Dr Pik Ki Ho

Role
Assistant Professor - Department of Psychology
Section
School of Social Sciences
Email
Pik Ki Ho

About

Pik Ki is a cognitive psychologist and an assistant professor of Psychology at Heriot-Watt University Dubai. Her research focuses on empirical and neuroaesthetics - an area in which the psychological and neurological mechanisms underpinning aesthetic appreciation towards artwork, architecture, as well as everyday objects are studied using techniques in psychophysics, experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. She is also interested in visual perception and human cognition in general.

Biography

Pik Ki received a BSc (double major in Biotechnology and Psychology) and a MPhil in Psychology at the University of Hong Kong before completing her PhD studies at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) in experimental psychology. Her thesis explored the factors modulating perceived facial attractiveness and aesthetic preferences in architecture. She then continued her research in the Experimental Aesthetics Research Group in the Institute of Anatomy, University Hospital Jena (Germany) as a postdoctoral researcher until summer, 2021.

Research

Pik Ki is currently investigating the psychological basis underlying the aesthetic appreciation of art portraits, architectural spaces, and digital art; as well as the socio-cognitive aspect of face perception. These research projects involve multi-disciplinary, cross-campus, and cross-institutional collaboration. She would be keen on supervising student research projects related to these topics at the undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Publications
  • Ho, P. K., Woods, A., & Newell, F. N. (2018). Temporal shifts in eye gaze and facial expressions independently contribute to the perceived attractiveness of unfamiliar faces. Visual Cognition, 26(10), 831-852.
  • Ho, P. K., & Newell, F. N. (2020). Turning Heads: The Effects of Face View and Eye Gaze Direction on the Perceived Attractiveness of Expressive Faces. Perception, 49(3), 330-356.
  • Ho, P. K., & Newell, F. N. (2020). Changes in perceptual category affects serial dependence in judgements of attractiveness. Visual Cognition, 28(10), 557-580.