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Assistant Professor

Peter Kay Chai Tay

Assistant Professor
PhD (Psychology), Singapore Management University, Singapore
Cluster:
Health and Social Sciences
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SIT Appointments

  • Assistant Professor
    – Present

Education

  • PhD (Psychology)
    Singapore Management University , Singapore
  • MSocSci (Psychology)
    National University of Singapore , Singapore
  • BArts (Psychology and Linguistics)
    The University of Melbourne , Australia

Professional Memberships

  • American Psychological Association
    – Present
  • Singapore Psychological Society
    – Present
  • Psychonomic Society
    – Present

Corporate Experience

  • Consultant, Nexus Link Market Research Pte Ltd
    Present
  • Review Editor, Frontiers in Psychology (Educational Psychology)
    Present
  • Consultant, Work & Health Psychologists (WHP)
    Present

Research Interests

  • Assess physical and mental wellbeing among individuals with cognitive and behavioral challenges (e.g., persons with dementia, prison inmates)
  • Use mixed methodologies to evaluate intervention programs for individuals with physical and psychosocial challenges (e.g., people with low vision)
  • Examine cognitive processing of social stimuli (e.g., memory for faces)

Current Projects

  • Ageing in Solitude: Perception and Health among Older Adults
    – Present

    Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award (HLCA), Singapore, Ministry of Health and National Research Foundation of Singapore (SGD55,200)

    Being alone can be a negative or positive experience and little is known about the health benefits associated with solitary experiences involving positive emotions, spiritual or mental renewal. This research aims to delineate solitary and loneliness experiences among older adults in the context of eating, working, physical and recreational activity participation. Effectiveness of health messaging relating to solitary and social activities will also be investigated. Approximately three hundred older Singaporeans will be recruited for a survey eliciting the amount of time they spent alone and with others for the activities. In addition, they will report whether they have any medical conditions and mental disorders, their satisfaction with life and quality of life. They will then be randomised into one of four experimental conditions to determine which method of health messaging aimed to promote solitary and social activities is most effective. Each health promotional advertisement is rated for affective quality, meaningfulness, and persuasiveness. Multiple linear regression analyses will be conducted to examine the correlations between perceived solitude and loneliness, and the health correlates; and the effectiveness of varied health messaging will be examined. The findings provide insights on the qualitative differences between solitude and loneliness experiences among older adults and their health outcomes. The effectiveness of health messaging through visual advertisement will also be assessed. Findings can inform policymakers, and healthcare and social care professionals in terms of the activities that could support and promote positive solitude experiences and potentially better health.

     

  • Singapore Longitudinal Aging Study (SLAS)
    – Present

    Singapore Longitudinal Aging Study (SLAS)

    To examine the role of social connectedness in predicting outcomes in successful ageing among older people in Singapore.

     

Past Projects

  • Using a Teaching Tool among Students to Self-Evaluate and Apply Psychosocial Concepts in Healthcare Contexts
    –

    Applied Learning and Innovation Grant (ALIGN), Singapore, Singapore Institute of Technology (SGD9,000)

    The current research aims to train students to use a teaching tool to evaluate and enhance their own learning and then assess the students’ objective and subjective efficacy in applying a psychosocial concept in healthcare settings. Up to one hundred allied health students at the Singapore Institute of Technology will be randomised into a teaching tool training intervention group or a no-training control group. The intervention group will learn how to use the teaching tool by viewing short video presentations on an online learning platform, i.e., Brightspace. Students in both groups write an essay based on a psychosocial concept before the training and review and revise the essay after the training. Two teaching staff who are blinded to the study objectives and hypotheses will mark the essays. The effectiveness of the teaching tool training will be examined based on the students’ scores for the essays and the perceived efficacy of using the teaching tool in applying the psychosocial concept. Given the transferability of the teaching tool across subject matters and its applicability to learning abstract concepts, the taxonomy may continue to be useful in clinical settings and in other disciplines that teach abstract concepts.

     

  • Effectiveness of auditory intervention in relieving stress in Singapore university students: A randomised controlled trial
    –

    The TENG Ensemble, Singapore, Industry funded (SGD39,600)

    Prospective, double-blinded randomised control tTrial will be used in this study to investigate the effects of auditory intervention in reducing stress on 240 healthy Singapore university students. The study will be conducted in Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). Participants will be SIT students, aged 18 to 35. They will be randomized into three groups:  1) Intervention group, 2) Placebo control, and 3) Active control. Physiological outcome measures (heart rate and skin conductance) will be administered throughout the session while verbal memory and psychological (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Perceived Stress Scale) outcome measures administered before and after listening to the audio files. Change in scores for psychological measures (post-intervention scores minus pre-intervention scores) will be calculated. The result of this study will inform the effectiveness of auditory interventions on relieving stress in university students.

    Reports

    • Final report: https://irr.singaporetech.edu.sg/articles/report/Effectiveness_of_Binaural_Beats_in_Music_from_The_TENG_Ensemble_in_Relieving_Stress_in_Singapore_University_Students_A_Randomized_Controlled_Trial/18319928

    • Media: https://www.singaporetech.edu.sg/news/sound-therapy-and-binaural-beat

     

  • A Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing the Effectiveness of Different Electric Breast Pumps
    –

    Hegen Pte Ltd. Singapore, Industry funded (SGD187,940)

    To compare the effectiveness and mothers’ satisfaction and psychosocial outcomes of three different brands of electric breast pumps (Hegen, Medela, Spectra) over a period of 28 days. A subgroup of participants will participate in an ultrasound scan to understand the physiological changes during breast milk expression.

     

Journal Papers

  • Ng, W. Z., Ariffin, K., Tay, P. K. C., Prasad, M., Tan, C., Kwok, C., & Tan, R. K. J. (2023). Prevalence and risk factors for alcohol use disorders, substance use disorders, and depression anxiety and stress among users of sexual health services in Singapore: a cross-sectional survey study. Sexual health, 20(4), 363–365. https://doi.org/10.1071/SH23023

  • Song, C.F., Tay, P.K.C., Gwee, X. et al. Happy people live longer because they are healthy people. BMC Geriatr 23, 440 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04030-w

  • Tay, P. K. C., & Lim, K. K. (2020). Psychological Resilience as an Emergent Characteristic for Well-Being: A Pragmatic View. Gerontology, https://doi.org/10.1159/000509210 

  • Tay, P. K. C., Chan, A., Tan, P. J., & Wong, C. H. (2020). Sex Differences in Perceptions toward Falls among Older Adults Living in the Community in Singapore. Journal of Aging and Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264320925972 

  • Tay, P. K. C., Ting, Y. Y., & Tan, K. Y. (2019). Sex and Care: The Evolutionary Psychological Explanations for Sex Differences in Formal Care Occupations. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(867). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00867

  • Tay, P. K. C., Jonason, P. K., Li, N. P., & Cheng, G. H. L. (2019). Is memory enhanced by the context or survival threats? A quantitative and qualitative review on the survival processing paradigm. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 13, 31-54. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000138

  • Tay, P. K. C., Hoon, C.-Y., & Hui, J. Y. K. (2018). Integrating Religious and Sexual Identities: The Case of Religious Homosexual Men in Singapore. International Journal of Sexual Health, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2018.1504849

  • Tay, P. K. C., & Yang, H. (2017). Angry faces are more resistant to forgetting than are happy faces: directed forgetting effects on the identity of emotional faces. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2017.1323907

  • Leow, M. Q. H., Cui, S. L., Mohamed Shah, M. T. B., Cao, T., Tay, S. C., Tay, P. K. C., & Ooi, C. C. (2017). Ultrasonography in Acupuncture—Uses in Education and Research. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 10(3), 216-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2017.03.001

  • Tay, P. K. C., & Chan, S. W.-C. (2017). Using Mixed-method Research to Examine the Effectiveness of a Psycho-educational Intervention for Caregivers of Persons with Dementia. SAGE Research Methods Cases. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526411426

  • Tay, P. K. C. (2015). The adaptive value associated with expressing and perceiving angry-male and happy-female faces. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 851. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00851

  • Tay, K. C. P., Seow, C. C. D., Xiao, C., Lee, H. M. J., Chiu, H. F. K., & Chan, W. C. S. (2014). Structured interviews examining the burden, coping, self-efficacy, and quality of life among family caregivers of persons with dementia in Singapore. Dementia, 1-17.

  • Drury, V., Saw, S. M., Finkelstein, E., Wong, T. Y., & Tay, K. C. P. (2013). A new community-based outdoor intervention to increase physical activity in Singapore Children: Findings from focus groups. Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore, 42(5), 1-7.

  • Tay, K. C. P., Drury, V., & Mackey, S. (2013). The role of intrinsic motivation in a group of low vision patients participating in a self-management program to enhance self-efficacy and quality of life. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 20(1), 17-24.

  • Drury, V., Mackey, S., Tay, K. C. P., & Lim, X. M. L. (2012). The feasibility and acceptability of a low vision self-management programme for older Singaporeans: A pilot study. [Research]. International Journal of Ophthalmic Practice, 3(5), 12-17.

Books

  • Chan, A., Malhotra, R., Manap, N.B., Ting, Y.Y., Visaria, A., Cheng, G.H-L., Goh, V.S.M., Tay, P.K.C., Lee, J.M.L., & Maulod, A. (2018). Transitions in Health, Employment, Social Engagement and Inter-generational Transfers in Singapore Study (THE SIGNS Study) – I. Singapore: Centre for Ageing Research and Education. [https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/care/publications/special-reports]

  • Wong, C., Cheong, C. Y., Ginting, M. L., Pullen, R., Tay, P. K. C., & Chan, A. (2018).
    Singapore. In E. Loichinger & W. Pothisiri (Eds.), Care for Older Persons in ASEAN+3: The
    Role of Families and Local and National Support Systems     (pp. 203-242). Bangkok,
    Thailand: Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. [https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/care/publications/special-reports]

  • Tay, K. C. P. (2012). Lateralized visuospatial and facial emotional processing in males:
    Relationship to 2D:4D finger length ratio    . Saarbrucken, Deutschland: LAP Lambert
    Academic Publishing.

  • Chan, W. C. S., Kua, E. H., Tsoi, T., Xiao, C., & Tay, K. C. P. (2012). Dementia: How to care
    for your loved one and yourself. A caregiver's guide    . Singapore: Nu-earth.

Teaching Modules

Dietetics and Nutrition, BSc (Hons)

  • DTN1003 - Individual and Environmental Influences on Eating Behaviours
  • DTN3005 - Communication Skills and Nutritional Counselling in Different Populations
  • HSC2007 - Health Promotion and Population Health

Diagnostic Radiography, BSc (Hons)

  • HSC1004 - Psychological and Sociological Perspectives for Health Sciences
  • HSC3001 - Change Management

Occupational Therapy, BSc (Hons)

  • HSC1004 - Psychological and Sociological Perspectives for Health Sciences
  • HSC3001 - Change Management
  • OTY4005 - Honours Thesis

Physiotherapy, BSc (Hons)

  • HSC1004 - Psychological and Sociological Perspectives for Health Sciences
  • HSC2007 - Health Promotion and Population Health
  • HSC3001 - Change Management
  • PTY4801 - Honours Thesis

Radiation Therapy, BSc (Hons)

  • HSC1004 - Psychological and Sociological Perspectives for Health Sciences
  • HSC3001 - Change Management

Nursing, BSc (Hons)

  • NUR4801 - Honours Thesis

Information and Communications Technology (Information Security), BEng (Hons)

  • ICT3001 - Self-Learning Module

Information and Communications Technology (Software Engineering), BEng (Hons)

  • ICT3001 - Self-Learning Module

Past

  • HSC2005 - Health Psychology
  • HSC6007 - Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders
  • IDC6102 - Health Services Research Designs and Methodologies