Kuo Zing-yang (or Z. Y. Kuo; ; 1898–1970), was a Chinese

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...

and

physiological Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemica ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the pre ...

. He was a renowned educator and is also notable as having been the President of

Zhejiang University Zhejiang University, abbreviated as ZJU or Zheda and formerly romanized as Chekiang University, is a National university, national public university, public research university based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is a member of the prestigiou ...

, who was expelled by Zhejiang students in 1935.

Biography

Kuo was born in

Shantou Shantou, alternately romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census (5,391,028 in 2010) and an administrative ...

Guangdong Province Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

in 1898. Kuo studied at

Fudan University Fudan University () is a national public research university in Shanghai, China. Fudan is a member of the C9 League, Project 985, Project 211, and the Double First Class University identified by the Ministry of Education of China. It is als ...

in Shanghai. In 1918, Kuo went to study in the United States. In 1923, Kuo obtained his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley (UC, Berkeley) at age 25. Kuo went back to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, and founded the Department of Psychology at Fudan University in 1924. Kuo was a professor, the

Vice-president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

; and from Apr 1924 to Nov 1925, the acting President of Fudan University. From 1927 to 1936, Kuo taught at

National Central University National Central University (NCU, ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Kwet-li̍p Chung-yong Thài-ho̍k'', Wade–Giles: ''Kuo2 Li4 Chung Yang Ta4 Hsüeh2'' or ''中大'', ''Chung-ta'') is a public research university with long-standing traditions based in Taiw ...

郭任远（1898～1970）：国立中央大学心理系教授（1929～1933） (Zing-Yang Kuo (1898-1970): Professor of psychologist (1929-1933) at National Central University)
/ref> and Zhejiang University. From 1933 to 1936, Kuo was the President of Zhejiang University, and did the most important research of his academic career - about animal's

behavior Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions and mannerisms made by individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as we ...

epigenetics In biology, epigenetics is the study of stable phenotypic changes (known as ''marks'') that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. The Greek prefix '' epi-'' ( "over, outside of, around") in ''epigenetics'' implies features that are ...

. In Dec 1935, the December 9th Movement broke out, which led to a large

student strike Campus protest or student protest is a form of student activism that takes the form of protest at university campuses. Such protests encompass a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or academ ...

in Zhejiang University. There were some severe conflicts between Kuo and some students and faculty, and Kuo was described as "autocratic" in the handling this incident.

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

then intervened, leading to Kuo's resignation from his university president position. From 1936 to 1945, Kuo was a

visiting scholar In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

to United States, and did research and lectured in several American universities. Kuo was a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

of UC Berkeley,

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

and the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of ...

, and a researcher at Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C.. From 1946 to 1970, Kuo resided in

Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and ...

, Hong Kong. Kuo was a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

of the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hon ...

. Kuo died in Hong Kong on 14 August 1970 at age 72.

Works

Chapter 3: From Watsonian Behaviorism to Behavior Epigenetics
(by Zing-Yang Kuo). * Book: ''The Dynamics of Behavior Development: An Epigenetic View''; by Gilbert Gottlieb, Zing-Yang Kuo; June 1976. * Book: ''The Dynamics of Behavior Development''; by Zing-Yang Kuo; Random House Press, 1967. * Book: ''Instinct'';1961. Princeton, NJ:Van Nostrand.

Extra materials

''"To be a big shot or to be shot": Zing-Yang Kuo’s other career''
(by Geoffrey H. Blowers, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) (Using the above link will provide a new link "content.pdf" that you can use to see the full text of the article.)

Zing-Yang Kuo (biography)
* Robert Epstein: ''Comparative Psychology as the Praxist Views It''; Journal of Comparative Psychology. Vol 101(3), Sep 1987, 249-253. * Gottlieb, G. (1972): ''Zing-Yang Kuo: Radical scientific philosopher and innovative experimentalist (1898–1970)''; Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 80, 1-10.

References

External links

Presidents of Zhejiang University - Zing-Yang Kuo

* ttp://seuaa.seu.edu.cn/s/14/t/33/a/3018/info.htm Zing-Yang Kuo's brief biography from Southeast University {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuo, Zing-Yang 1898 births 1970 deaths University of Hong Kong faculty Fudan University alumni People from Chaoyang District, Shantou Chinese psychologists Hong Kong psychologists University of California, Berkeley alumni Zhejiang University faculty Educators from Guangdong Presidents of Zhejiang University 20th-century psychologists