Interpersonal patterns in close relationships: The role of sociotropy–autonomy

Sociotropy and autonomy are conceptualized as two personality dimensions that relate to an individual's vulnerability to depression. Sociotropy is characterized as an excessive investment in interpersonal relationships and autonomy is characterized as an excessive concern with personal achievement and control over the environment. The present research project consisted of two studies examining the relationships between sociotropy–autonomy and interpersonal patterns in close relationships. Data collected via self‐report and behavioural observations suggested that highly sociotropic individuals have a tendency to be high in control and low in affiliation towards individuals who are close to them. In contrast, the data suggested that highly autonomous individuals may be low in both control and affiliation towards people who are close to them. These findings are discussed in the context of the literature regarding the interpersonal characteristics of sociotropic and autonomous individuals.     

The role of gamma band oscillations and synchrony on rubber hand illusion and crossmodal integration

The rubber hand illusion represents an illusory experience during the mislocalization of own hand when correlated visuotactile stimuli are presented to the actual and fake hands. The visuotactile integration process appears to cause this illusion; the corresponding brain activity was revealed in many studies. In this study, we investigated the effect of the rubber hand illusion on the crossmodal integration process by measuring EEG. The participants who experienced less intensive illusion showed greater congruency effect on reaction time (RT), greater power increase at the parietal zero electrode (Pz) and smaller interelectrode synchrony of the gamma band activity. On the other hand, the participants who experienced more intense illusion showed greater interelectrode synchrony. The results suggested that the gamma band activity in the parietal area reflects the visuotactile integration process and that its synchrony causes the illusory intensity.     

The Influence of Supervisor and Supervisee Matching, Role Conflict, and Supervisory Relationship on Supervisee Satisfaction

In this study we explore how the “match” between supervisor and supervisee on contextual variables affects both conflict and the working alliance, which affects supervisee satisfaction. Participants included 132 supervisees in academic programs nationwide. The extent of match between supervisor and supervisee characteristics was not found to impact conflict, the working alliance, or supervisees’ satisfaction with supervision. Working alliance was highly predictive of supervisee satisfaction. Despite the findings that match was not related to working alliance or satisfaction, we believe that supervisors should still have open discussions with supervisees about their similarities and differences.     

Task related modulation of the motor system during language processing

Recent neurophysiological and brain imaging studies have shown that the motor system is involved in language processing. However, it is an open question whether this involvement is a necessary requisite to understand language or rather a side effect of distinct cognitive processes underlying it. In order to clarify this issue we carried out three behavioral experiments, using a go-no go paradigm. Italian verbs expressing hand actions, foot actions or an abstract content served as stimuli. Participants used their right hands to respond. In Experiment 1, in which a semantics decision task with an early delivery of the go signal (during processing language material) was used, slower responses were found for hand action-related verbs than for foot action-related verbs. In Experiment 2, using the same task with either an early or a delayed delivery of the go signal (when language material had been already processed), no difference was found between responses to the two verb categories in the delayed delivery condition. In Experiment 3, in which a lexical decision task with an early delivery of the go signal was used, again no difference between the two verb categories was found. The present findings demonstrate that during language processing the modulation of the motor system crucially occurs while performing a semantics decision task, thus supporting the notion that this involvement is a necessary step to understand language rather than a side effect of upstream cognitive processes.     

Influence of Guinier-Preston zones on deformation in Ti-rich Ti-Ni thin films

The deformed microstructure of a Ti-48.9at.%Ni thin film has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It was found that Guinier-Preston (GP) zones exist in the thin film and the martensite has (001) compound twins as substructure. The microstructure of the martensite shows that the GP zones do not stop both the shear deformation of martensitic transformation and the twinning shear of (001) deformation twin in the martensite phase. These results give a microstructural explanation for the previous result that Ti-rich Ti-Ni thin films with GP zones show a large transformation strain despite the presence of the GP zones.     

Cross-cultural differences and similarities in proneness to shame: An adaptationist and ecological approach

People vary in how easily they feel ashamed, that is, in their shame proneness. According to the information threat theory of shame, variation in shame proneness should, in part, be regulated by features of a person's social ecology. On this view, shame is an emotion program that evolved to mitigate the likelihood or costs of reputation-damaging information spreading to others. In social environments where there are fewer possibilities to form new relationships (i.e., low relational mobility), there are higher costs to damaging or losing existing ones. Therefore, shame proneness toward current relationship partners should increase as perceived relational mobility decreases. In contrast, individuals with whom one has little or no relationship history are easy to replace, and so shame-proneness towards them should not be modulated by relational mobility. We tested these predictions cross-culturally by measuring relational mobility and shame proneness towards friends and strangers in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Japanese subjects were more shame-prone than their British and American counterparts. Critically, lower relational mobility was associated with greater shame proneness towards friends (but not strangers), and this relationship partially mediated the cultural differences in shame proneness. Shame proneness appears tailored to respond to relevant features of one's social ecology.