Nest box entrance hole size can influence nest site selection and nest defence behaviour in Japanese tits

Animal Cognition - Birds have the ability to assess the risk of predation in their environment and adjust their antipredation strategies based on this risk information. However, whether nest site...     

Ordinance influences individuals' perceptions towards prospects of social circumstance but not the status quo: An experimental field study on sexual minorities issues in Japan

Scientific evidence shows that institutional decisions can change individuals' private attitudes towards relevant issues. However, little is known about their effect on individuals' perceptions of social norms. This intriguing question has gained the attention of scholars. Nonetheless, the findings are primarily observed only in samples of the Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic countries, leading to doubts about their generalisability. This study experimentally tested residents' (N = 411) reactions to the new Tokyo ordinance prohibiting discrimination against sexual minorities enacted on October 5, 2018, and tested whether it dispelled self–other discrepancies regarding tolerance towards sexual minorities (i.e., pluralistic ignorance). The results showed that exposure to information about enactment increased future perceptions of support and understanding of sexual minorities. By contrast, private attitudes, perceptions of current social norms, and willingness to speak out did not change. Willingness to speak out was indirectly enhanced through increased perceptions of gaining future support. Furthermore, Tokyo residents overestimated other residents' negative attitudes towards sexual minorities. However, even when informed of the new ordinance, this self–other discrepancy in intolerance towards sexual minorities was not corrected. These findings suggest that institutional decisions can shape the perception of social norm change in the future beyond Western countries.     

The mere possession effect of shareable digital coupons: The mediating role of anticipated self-enhancement

Shareable digital coupons have emerged as a new marketing strategy. Prior literature on shareable coupons assumes that shareable coupons can play a role only after they have been shared with others. Surprisingly, we theorize that shareable coupons can come into play as early as when consumers merely possess them, even before consumers share them with others, an effect that precedes the effect of the actual coupon sharing. In this research, we show that the mere possession of shareable digital coupons (not necessarily the actual sharing) is able to induce anticipated self-enhancement among consumers. Hence shareable digital coupons are more effective than non-shareable digital coupons, and the effect is most pronounced among consumers with high image concerns. The higher coupon effectiveness of shareable digital coupons is reflected in consumers' greater urge/intention to acquire the coupon, intention to revisit, willingness to spend, as well as in firm's sales increase when products are promoted with shareable instead of non-shareable digital coupons. Our work contributes to the literature on shareable coupons, the mere possession effects, anticipated self-enhancement, and other-rewarding promotions, and is of important managerial value given the ease with which the shareability feature can be added to coupons.     

Digital literacy and green consumption behavior: Exploring dual psychological mechanisms

Green consumption has been developing into a booming trend due to alarming environmental problems. This study examines the relationship between the consumers' digital literacy and green consumption behavior and explores two different mechanisms based on social cognitive theory and self-regulatory theory. The cognition-based mechanism includes self-efficacy and outcome expectation; the affect-based mechanism includes anticipated pride and anticipated guilt. In addition, we investigate how green product availability moderates the relationships between four mediators and green consumption behavior. Across two studies, the results indicate that the consumers' digital literacy influences green consumption behavior through self-efficacy, outcome expectation, anticipated pride, and anticipated guilt. Moreover, green product availability boosts the effects of self-efficacy and anticipated pride on green consumption behavior. Our research has theoretical contributions to understanding the formation of green consumption behavior. It also provides practical implications for how to effectively guide and promote green consumption behavior.     

Rice-farming areas report more anxiety across two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in China

Cultures responded to the COVID-19 pandemic differently. We investigated cultural differences in mental health during the pandemic. We found regional differences in people's reports of anxiety in China over two years from 2020 to 2021 (N = 1186). People in areas with a history of rice farming reported more anxiety than people in wheat-farming areas. Next, we explored more proximal mechanisms that could help link the distal, historical factor of rice farming to people's modern experience of anxiety. Rice areas scored higher on collectivism and tight social norms than wheat areas, and collectivism, rather than norm tightness, mediated the rice-anxiety relationship. These findings advance our understanding of the distal sources of cultural differences, the proximal mechanisms, and mental health problems during the pandemics.     

汉字词特征语义提取的实验研究

本研究运用语义判断的方法,对汉字词特征语义的提取做了初步的探讨,被试是28名大学生。实验结果表明,汉字形声字的义符在汉字词定义特征语义提取中有重要作用,在义符与词义一致时,能加速词的定义特征语义的提取。义符对词的特有特征的语义提取无作用,而特有特征的强度能很好地预测提取时间。本研究还发现,词的熟悉性和该词距其上属的语义距离对词的定义特征的语义提取亦有重要影响。     

四组中国被试的归因在维度上相对位置的评定

本文研究了中国被试对十项归因(心境、技巧、知识、机会、努力、帮助、能力、任务、偏好和运气)在五个维度(基源性、稳定性、控制性、预见性和普遍性)上相对位置的评定。并与钱德拉等人(Cbandler & Spies,1984),用美国被试所得的结果进行了比较。实验结果表明中国被试与美国被试评定的一致性达62%。此外,没有一项归因的评定是在维度的极端等极(1.0-2.0或6.0-7.0)。     

信号检测论方法引入集值统计试验

集值统计是模糊数学方法的应用,信号检测论之评价法与有无法实验满足集值统计条件,可用集值统计的程度函数表示辨别力或感受性的大小。本文提出两种计算程度函数的数学模型:(1)a=1/K[∑a_(k1·CP_(k1)(Y/SN)+∑a_(k2)·CP_(k2)(Y/N)],(2)f(u)=1/2[∑a_(k1)·P_(k1)(Y/SN)+∑a_(k2)·P_(k2)(Y/N)]。试验结果证实两种模型所计算的程度函数与信号检测论方法所计算的辨别力指数d’有高相关(r_(ad’)=0.842,r_f(u)d’=0.953、n=67),程度函数与d’一样,不仅可以作为辨别力的指标,而且可将判断标准与辨别力分开,不同的是程度函数用β=a_N/a_(SN)或β=f_N(u)/f_(SN)(U)计算的判断标准是一次性综合判断。此点不同于信号检测论可对每一个类别反应的判断标准进行计算。程度函数与d’的计算都利用了对信号与噪音的反应信息。除上述二者的共同之处外,程度函数比d’还具有以下一些优越性:(1)程度函数应用集值统计,无须信号检测论要求对信号与噪音的感觉分布为正态的基本假设,可认为是非参数的方法;(2)可克服信号检测论方法不同判断标准下d’不稳定又难以解释的困难;(3)可适当地减少试验次数;(4)程度函数取值在0-1之间,易于形成量表值方便比较,意义清晰、明确;(5)更符合心理判断的实际状态。