The effects of humor on memory for non-sensical pictures

Two experiments investigated the effects of humor on memory for non-sensical pictures. Each picture was given three labels that differed in the degree of humor: high, low, and no humor labels. In Experiment 1, the humor of the picture labels was manipulated between participants. Participants were shown 30 pictures for 10 s each and were asked to rate the degree of humor of each picture. After the rating task, participants were asked to draw the pictures in an unexpected memory test. Performance in the memory test was best in the high humor label group, followed by the low and the no humor label groups. In Experiment 2, intention to learn (incidental versus intentional encoding tasks) as well as humor label was manipulated between the participants. In the incidental learning condition, the high humor group performed better than the low humor group, but in the intentional learning condition, there was no humor effect. The effects of humor on picture memory were discussed in terms of appraisal processing within a distinctiveness framework.     

School-Based Intervention Program Based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Japanese Students Affected by the Hiroshima Heavy Rain Disaster of July 2018

This study examined the effects of a group cognitive behavioral intervention on senior school students affected by the Hiroshima heavy rain disaster and investigated the effects of reducing depression by enhancing resilience. A total of 229 second-grade senior school students affected by the Hiroshima heavy rain disaster participated in the study. The intervention was performed in the following order: psychological education on daily stress, problem-solving training for daily stress, psychological education on traumatic reactions derived from traumatic experiences, and instruction on the merits of utilizing information acquired from the intervention in daily life. The results showed that the high-depression group's depression score was reduced by the intervention. Resilience score was increased both in the high- and low-depression groups as a result of the intervention. Therefore, the intervention program used in this study was proven effective in reducing depression and improving resilience. Prospectively, strategies for psychological support during and after large-scale disasters should be established by applying the findings obtained in this research.     

Aggressive behaviors of the japanese brown bear

Film analysis and direct observation suggest that 2 very different types of intra-specific fights occur among Japanese brown bears maintained in large stable colonies. Disputes arising over food are short, and involve such activities as threatening, muzzling, chasing, and flight. Weapon use during feeding fights primarily involves slashing blows to the back or head areas of the opponent. In contrast, “spontaneous” fights are longer, and consist almost exclusively of wrestling, with bites and forepaw blows directed at the opponent's ruff area. These spontaneous fights occur primarily among the larger and higher-ranked male bears, especially among animals with closely adjacent rankings. It is suggested that such fights facilitate the establishment of dominance relationships by providing an opportunity for mutual assessment of strength and stamina without serious risk of injury.     

Functions of the vibrissae in the defensive and aggressive behavior of the rat

Removal of mystacial vibrissae for strange rats placed in an established rat colony produced reliable decrements in defensive boxing for these animals, and corresponding increases in freezing. In a subsequent experiment, removal of the vibrissae of the attacking colony males did not change the attack behavior of the vibrissectomized animals. These results indicate that the vibrissae are involved in defensive boxing behavior, but play no essential role in the elicitation or maintenance of conspecific attack in the rat.     

Reflexive fighting in the albino rat: Aggressive or defensive behavior?

Specific agonistic responses of albino rats were compared for dominant colony rats and intruders, and for rats in a “reflexive fighting” task. The “reflexive fighters” showed high levels of defensive responses such as boxing and freezing, and very low levels of aggressive behaviors such as piloerection, biting, and the lateral display. This pattern clearly suggests that the behaviors measured in the reflexive fighting task reflect conspecific defensive reactions, rather than “shockelicited aggression.” Moreover, striking responses seen in the reflexive fighting task also occur at a high rate when footshock is given to a solitary rat held in a boxing posture. Thus it appears that “reflexive fighting” primarily involves defensive rather than aggressive responses.     

Aokigahara-jukai: suicide and amnesia in Mt. Fuji's Black Forest

Aokigahara-jukai (Jukai), a dense forest at the foot of Mt. Fuji, is well known as the leading suicide site in Japan, with about 30 people committing suicide there every year. This paper describes Jukai and three cases of psychogenic amnesia following attempted suicide there. Amnesia as an alternative to suicide and the significance of death in Jukai are discussed.     

Conscientiousness mediates the relation between perceived parental socialisation and self‐rated health

The pathways between parenting behaviours, personality and physical health have all been separately studied. Prior research has paid little attention to the indirect effects of personality in the path between parenting behaviours and better health. The purpose of this study was to explore the mediational effects of conscientiousness on the relationships between parental socialisation of responsibility and self‐rated health, and to examine potential age differences in this mediational pathway. In total, 736 female and 749 male members across Japan participated in this study. They were divided into three groups by age category: younger‐, middle‐aged and older‐aged. Conscientiousness and health were concurrently rated, while parental socialisation of responsibility was retrospectively assessed. Our analyses revealed that parental socialisation of responsibility is positively associated with conscientiousness and self‐rated health, that conscientiousness is positively associated with self‐rated health, and that conscientiousness fully mediated the effect of parental socialisation of responsibility on self‐rated health. The mediational links were consistent across younger, middle‐aged and older‐aged cohorts. Our findings suggest that greater parental socialisation of responsibility relates to higher conscientiousness, and consequently healthier adults. These findings imply that parental behaviours could be a plausible target for intervention to foster the development of conscientiousness and better health.     

Hypothalamic circuit regulating colonic transit following chronic stress in rats

Although acute stress accelerates colonic transit, the effect of chronic stress on colonic transit remains unclear. In this study, rats received repeated restraint stress (chronic homotypic stress) or various types of stress (chronic heterotypic stress) for 5 and 7 days, respectively. Vehicle saline, oxytocin (OXT), OXT receptor antagonist or corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor antagonists were administered by intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection prior to restraint stress for 90 min. Immediately after the stress exposure, the entire colon was removed and the geometric center (GC) of Na51CrO4 (a nonabsorbable radioactive marker; 0.5 μCi) distribution was calculated to measure the transit. Gene expression of OXT and CRF in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was evaluated by in situ hybridization. Accelerated colonic transit with the acute stressor was no longer observed following chronic homotypic stress. This restored colonic transit was reversed by ICV injection of an OXT antagonist. In contrast, chronic heterotypic stress significantly accelerated colonic transit, which was attenuated by ICV injection of OXT and by a CRF receptor 1 antagonist. OXT mRNA expression in the PVN was significantly increased following chronic homotypic stress, but not chronic heterotypic stress. However, CRF mRNA expression in the PVN was significantly increased following acute and chronic heterotypic stress, but not chronic homotypic stress. These results indicate that central OXT and CRF play a pivotal role in mediating the colonic dysmotility following chronic stress in rats.