About the time-shrinking illusion in the tactile modality

The aim of this study was to examine the occurrence of a so-called time-shrinking illusion in the tactile modality, while it had been tested so far mainly with auditory and visual stimuli. We examined whether the perception of an empty time interval marked by two brief tactile stimuli, S (240 ms), would be influenced by the presence of a preceding time interval, P (160, 240, or 320 ms). Results showed that S was underestimated when P was shorter than S. This underestimation appeared as a kind of perceptual assimilation between P and S, but S was not overestimated when P was longer. The underestimation was rather interpreted as a manifestation of the time-shrinking illusion.     

A Qualitative Exploration of a Music Experience Within a Counselor Education Sexuality Course

Counseling students commonly experience discomfort when learning to engage with vulnerable content areas (i.e., sexuality). This qualitative study focused on exploring counseling students’ (N = 12) responses to an experiential activity involving music. The researchers identified themes related to the learning process and influences on sexuality.     

Effects of sound-marker durations on rhythm perception

Our aim in this study was to examine the influence of sound-marker durations on the perception of simple rhythm patterns. These comprised three successive sounds marking two neighbouring time intervals, T1 and T2, with their onsets. We varied the durations of each of the three sound markers to make them either 20 or 60 ms. Durations of T1 and T2 were also varied, but the total duration of T1 and T2 was fixed at either 240 or 480 ms. In experiment 1, participants compared the durations of T1 and T2. In experiment 2, the subjective duration of each interval was measured separately. We found that lengthening the duration of the sound marker which terminated an interval increased the subjective duration of that interval: lengthening the duration of the second marker increased the subjective duration of T1, and lengthening the duration of the third marker increased the subjective duration of T2. Lengthening the duration of the first marker increased the subjective duration of T1 when T1 + T2 = 240 ms, especially when T1 > T2. This effect of first-marker duration, which could not be observed with single intervals used in the control conditions, seemed to enhance the contrast between T1 and T2. The effects of marker durations are associated with previous time-perception studies, in which single time intervals were used. They are discussed in the context of rhythm-perception studies, in which more complex sound patterns have been used.     

A pilot study of change in cerebral activity during personality rating by questionnaire and personal computer

The purpose of this study was to examine cerebral blood flow in the frontal cortex area during personality self‐rating tasks. Our two hypotheses were (1) cerebral blood flow varies based on personality rating condition and (2) cerebral blood flow varies based on the personality traits. This experiment measured cerebral blood flow under 3 personal computer rating conditions and 2 questionnaire conditions. Comparing the rating conditions, the results of the t‐test indicated that cerebral blood flow was higher in the questionnaire condition than it was in the personal computer condition. With respect to the Big Five, the result of the correlation coefficient, that is, cerebral blood flow during a personality rating task, changed according to the trait for agreeableness. The results of the analysis of the 5‐cluster on individual differences indicated that certain personality traits were related to the factors that increased or decreased cerebral blood flow. An analysis of variance indicated that openness to experience and Behavioural Activation System‐drive was significant given that participants with high intellectual curiosity were motivated in this experiment, thus, their cerebral blood flow may have increased. The significance of this experiment was that by employing certain performance measures we could examine differences in physical changes based on personality traits.     

Relationship Between Social Relations and Mortality of Older Japanese People Living Alone

The association of social relations with mortality was studied over a 54-month period in 535 older Japanese people living alone. Sex-specific proportional hazard analyses indicated that finding it difficult to establish and maintain relationships with other people was significantly related to mortality, regardless of age, general health status, history of health management, psychological conditions, or economic status. The adjusted hazard ratio for finding relations with other people difficult was 4.61 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.39–15.30] for men and 4.56 (95% CI: 2.19–9.48) for women. The adjusted hazard ratio for nonparticipation in social activities was 1.45 (95% CI: 0.42–4.97) for men and 1.72 (95% CI: 0.70–4.22) for women and did not reach statistical significance. On the other hand, there was a gender difference in the direction of the association between a low-level contact with children, siblings, or other relatives and mortality, for which the adjusted hazard ratio was 3.16 (95% CI: 0.94–10.62) for men and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.27–0.97) for women. These results suggest the need to create a different model for the relationship between social relations and mortality for men and for women living alone.     

The Effect of Intergroup Conflict on Ingroup Cooperation and Conformity: An Experimental Vignette Study

In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that intergroup conflict would enhance not only ingroup cooperation, but also conformity (frequency‐dependent tendency). One hundred and eighty undergraduate students participated in a vignette experiment. They read four scenarios describing daily intergroup conflict situations, and rated behavioral intention for ingroup cooperation and frequency‐dependent tendency of ingroup members. In each vignette, level of intergroup conflict (weak/moderate) was manipulated by costs of defeat. The results supported the hypothesis in part that intergroup conflict enhanced both ingroup cooperation and conformity.     

Color-Conscious Multicultural Mindfulness Training in the Counseling Field

The Color-Conscious Multicultural Mindfulness (CCMM) training focuses on addressing intercultural relationship ruptures, individual inequity, and systemic disparities. In this randomized control study, the authors examined the CCMM training effectiveness with 39 prelicensed counselors and counseling students using repeated measures analyses of covariance. Participants reported statistically significant changes in multicultural competence; mindfulness; and color-blind racial attitudes related to privilege, institutional discrimination, and blatant racism. Implications for counselor training practices and future research are provided.     

Effectiveness of Child-Directed Interaction Training for Young Japanese Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

This study examined the efficacy of Child-Directed Interaction Training (CDIT), the first phase of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), for Japanese children with autism spectrum disorders. The participants were 21 mother-child dyads with children aged 4–7 years; participants were assigned to an Immediate Treatment (IT) group or to a Waitlist (WL) control group. Across eight training sessions, mothers learned positive attention skills that were adapted from traditional PCIT training. Results showed CDIT not only improved social cognition skills and decreased disruptive behavior in Japanese children, but also reduced stress/distress among their mothers, particularly in relation to their own parenting skills and their child’s problem behaviors.     

Effects of temporal shapes of sound markers on the perception of interonset time intervals

This study investigated how the temporal characteristics, particularly durations, of sounds affect the perceived duration of very short interonset time intervals (120-360?ms), which is important for rhythm perception in speech and music. In four experiments, the subjective duration of single time intervals marked by two sounds was measured utilizing the method of adjustment, while the markers' durations, amplitude difference (which accompanied the duration change), and sound energy distribution in time were varied. Lengthening the duration of the second marker in the range of 20-100?ms increased the subjective duration of the time interval in a stable manner. Lengthening the first marker tended to increase the subjective duration, but unstably; an opposite effect sometimes appeared for the shortest time interval of 120?ms. The effects of varying the amplitude and the sound energy distribution in time of either marker were very small in the present experimental conditions, thus proving the effects of marker durations per se.     

Facial skin temperature decreases in infants with joyful expression

Studies of infant emotion rely on the assessment of expressive behavior and physiological response because infants cannot tell their feelings. Little is known about the physiological response of infants when they are in a joyful emotion. In this study, we examined changes in facial skin temperature as a physiological response, when infants are laughing, an expressive behavior of joyful emotion. Using thermography, skin temperatures of the nose, forehead and cheek were evaluated at 2-3 months, 4-6 months and 8-10 months. A decrease in facial skin temperature occurred when they laughed. The decrease was most dramatic in the nose dropping as much as 2.0 degrees C in 2 min. The response was evident in infants older than 4 months. These results suggest that a joyful emotion could be associated with a drop in facial skin temperature, which had been considered only as a sign of an unpleasant emotion. This response is developmentally controlled.