父母自主支持对青少年积极情绪适应的影响:基本心理需要满足的中介与调节作用模型

本研究旨在考察父母自主支持对青少年积极情绪适应的影响及其作用机制。采用生活满意度问卷、积极情感消极情感量表、父母自主支持量表、自尊量表以及基本心理需要量表对1912名初中生被试进行调查。结果表明：（1）父母自主支持对青少年生活满意度、积极情绪、自尊和基本心理需要满足有显著正向预测作用;（2）基本心理需要满足在父母自主支持对青少年生活满意度、自尊和积极情绪影响中的中介作用显著;（3）基本心理需要满足在父母自主支持与积极情绪、生活满意度之间起着调节作用。本研究结果揭示了基本心理需要满足在父母自主支持和积极情绪适应之间的“双重作用”。     

The central amygdala nucleus via corticotropin-releasing factor is necessary for time-limited consolidation processing but not storage of contextual fear memory

The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) is traditionally portrayed in fear conditioning as the key neural output that relays conditioned information established in the basolateral amygdala complex to extra-amygdalar brain structures that generate emotional responses. However, several recent studies have questioned this serial processing view of the amygdalar fear conditioning circuit by showing an influence of the CeA on memory consolidation. We previously reported that inhibition of endogenous CeA secretion of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) at the time of contextual training effectively impaired fear memory consolidation. However, the time-dependent range of CeA CRF secretion in facilitating consolidation processing has not been examined. Therefore, to address this issue, we performed CeA site-specific microinjections of CRF antisense oligonucleotides (CRF ASO) at several post-training time intervals. Rats microinjected with CRF ASO at post-training intervals up to 24-h subsequently exhibited significant impairments in contextual freezing retention in contrast to animals treated 96-h after training. To further establish the validity of the results, CeA fiber-sparing lesions were made at two distinct post-training periods (24-h and 96-h), corresponding respectively to the temporal intervals when CeA CRF ASO administration disrupted or had no significant effects on memory consolidation. Similar to the CeA CRF ASO results, CeA lesions made 24-h, but not 96-h, after training induced significant freezing deficits in the retention test. In conclusion, the current results demonstrate: (1) an extended involvement of CeA CRF in contextual memory consolidation and (2) that contextual fear memory storage is not dependent on a functional CeA.     

Control of lateral weight-transfer initiation during sitting

Whereas many researchers have examined the transition from quiet posture to dynamic state, study of the initiation of lateral weight-transfer during sitting has only begun recently. This action is included in many tasks performed in our daily living, i.e., reaching, dressing, looking backwards, lying down, and shuffling the buttocks. The present study was designed to describe lateral weight-transfer movements of healthy adults, kinematically and kinetically, and to clarify the strategies and speed dependency of lateral weight-transfer initiation during sitting. Seven healthy Japanese male students without orthopaedic or neurological disorders participated. Their lateral weight-transfer movements were measured during sitting, using two force platforms and a 3-dimensional analysis system. Analysis showed that there appear to be two strategies for the initiation of the task: one is the lateral bending of trunk toward the weight-transfer side, and the other is a coordinated reciprocal leg action of both legs. A combination of these strategies is used in a trade-off fashion during natural motions. These results are clinically important for the assessment and therapy of patients with sitting problems.     

Asymmetries for the categorization of kanji nouns, adjectives, and verbs presented to the left and right

Kanji is one form of written Japanese in which the symbolic/analytic characteristics of language are dissociated from systematic phonetic characteristics; as such, it makes possible a more careful test of which aspect of language is responsible for the frequently observed superior left-hemisphere performance. In this study, subjects were asked to categorize tachistoscopically presented kanji as nouns, adjectives, or verbs. The previously reported (Hatta 1977, Neuropsychologia, 15, 685–688) left-visual-field advantage for kanji was found only in the case of nouns. Adjectives and verbs were processed more rapidly and correctly in the right visual field.     

Autokinetic illusion as affected by suggestions of experimenter and observer.

Two experiments were done to examine whether an experimenter's suggestion and self-suggestion could affect the autokinetic illusion and to specify that effect. Exp. I compared the effect of a facilitative suggestion with a suppressive one, by measuring the moving latency, duration, frequency, and by analyzing the movement trace. Time and frequency did not detect any effects of marked individual differences. Trace analysis, on the other hand, showed that suggestions were effective in the expected direction for some subjects. Exp. II gave the suggestion for and against subjects' dominant direction of the movement and was designed to specify the effect. While effects indicated by time and frequency measures were not consistent, the movement trace showed the effect in suggested directions, which was more distinct for subjects whose nonsuggested illusion was not so markedly directed. These findings indicate that suggestion could affect the spatiotemporal aspect of the illusion, so the trace analysis may be useful for studies in this field.     

Self-awakening, sleep inertia, and P3 amplitude in elderly people

It is well known that sleepiness is sometimes experienced in the afternoon. A short afternoon nap is thought to be effective in reducing sleepiness. However, sleep inertia occurs even after a short nap, and this could be a major risk factor for injuries from falling by the elderly. In the present study, the effect of self-awakening on sleep inertia after a 20-min. nap was examined. Nine participants (M=74.1 yr., SD=5.0 yr.) took part in the three experimental conditions: the self-awakened nap, the forced-awakened nap, and the control (no-nap) conditon. Analysis showed sleepiness and performance after the nap significantly improved compared with the control condition. P3 amplitude tended to be larger after self-awakening than after forced-awakening. The present study indicates a 20-min. nap reduces afternoon sleepiness, and the application of self-awakening may contribute to higher arousal after a nap taken by this elderly group.     

Changes in Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being After a Severe Nationwide Disaster: The Case of the Great East Japan Earthquake

This paper presents the results of a longitudinal survey (N = 10,744) that examined how the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 affected the hedonic and eudaimonic well-being of young people in Japan outside of the afflicted area. Our dataset consists of Japanese citizens in their 20 and 30s from all non-afflicted prefectures. We conducted two surveys on well-being, one before the earthquake (December 2010) and one after (March 2011). The results suggested that people who were thinking about the earthquake when they completed the second survey had slightly increased general well-being after the earthquake as compared to before, showing that reflecting on the earthquake had prompted them to reevaluate their lives and increased eudaimonia. However, they experienced temporary negative emotional reactions more frequently, which shows that their sympathy for those in the afflicted area decreased their hedonic well-being. After the earthquake, Japanese youth were likely to value social connectedness and ordinary life. Moreover, this mindset promoted prosocial behaviors such as making donations and volunteering.     

Social Capital and Well-Being in Times of Crisis

This paper attempts to show how the quality of the social fabric of a community or nation affects its capacity to deal with crises and to develop human and natural resources in ways that maintain and sustainably improve subjective well-being. Three types of crisis will be used as examples. These include economic crises; transition and other institutional crises; and conflicts over sustainable resource use. The bulk of the new results in this paper relate to economic crises and institutional transitions, and shows that communities and nations with better social capital and trust respond to crises and transitions more happily and effectively.     

What to copy: the key factor of observational learning in striped jack (Pseudocaranx dentex) juveniles

Animals in social environments can enhance their learning efficiency by observing the behaviour of others. Our previous study showed that learning efficiency of schooling fish increased through the observation of the behaviour of trained demonstrator conspecifics. The present study aimed to verify the key factor of observational learning by investigating what information is important for social transmission of feeding information. A striped jack (Pseudocaranx dentex) observer was provided with one of the five observation treatments: (a) pellets observation, where pellets were dropped near the aeration in an adjacent tank; (b) responding conspecific observation, where a trained conspecific demonstrator responded to the aeration without food in the adjacent tank; (c) foraging conspecific observation, where a conspecific demonstrator foraged near the aeration in the adjacent tank; (d) nearby pellets observation, where pellets were dropped in a transparent column near the aeration in the observer tank; and (e) foraging heterospecific observation, where a filefish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer) demonstrator foraged near the aeration in the adjacent tank. The response to the aeration in these observers was compared with that of controls who did not observe any behaviour. Only individuals who observed foraging conspecifics showed a response to the aeration after observing. These results suggest that observer fish acquire feeding information not through recognition of prey items or through imitation of the demonstrator, but through the vicarious reinforcement of a conspecific for foraging.     

A depleted mind feels inefficacious: Ego‐depletion reduces self‐efficacy to exert further self‐control

Recent research has found that ego‐depletion undermines self‐control by motivating cognition that justifies conservation of mental resource. One potential cognitive mechanism is reduction of self‐efficacy. Specifically, we propose that ego‐depletion might demotivate self‐control by making people believe that they are inefficacious in exerting self‐control in subsequent tasks. Three experiments support the proposal. First, we demonstrated that (a) ego‐depletion can reduce self‐efficacy to exert further control (Experiments 1 to 3) and (b) the temporary reduction of self‐efficacy mediates the effect of depletion on self‐control performance (Experiment 2). Finally, we found that (c) these effects are only observed among participants who endorse a limited (versus non‐limited) theory of willpower and are, hence, more motivated to conserve mental resources (Experiment 3). Taken together, the present findings show that decrease in self‐efficacy to exert further self‐control is an important cognitive process that explains how ego‐depletion demotivates self‐control. This research also contributes to the recent discussion of the psychological processes underlying ego‐depletion.