuality development: Contemporary theory and research. New York: Springer. [Link]

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Tang, X. A.^, & Wong, W. I.* (In press). (When) Shall we talk: Mental depletion linked to decreased empathic accuracy in daily interactions between romantic couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075251403215 [Download PDF]

• Empathic accuracy (EA) refers to how accurate people are in making inferences of other’s thoughts and feelings, which is essential for maintaining good social relationships.

• Mental depletion is a state people could experience every day as our mental resources run low (e.g., after a long day of work, under chronic stress, not getting enough sleep). One in five adults report experience mental depletion. Given its high prevalence, it is worth investigation how mental depletion could affect EA and consequently impact one’s social relationships. 

• We investigated the relationships between mental depletion and empathic accuracy (EA) with a diary procedure. The diary method addressed the limitation of low ecological validity of lab procedures and demonstrated the fluctuating nature of EA in everyday life

• We recruited 87 heterosexual couples in Hong Kong, asking them to fill in a questionnaire to report their feelings about their relationship (i.e., relationship appraisals) and their moods, and to rate their partner’s feelings and moods. 

• Both self and partner’s mental depletion are linked to reduced EA for relationship appraisals and negative moods, while partner’s mental depletion is also linked to lowered EA for positive moods 

• The effects of mental depletion differed based on mood valence, with more salient effects on EA for negative moods than on EA for positive moods 

• Partner’s mental depletion impaired men’s EA for women’s positive moods more than the reverse, suggesting men rely more on visible emotional cues and partner’s expressivity to achieve EA 

• Individuals often use their own feelings and moods as anchors when inferring partner’s emotional states, but depleted individual use less anchoring-and-adjustment strategy in making empathic inferences, perhaps due to the failure to identify a reliable anchor

• The research results suggest mental depletion is a relational risk factor in couples’ daily interactions and highlight the importance of timing in communication 

​

Wong, W. I.*, Shi, S. Y.^, Li, G., & Ng, P. H. (2025). A long-term prospective cross-lagged study of gender-typed play and mental transformation in children. Child Development, 96, 812-829. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14211

 

Kwan, M. W.^, Shi, S. Y.^, & Wong, W. I*. (In press). Temporal variations in gender identity: An ecological momentary assessment of the influences of context. Australian Journal of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2025.2471056

 

Kwan, K. W.^, Simran, I., James, H. J., Shi, S. Y.^, Poon, B. H. P., Nabbijohn, A. N., MacMullin, L. N., Peragine, D. E., Wong, W. I.*, & VanderLaan, D. P*. (2025). Children’s facial emotional expressions to gender-nonconforming hypothetical peers. Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03113-6

​

Wong, W. I.*, Shi, S. Y.^, Li, G., Liben, L, S., Leung, J. S-Y.^, & Chen, Z. (2025). Mixed-Gender Anxiety and Gender-Based Relationship Efficacy: A Cross-Lagged Study of Single-Sex (SS) Versus Coeducational (CE) Schooling Bridging High School Graduation. Journal of School Psychology,109, 101398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2024.101398

 

MacMullin, L. N., Wong, W. I., & VanderLaan, D.* (In press). Testing an empathy-based intervention to improve children’s gender-related attitudes. Journal of Articles in Support of the Null Hypothesis.

 

Wong, W. I.*, Shi, Y.^, van der Miesen, A. I. R., Ngan, C.^, Lei, H. L.^, & VanderLaan, D. P. (2024). Observations on gender variance in Chinese community children measured by the Gender Identity Questionnaire for Children. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 53, 2461-2471. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-024-02889-3

​

Shi, S. Y.^, Li, G., Liben, L. S., Chen, Z., & Wong, W. I.* (2024). Gender cognitions before and after graduating from single-sex versus coeducational high schools: A longitudinal study using propensity score matching. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000879 [Download PDF]

​

van der Miesen, A., Shi, Y.^, Lei, H. L.^, Ngan, C.^, VanderLaan, D. P., & Wong, W. I.*. (2024). Gender Diversity in a Chinese Community Sample and Its Associations with Autism Traits. Autism Research, 17, 1407-1416. doi: 10.1002/aur.3075 [Download PDF]

 

Kwan, K. M. W.^, Shi, S. Y.^, MacMullin, L. N., Nabbijohn, A. N., Peragine, D. E., VanderLaan, D. P.*, & Wong, W. I.* (2024). “He did girls’ things!” Hong Kong and Canadian children’s reasoning about moral judgments of peers’ gendered behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 60(6), 1066–1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001698 [Download PDF]

​

Qian, M., Wong, W. I., Nabbijohn, N., Wang, Y., MacMullin, L. N., James, H., Fu, G, Zuo, B., VanderLaan, D. P.  (2023). Children’s implicit gender-toy association development varies across cultures. Developmental Psychology, 59, 2289-2296. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001590 [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I.*, van der Miesen, A., Shi, Y.^, Lei, H. L.^, Ngan, C.^, Leung, S. Y.^,  & VanderLaan, D. P. (2023). Gender variance and psychological wellbeing in Chinese community children. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance Online Publication [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I.*, Shi, S. Y.^, & Yeung, S. P.^ (2023). Girls are better students but boys will be more successful at work: Discordance between academic and career gender stereotypes in middle childhood. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 52, 1105-1121. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02523-0 [Download PDF]

​

Li, G., Sham, W. W. L., & · Wong, W. I.* (2022). Are romantic orientation and sexual orientation different? Comparisons using explicit and implicit measurements. Current Psychology. DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03380-9 [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I.*, Tsui. W. B. ^, & Siu, T. S. (2021). Empathic accuracy of young boys and girls in ongoing parent-child interactions: Performance and (mis)perception. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 203,105042. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2020.105042 [Download PDF]

​

Qian, M. K., Wang, Y., Wong, W. I., Fu, G., Zuo, B., & VanderLaan, D. P. (2021). The effects of race, gender, and gender-typed behavior on children's friendship appraisals. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50, 807-820. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01825-5 [Download PDF]​​

​

Wong, W. I.*, & VanderLaan, D. (2020). Early sex differences and similarities: Evidence across cultures? In F. M. Cheung & D. F. Halpern (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of the International Psychology of Women (pp. 83-95). Cambridge University Press.​
[Download PDF]

​

Kwan, M. W. ^, Shi, S. Y.^, Nabbijohn, A. N., MacMullin, L. N., VanderLaan, D.*, & Wong, W. I.* (2020). Children’s appraisals of gender nonconformity: Developmental pattern and intervention. Child Development, 91, e780-e798. [Download PDF]

• SRCD Press release: New intervention may help ease young children's biases against gender-nonconforming peers

• CUHK Press release: CUHK study reveals simple intervention may change young children’s biased perception of peers breaking gender norms

• Child&Family Blog: Gender nonconforming children, particularly boys, are less popular with peers 

• HKET TOPICK: 中大研究揭兒童對性別非常規化朋輩存偏見 倡培育多元共融意義 

• On.cc: 4歲童已對非常規性別行為存偏見 學者倡及早教育 

• SCMP: Gender stereotyping can be reduced at a young age with proper intervention, study conducted on Hong Kong children finds

• hk01: 中大研究：4歲童對「娘娘腔」行為存偏見 倡及早培育多元意義 

• Sky Post: 歧視「娘娘腔」「與異性結伴」 4歲小童已有性別偏見 

• Ming Pao: 研究：男生愛洋娃娃女生短髮難交友 4歲童有「非常規性別」偏見

• AM730: 幼童歧視不跟從性別規範朋輩 中大專家︰早介入可減偏見

• HKEJ: 研究揭4歲童已具性別定型觀念

• HKET: 對「娘娘腔」朋輩 或4歲已存偏見 

• Sing Tao Daily: 研究：幼童對非常規性別行為存偏見 

• News@UofToronto: New interventions could help children accept gender-diverse peers, U of T study finds 

​

MacMullin, L. N., Nabbijohn, A. N., Kwan, K. M. W.^, Santarossa, A., Peragine, D. E., James, H. J., Wong, W. I.*, VanderLaan, D. P.* (2020). Testing an Intergroup Relations Intervention Strategy to Improve Children’s Appraisals of Gender-Nonconforming Peers. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 29, 167-181. doi: 10.3138/cjhs.2020-0001 [Download PDF]

​

Nabbijohn, A. N., MacMullin, L. N., Kwan, K. M. W.^, Santarossa, A., Peragine, D. E., Wong, W. I.*, & VanderLaan, D. P.* (2020). Children's bias in appraisals of gender-variant peers. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 196, 104865. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2020.104865 [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I., van der Miesen, A., & Li, T. G. F., MacMullin, L. N., & VanderLaan, D*. (2019). Childhood Social Gender Transition and Psychological Well-Being: A Comparison to Cisgender Gender-Variant Children. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology (APA), 7, 241-253. [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I.*, & Yeung, S. P.^ (2019). Early gender differences in spatial and social skills and their relations to play and parental socialization in children from Hong Kong. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48, 1589-1602. [Download PDF]

• Selected as one of the latest high-impact publications in Humanities & Social Sciences by Chinese researchers across Springer Nature

​

Wong, W. I.*, Shi, S. Y.*, & Chen, Z. S. (2018). Students from single-sex schools are more gender-salient and more anxious in mixed-sex situations: Results from high school and college samples. Plos ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208707 [Download PDF]

• Times Higher Education: Students from single-sex schools ‘anxious’ in mixed universities 

​

Wong, W. I.* (2018) GENDER-TYPED PLAY AND ITS STATE-OF-THE-ART SCIENCE Gender Typing Of Children's Toys: How Early Play Experiences Impact Development. Edited by Erica S. Weisgram and Lisa M. Dinella. Washington, DC: APA books, 2018. 341 pp. $ 74.95 (hardcover) ISBN: 978-1-4338-2886-7​. Sex Roles. [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I.* (2018). Sex Differences. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development. US: Sage Publications, Inc. DOI: 10.4135/9781506307633.n729 [Download PDF]

​

Li, G., & Wong, W. I.* (2018). Single-Sex Schooling: Friendships, Dating, and Sexual Orientation. Archives of Sexual 

Behavior, 47, 1025-1039. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-018-1187-6 [Download PDF]

​

​Yeung, S. P.^, & Wong, W. I.* (2018). Gender labels on gender-neutral colors: Do they affect children's color preferences and play performance? Sex Roles. DOI: 10.1007/s11199-017-0875-3 [Download PDF]

• Daily Mail: Our color-coded world: Photographer documents gender stereotypes throughout children's lives as studies show how easily kids'perception of these labels can be manipulated 

• Motherly: Research confirms gendered toys help create inequality 

• Mindbodygreen: Can we influence our kids' color preferences? Maybe — and here's why it might be worth trying

• PsychCentral: Preschoolers easily manipulated on gender issues 

• The Swaddle: Pink and blue toys and the gendering of play

• The Student Newspaper: The danger of gendering children’s toys 

• Asian Scientist: Gender labels affect color preference in children

• Bustle: A new study on “gender colored” toys shows the lasting effects of teaching pink is for girls, blue is for boys 

• The New Indian Express: Stop limiting kids choices to only blue and pink to curb gender differences, says study 

• Springer: Pretty in pink and boisterous in blue? 

​

Wong, W. I.* (2017). Digit Ratio. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. Shackelford T (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Cham: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8 [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I.* (2017). The space-math link in preschool boys and girls: Importance of mental transformation, targeting accuracy, and spatial anxiety. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 35, 249-266. DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12161 [Download PDF]

​

Li, R. Y. H.^, & Wong, W. I.* (2016). Gender-typed toy play and social abilities in boys and girls: Are they related? Sex Roles, 74, 399-410. DOI: 10.1007/s11199-016-0580-7 [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I.*, & Hines, M. (2016). Interpreting digit ratio (2D:4D)-behavior correlations: 2D:4D sex difference, stability, and behavioral correlates and their replicability in young children. Hormones & Behavior, 78, 86-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.10.022 [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I.*, & Hines, M. (2015b). Preferences for pink and blue: The development of color preferences as a distinct gender-typed behavior. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44, 1243-1254. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-015-0489-1  [Download PDF]

​

Wong, W. I.*, & Hines, M. (2015a). Effects of gender color-coding on toddlers’ gender-typical toy play. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44, 1233-1242. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-014-0400-5 [Download PDF]

• BBC Radio 4: Fighting the Power of Pink​​ 

​

Wong, W. I.*, Pasterski, V., Hindmarsh, P. C., Geffner, M. E., & Hines, M. (2013). Are there parental socialization effects on the sex-typed behavior of individuals with congenital adrenal hyperplasia? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42, 381-391. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-9997-4 [Download PDF]

​

​