The latent four-zone structure in classroom seating space

The purpose of this study was to extract a latent space structure of classrooms from students seating preferences, and to determine whether classroom division on the basis of latent space structure is useful in predicting actual seating behaviors. The actual seating positions of 151 female junior college students were observed in classrooms once a week for one semester; then students were asked to estimate their seating preference among 49 seating positions in an imaginary classroom. Students did have different preferences for seating positions. A factor analysis suggested that classroom seating space should be divided into four zones: rear, front, center, and sides. A multiple discriminant analysis suggested that the seating positions that students actually took reflected a four-zone structure. Classroom division based on the four-zone structure proved useful in understanding students' seating behaviors.     

Automated Measurement of Mouse Freezing Behavior and its Use for Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis of Contextual Fear Conditioning in (BALB/cJ × C57BL/6J)F2 Mice

The most commonly measured mouse behavior in fear conditioning tests is freezing. A technical limitation, particularly for genetic studies, is the method of direct observation used for quantifying this response, with the potential for bias or inconsistencies. We report the use of a computerized method based on latency between photobeam interruption measures as a reliable scoring criterion in mice. The different computer measures obtained during contextual fear conditioning tests showed high correlations with hand-scored freezing; r values ranged from 0.87 to 0.94. Previously reported strain differences between C57BL/6J and DBA/2J in context-dependent fear conditioning were also detected by the computer-based system. In addition, the use of computer-scored freezing of 199 (BALB/cJ×C57BL/6J)F₂ mice enabled us to detect a suggestive gender-dependent chromosomal locus for contextual fear conditioning on distal chromosome 8 by QTL analysis. Automation of freeze scoring would significantly increase efficiency and reliability of this learning and memory test.     

The word superiority effect in a case ofHiragana letter strings

This paper is concerned with the effect of syllabification in the superior perceptibility of tachistoscopically presented JapaneseHiragana letter strings. TheHiragana letter is a phonetic symbol having an invariant one-syllable pronunciation. Controlling retention and guessing factors, an experiment replicated the original Reicher (1969) findings of a word superiority effect. Thus, the results suggest that letter unitization which depends upon syllable-like structures (the vocalic center groups; Spoehr & Smith, 1973) is not a prerequisite, but that orthographic regularity and meaningfulness may be important determinants of the word superiority effect.     

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

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.     

The organization of verbs of knowing: Evidence for cultural commonality and variation in theory of mind

Cross-cultural commonality and variation in folk theories of knowing were studied by examining the organization of verbs of knowing in German and Japanese adults. German and Japanese adults performed one of two tasks: a similarity judgment task and an attribute rating task. Organizational structure was assessed for the similarity judgment task using multidimensional scaling and additive similarity tree analyses. The attribute rating task was used to describe the characteristics that organized the dimensions and clusters emerging from the scaling solutions. The folk theory of mind displayed was an information processing model with constructive components, although the constructive aspects were more salient for the Germans than for the Japanese.     

A group-centered object relations approach to group psychotherapy with severely disturbed patients

This paper discusses how the application of object relations theory to clinical intervention has extended the application of psychoanalytic group psychotherapy to more severely disturbed patients. The author suggests how to structure the group based on individual and group needs. Clinical issues are presented, including the group as a container, communication peculiarities, and psychotic response to separation, sexuality, and interpretation.     

Completeness of Second-Order Intuitionistic Propositional Logic with Respect to Phase Semantics for Proof-Terms

Journal of Philosophical Logic - Girard introduced phase semantics as a complete set-theoretic semantics of linear logic, and Okada modified phase-semantic completeness proofs to obtain normal-form...     

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.