An Examination of Sex and Masculinity/Femininity as Related to the Taste Sensitivity of Japanese Students

The purpose of the present study was to examine the influences of gender differences and masculinity–femininity on taste thresholds and food preferences. The participants were 108 Japanese undergraduate students (44 men and 64 women); their mean age was 19.6 years (SD = 1.3). Their detection and recognition thresholds for caffeine and sucrose were measured. Multiple regression analyses showed that women tended to have a lower detection threshold for caffeine than men did. The recognition threshold for caffeine was positively associated with scores for masculinity. For men, masculinity may be associated with smoking and drinking behavior, thereby resulting in a lower sensitivity for bitterness. Masculinity and femininity related to food preferences are also discussed.     

Psychological factors influencing the vividness and affect of visitors’ recall of nostalgic life memories in museums

Current Psychology - This study investigated the effect of nostalgia on museum visitors’ memories of life episodes from the distant past following their encounters with museum objects they...     

Passions, Acting and Face in Early Modern Characters: An Alternative View on the Avatar

While the emergence of the Internet and mobile telephone has allegedly changed our concept of self and emotions, the fundamental idea of a character seems to remain unchanged since literary characters came into ??stock?? in the early modern imagination. Focusing on the early modern literary sphere, this commentary examines how the contemporary avatar stems from the early modern concept of character. Taking some examples from the writings of Thomas Overbury, Ben Jonson and Shakespeare amongst others, it investigates the concept of character and the self in the literary, legal, and medical discourses. It then analyses the practical application of characters in the theatrical spheres. Following these findings, the study examines the dramatic texts and argues the importance of face in the character creation and apprehension, finding a curious correlation to the indispensable use of avatars on the Internet. The research thus indicates that the concept of characters is not only fundamental to the contemporary virtual life but also equally vital to the early modern literary experience, offering an alternative view to Simon Evans??s paper that examines the continuities of selves in the virtual and the physical worlds, as well as in the present and the past.     

Memory Characteristics in Relation to Age and Community Identity: The Influence of Rehearsal on Visitors’ Recollections of the 2005 Aichi World Exposition,Japan

ABSTRACT

This study investigated autobiographical memory characteristics in relation to age and community identity using Japanese visitors’ recollections of their experiences of the 2005 Aichi World Exposition in Japan, which they had attended 4 years past. A total of 82 visitors completed a 38-item Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ). Age was grouped in 2 levels—younger adult visitors (ages 18 to 30) and older adult visitors (ages 60 to 82)—and community identity by 2 distinct community groupings—visitors from Kansai area and visitors from Aichi area. Autobiographical memory characteristics, reflected by the factors of the MCQ, were explored through analysis of variance in terms of age and community identity to determine the influence on visitors’ long-term memories of the Aichi Expo. Explanations of the significant effects include sociocultural identities that motivate recollection and rehearsal activity and lead to clear or improvised autobiographical memories of the event.     

Excommunication and the philosophy of Spinoza

This paper is an attempt to probe the connection between Spinoza's philosophy and his excommunication from the Synagogue in 1656. It seeks, first, to show the decisive influence of the 1656 excommunication on Spinoza's life and thought, and to demonstrate that this event is the single most important key to understanding his entire philosophy. With this key, the paper seeks, secondly, to illustrate the development and transformation of Spinoza's thought through specific reference to his three major works, Korte Verhandeling, De Emendatione, and Ethica. Underlying these two points is a third, namely, that the inherently dynamic and positive elements of ‘experience’, which have not been fully appreciated thus far, should be given greater attention in the evaluation of Spinoza's philosophy.     

Development of the Two‐Dimensional Mood Scale for self‐monitoring and self‐regulation of momentary mood states

The purpose of this study was to develop a measure for self‐monitoring and self‐regulation of momentary mood states. The Two‐Dimensional Mood Scale (TDMS), consisting of eight words selected on the basis of pleasure and arousal, was created as an efficient measure of self‐monitoring. In Study 1, the validity and reliability of the TDMS were examined by administering the measure to 904 university students. Structural equation modeling revealed that mood states were constructed of two components, arousal and pleasure, and factor analysis found two factors, vitality and stability. In Study 2, differences between two mood manipulations, activation (exercise) and relaxation techniques were examined in 224 university students. The results showed that exercise induced higher vitality (, ) but no change in stability (, ), while relaxation resulted in an increase in stability (, ) but no change in vitality (, ). The TDMS can be combined with various mood manipulations to enable individuals to self‐regulate and alter negative psychological states.     

Electrophysiological evidence of heterogeneity in visual statistical learning in young children with ASD

Statistical learning is characterized by detection of regularities in one's environment without an awareness or intention to learn, and it may play a critical role in language and social behavior. Accordingly, in this study we investigated the electrophysiological correlates of visual statistical learning in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using an event‐related potential shape learning paradigm, and we examined the relation between visual statistical learning and cognitive function. Compared to typically developing (TD) controls, the ASD group as a whole showed reduced evidence of learning as defined by N1 (early visual discrimination) and P300 (attention to novelty) components. Upon further analysis, in the ASD group there was a positive correlation between N1 amplitude difference and non‐verbal IQ, and a positive correlation between P300 amplitude difference and adaptive social function. Children with ASD and a high non‐verbal IQ and high adaptive social function demonstrated a distinctive pattern of learning. This is the first study to identify electrophysiological markers of visual statistical learning in children with ASD. Through this work we have demonstrated heterogeneity in statistical learning in ASD that maps onto non‐verbal cognition and adaptive social function.     

Detection of invariants by haptic touch across age groups: rod length perception

This study examined the development in the detection of maximum eigenvalues and static moment as invariants, through a task of perceiving rod length without visual information by haptic touch. 34 participants ages 6 to 83 years participated in the experiment. Their exploratory behavior and perceptions of rod length were analyzed by age group (Children: 6 to 12 years old; Young Adult: 21 to 25 years old; Middle Age: 31 to 56 years old; and Older: 65 to 83 years old). A behavior analysis indicated that use of vertical swinging increased for the Young Adult group and decreased with age for the Older group, whereas Children frequently held the rod without wielding. Analysis showed that, by age, differences in coefficients on the maximum eigenvalue and static moment were parallel with an exploratory behavioral change. Finally, the effect of different exploratory behaviors on length perception was discussed.     

The inappropriate smile and zygomatic muscle activity

Long-term recording of activity of the zygomatic muscle, the most important mimic muscle involved in smiling, was performed in 22 disorganized type schizophrenic patients with inappropriate smiles and 15 normal subjects in two separate experiments. During inappropriate smiles, the zygomatic muscle exhibited waxing and waning bursts of activity with an amplitude of 75 to 120 microV, which could not be distinguished from the activity observed during usual smiling in normal subjects. However, the duration of such activity tended to be longer when compared to that in usual smiling by normal subjects as well as by schizophrenic patients. In contrast to usual smiles, inappropriate smiles decreased with personal contact. When asked about their thoughts during smiling shortly after inappropriate smiles, more patients reported that they thought of nothing at all or something not necessarily pleasant rather than something pleasant that would be expected to induce smiling.