The Origin of Academic Cheating in Adults and Children and How to Mitigate it

The Origin of Academic Cheating in Adults and Children and How to Mitigate it

Date: June 29, 2026 (Monday)

Time: 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm 

Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU [Map]

Language: English

Co-organisers: HKU Faculty of Education and HKU Department of Psychology 

Registration: https://tinyurl.com/lecture-jun-2026-reg

Speaker

Professor Kang Lee Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development University of Toronto

Why do students cheat? Is dishonesty inevitable in human nature, or can we curb it before it takes root? In this talk, Professor Kang Lee unpacks the history, psychology, and science of academic cheating—from ancient civil service exams to modern-day classrooms. With evidence from his recent research, he reveals how cheating behaviours emerge in early childhood, what cognitive and social factors drive them, and how simple interventions can dramatically reduce dishonest behaviour in children and adults.

About the Speaker

Professor Kang Lee is a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Developmental Neuroscience at the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE, University of Toronto, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. For more than three decades, he has used behavioural science, neuroscience, and machine learning to study the development of dishonesty and related behaviours (lying, cheating, and stealing). He has published over 350 papers, been cited more than 33,000 times (H index: 97), and ranks among the world’s most highly cited researchers. Professor Lee holds 13 patents and has received funding from major agencies in Canada, the United States, and China. His work has shaped Canadian legal reform on child witnesses, influenced clinical practice, and led to widely used contactless health-monitoring technologies. He is also a widely recognised public scholar, TED speaker, and recipient of numerous national and international awards, including the Governor’s Innovation Award in Canada.

Discussant
	Professor Yongyan Li Associate Professor Faculty of Education, HKU [Profile]
Moderator
	Professor Kathy Shum Associate Professor Department of Psychology Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU [Profile]

All are welcome!

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