Kevin Hsu, Ph.D.

(He, Him, His)
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology, Psychological and Social Sciences
Woodland, 236E
Penn State Abington
1600 Woodland Road
Abington, PA 19001

Dr. Hsu’s research has focused broadly on understanding sexual orientation using a variety of psychophysiological, behavioral, and self-report methods. He is interested in examining whether sexual orientation is more diverse and dimensional than is conventionally understood, and whether sexual orientation is more than just someone being sexually attracted to males or females (i.e., heterosexual or gay). For example, Dr. Hsu has conducted research supporting the idea that sexual orientation is also about how much someone is sexually attracted to children versus adults, and how much someone is sexually attracted to other individuals versus the fantasy of themselves as one of those individuals. Most recently, his research is looking at differences between “mostly heterosexual” and “exclusively heterosexual” women and men, and the influence of race on sexual attraction. 

Selected Grants, Awards, and Honors

  • Research Grant, Conru Foundation, $30,000 (Role: PI), 2020-2025 
  • Research Grant, American Institute of Bisexuality, $6,750 (Role: Co-PI), 2023-2024 
  • Rubin Award in Psychological and Social Sciences, Penn State Abington, $3,800 (Role: PI), 2023-2024 
  • Faculty Development Grant, Penn State Abington, $4,000 (Role: PI), 2023-2024 
  • Summer Faculty Fellowship, Penn State Abington, $4,000 (Role: PI), 2023 
  • Open and Affordable Educational Resources Faculty Champion Award, Penn State Libraries, 2022 
  • Faculty Development Grant, Penn State Abington, $3,000 (Role: PI), 2021-2022 
  • Teaching Enhancement Microgrant, Penn State Abington, 2021 
  • Rubin Award in Psychological and Social Sciences, Penn State Abington, $1,125 (Role: PI), 2020-2021 
  • Faculty Development Grant, Penn State Abington, $4,000 (Role: PI), 2020-2021 
  • Affordable Course Content Faculty Fellowship, Penn State Abington, 2020 
  • Research Grant, American Institute of Bisexuality, $21,630 (Role: PI), 2017-2018 
  • Ira and Harriet Reiss Theory Award, Foundation for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, 2017 

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Twitter

Sexual Orientation; Sexual Arousal; Paraphilias; Human Sexuality; Gender; Race and Ethnicity.

Bailey, J. M., Hsu, K. J., & Jang, H. H.** (2023). Elaborating and testing erotic target identity inversion theory in three paraphilic samples. Archives of Sexual Behavior. Advance online publication. 

Hsu, K. J., & Bailey, J. M. (2023). Sexual orientation, sexual motivation, and erotic target identity inversions in male adult baby/diaper lovers. Archives of Sexual Behavior. Advance online publication. 

Bailey, J. M., & Hsu, K. J. (2022). How autogynephilic are natal females? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51, 3311–3318. 

Hsu, K. J., & Bailey, J. M. (2022). Erotic target identity inversions. In D. P. VanderLaan & W. I. Wong (Eds.), Gender and sexuality development: Contemporary theory and research (pp. 589–612). New York: Springer. 

Petterson, L. J., & Hsu, K. J. (2022). Attraction to transgender people. In A. D. Lykins (Ed.), Encyclopedia of sexuality and gender. New York: Springer. 

Hsu, K. J., Walden, A. L., Kendall, A. D., Snow-Hill, N. L., Emerson, E. M., & Donenberg, G. R. (2022). Comparing the sexual and mental health of justice-involved youth across gender and sexual orientation. Criminal Justice Review, 47, 354–368.  

Hsu, K. J., Lei, R. F., & Bodenhausen, G. V. (2021). Racial preferences in sexual attraction among White heterosexual and gay men: Evidence from sexual arousal patterns and negative racial attitudes. Psychophysiology, 58, e13911. 

Bailey, J. M., Blanchard, R., Hsu, K. J., & Revelle, W. (2021). A map of desire: Multidimensional scaling of men’s sexual interest in male and female children and adults. Psychological Medicine, 51, 2714–2720. 

Jabbour, J. T.**, Holmes, L., Sylva, D., Hsu, K. J., Semon, T. L., Rosenthal, A. M., Safron, A., Slettevold, E., Watts-Overall, T. M., Savin-Williams, R. C., Sylla, J. R., Rieger, G., & Bailey, J. M. (2020). Robust evidence for bisexual orientation among men. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117, 18369–18377. 

Jabbour, J. T.**, Hsu, K. J., & Bailey, J. M. (2020). Sexual arousal patterns of mostly heterosexual men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49, 2421–2429. 

Hsu, K. J., & Bailey, J. M. (2020). The poverty of conditioning explanations for sexual interests: Reply to Grey (2019). Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49, 53–55. 

Ganesan, A., Morandini, J. S., Veldre, A., Hsu, K. J., & Dar-Nimrod, I. (2020). Ethnic differences in visual attention to sexual stimuli among Asian and White heterosexual women and men. Personality and Individual Differences, 155, 109630. 

Hsu, K. J., Rosenthal, A. M., & Bailey, J. M. (2020). General autogynephilia scale. In R. R. Milhausen, J. K. Sakaluk, T. D. Fisher, C. M. Davis, & W. L. Yarber (Eds.), Handbook of sexuality-related measures (4th ed.) (pp. 411–413). New York: Routledge. 

Morandini, J. S., Veldre, A., Holcombe, A. O., Hsu, K. J., Lykins, A., Bailey, J. M., & Dar-Nimrod, I. (2019). Visual attention to sexual stimuli in mostly heterosexuals. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48, 1371–1385. 

Hsu, K. J., & Bailey, J. M. (2019). The “furry” phenomenon: Characterizing sexual orientation, sexual motivation, and erotic target identity inversions in male furries. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48, 1349–1369. 

Hsu, K. J., & Bailey, J. M. (2017). Autopedophilia: Erotic-target identity inversions in men sexually attracted to children. Psychological Science, 28, 115–123. 

Rosenthal, A. M., Hsu, K. J., & Bailey, J. M. (2017). Who are gynandromorphophilic men? An Internet survey of men with sexual interest in transgender women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46, 255–264. 

Hsu, K. J., Rosenthal, A. M., Miller, D. I., & Bailey, J. M. (2017). Sexual arousal patterns of autogynephilic male cross-dressers. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46, 247–253. 

Semon, T. L., Hsu, K. J., Rosenthal, A. M., & Bailey, J. M. (2017). Bisexual phenomena among gay-identified men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46, 237–245. 

Bailey, J. M., & Hsu, K. J. (2017). Orienting basic research on chronophilias. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46, 23–26. 

Bailey, J. M., Bernhard, P. A.**, & Hsu, K. J. (2016). An Internet study of men sexually attracted to children: Correlates of sexual offending against children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125, 989–1000. 

Bailey, J. M., Hsu, K. J., & Bernhard, P. A.** (2016). An Internet study of men sexually attracted to children: Sexual attraction patterns. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125, 976–988. 

Hsu, K. J., Rosenthal, A. M., Miller, D. I., & Bailey, J. M. (2016). Who are gynandromorphophilic men? Characterizing men with sexual interest in transgender women. Psychological Medicine, 46, 819–827. 

Hsu, K. J., Rosenthal, A. M., & Bailey, J. M. (2015). Ethical criticism starts with reading carefully: Reply to Veale (2015). Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44, 1747–1748. 

Hsu, K. J., Rosenthal, A. M., & Bailey, J. M. (2015). The psychometric structure of items assessing autogynephilia. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44, 1301–1312. 

Hsu, K. J. (2014). The “auto” (self) in autogynephilic transsexualism. Journal of Sex Research, 51, 234–236. 

**indicates mentored student co-author 

Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Northwestern University, 2019
M.S., Clinical Psychology, Northwestern University, 2015
B.A., Psychology and Biological Sciences, Northwestern University, 2012

Before joining Penn State Abington, Dr. Hsu completed his clinical psychology internship in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

PSYCH 270: Introduction to Abnormal Psychology
PSYCH 294: Research Project
PSYCH 301W: Basic Research Methods in Psychology
PSYCH 422: Human Sexuality
PSYCH 494: Research Projects
PSYCH 497: Scientific Controversies in Clinical Psychology