This research aims to facilitate a deeper learning process and improve learning performance according to the utterance based on ICAP during collaborative learning using concept maps. In the control condition, learners created a concept map collaboratively. In the random condition, learners were presented prompts that randomly facilitated Interactive, Constructive, and Active, creating that collaboratively. In the keyword condition, learners were presented prompts that they change from Passive to Interactive by detecting whether there were keywords related to ICAP from the utterance. As a result, it was found that the learners’ Constructive and Interactive utterances were facilitated under the keyword condition. The learning performance was promoted in multiple-choice questions compared to the random and control conditions. However, it was revealed that there was no difference between the keyword condition and the random condition in the descriptive problem. It is most likely that multiple choice required a more profound understanding, suggesting the effectiveness of deepening from passive to interactive rather than simply promoting interactive utterances.

This study investigated the influence of the mood congruence of the images and music in video works on viewers’ immersive experiences. Two experiments were conducted in which participants were exposed to audiovisual stimuli in four conditions (the valence [positive/neutral/negative] and arousal [high/low] of video and music were both congruent, valence-congruent and arousal-incongruent, valence-incongruent and arousal-congruent, and both were incongruent). In Experiment 1, participants’ narrative engagement was measured using a questionnaire after viewing each stimulus. Results showed that participants were more engaged in the narrative when either the valence or arousal of the video and music were incongruent than when both were incongruent. However, Experiment 2, which included ratings not only of narrative engagement but also of a subjective sense of congruency and complexity, revealed certain discrepancies between the mood congruency manipulation and the participants’ subjective congruency. This was particularly observed when the audiovisual stimulus pairs in Experiment 1 contained either emotionally neutral movies or music. Therefore, the data from Experiment 1 was reanalyzed after excluding the neutral video and music. The results showed that, overall, engagement tended to increase when the valence of the video and music were congruent. However, these results were not replicated in Experiment 2, possibly due to the slight change in instructions. The results also suggest that the subjective complexity of movies influences immersion in narrative films.

Retail stores tend to have a vast array of products organized by category with in-store signage. In-store signage is meant to facilitate product search, just like street signage and signaling in text; however, signage can limit the cues people use in product search, especially if they focus on signage only, making it difficult for them to acquire and organize information by themselves for finding products. Previous studies have reported that older adults have difficulties obtaining structured information when using information systems to search for targets using category labels or signage only. The present study aimed to examine whether and how in-store signage affects product search behavior of older adults in a simulated physical retail store. Four products were searched one by one in a simulated drugstore by older and younger adults, while the presentation of signs was manipulated, such as no signage, usual signage, or only signage (focused signage) conditions. The results showed that sign presentation enabled simple inference using in-store signage for both age groups. However, when the target products did not match in-store signage, sign labels inhibited spontaneous labeling of a shelf or flexible inference in product searches. Although the experiment was conducted in a simulated retail store with physical space, the findings have implications for signage in virtual information spaces, such as online stores.

We conducted experiments involving both software engineers and usability specialists in the quasi-context of information system development. Participants were asked to select one system in charge of development and to describe targeted tasks, system users responsible for executing these tasks, and the relationships between them. Using our novel Three-Layer Model Diagram, we mapped the connections among system functions, tasks, and users. We then compared software engineers’ system understanding to that of usability specialists, who adopt human-centered perspectives. Our results showed that software engineers had a lesser understanding of the model elements and their interrelations than usability specialists. Software engineers often conceptualized users as “roles” responsible for tasks or as “subjects granted system usage rights”rather than as actual people performing tasks. They also tended to focus on achieving developmental objectives rather than user-oriented goals. These findings suggest that software engineers primarily perceive systems in terms of functions and tasks, often neglecting the end-users and their real-world contexts. Interestingly, we also found that software engineers emphasize meeting customer expectations, who may be ensnared in the same function-centric perspectives of software engineers. This study identified the function-centric perspective and customer-oriented approach as factors potentially impeding their effectiveness in usability-related activities.

In science education, opportunities for hands-on learning such as interacting with real objects or models and engaging in experiments suitable for children catalyze children’s curiosity and interest in active learning by helping them grasp scientific knowledge. This prompts the following question: what is the value of children’s involvement in hands-on learning experiences facilitated by instructors who guide experiments and activities while teaching science? Drawing on recent discussions that emphasize the co-creation of value through interactions, this study focuses on science classes organized by science museums for elementary students. By employing conversation analysis, this study revealed that both instructors and children facilitated the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning within a communal setting. The analysis also suggests that understanding how value is shaped through interactions can help elucidate this process. Although this study does not directly identify a specific value or its recipients, it does imply that children contribute significantly to value co-creation. They display not only compliance with the instructors, but also cooperation, aligning their actions with the instructors’ intentions. Furthermore, the involvement of both instructors and children in organizing these activities hints at the exploration of learning sciences and the inherent value of such engagements.

In this paper, we focus on a male homosexual (Mr. A) who criticized LGBT activism on Twitter (currently X). We analyzed how it can be understood as rational of him to describe himself as a homo. In LGBT activism, homo is considered a discriminatory term, and the use of homo by Mr. A could thus be viewed as deviant. We used the concept of “self-enforcement of category” to analyze the predicates associated with homo, showing that Mr. A sought to retrieve an entitlement to self-manage the category of homo. He associated six new predicates with homo. These were based on the personal norms of Mr. A rather than those of LGBT activism, who thus made it rational to describe himself as a homo. In other words, Mr. A reclaimed the right to describe himself as a homo if he saw fit, from LGBT activism. From the political perspective that views LGBT activism as legitimate, it might be thought that Mr. A sought to nullify its achievements. However, when the predicates associated with the use of homo by Mr. A were understood from his political perspective, it became clear that the choice of Mr. A was, in his view, just.

This study examined the effects of reading theatrical script on various social abilities by manipulating the text type (i.e., theatrical script vs. nonfiction factual reports on a specific person) and reading approach (i.e., active vs. controlled). The examined abilities included empathy and the ability to understand others’ mental states. Thus, 83 participants were assigned to one of four social ability combinations. The participants’ social abilities were measured pre- and post-intervention using established scales, including a narrative transportation scale administered after the intervention. Contrary to the predicted benefits of theatrical script and active reading on the participants’ social abilities, the results did not support the researchers’ predictions. Notably, only in the condition of reading nonfiction actively was a positive correlation observed between the participants’ narrative transportation scale score and improvements in their performance in understanding others’ mental states. This finding indicates that even in nonfiction reading, participants’ ability to understand others was enhanced, which was facilitated by transportation into narratives. Furthermore, this study’s results imply that components such as performance planning and actual performance may be crucial to short-term theatrical interventions’ effectiveness at improving people’s social abilities.

Searching is an inevitable behavior for us, but its accuracy is not perfect, and in most cases, it is slow and time-consuming due to optical and structural limitations. Moreover, searching is limited by cognitive bottlenecks: the number and content of objects that can be analyzed and matched to memory at any one time are restricted. Attention is an essential cognitive function during visual searches by prioritizing and selecting objects that seem important, allowing us to come to terms with these constraints. This functionality of attention has been primarily examined in the laboratory using visual search tasks. The present article reviews a brief history of research on visual attention, including visual searches and real-life application studies.

Mate choice is one of the most significant decisions in daily life. Human neuroimaging studies have shown that passionate love is accompanied by activation of the reward system, a neural basis believed to be shared with other animal species that practice monogamous relationships. Although it is widely accepted that the reward system plays a crucial role in maintaining romantic bonds, one critical question about human mate choice remains unanswered: “How is selective preference for a significant other formed in our brain?” The key to answering this lies in understanding how facial attractiveness is integrated into romantic interest and how it is modified. This paper reviews findings from human neuroimaging studies on romantic relationships and neurobiological studies of non-human animal species that exhibit monogamous relationships. It also proposes possible approaches to these issues based on a recently proposed theoretical model of attachment bonds. A comprehensive understanding of the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the formation of a selective preference for a significant other is expected to resolve the fundamental question: “How do we choose a romantic partner?”

This paper describes the characteristics of information selection on the Internet from three perspectives: selection of information to access, selection of information by technology, and selection of personal information to be disclosed. Echo chambers and filter bubbles undermine the diversity of information, exacerbate social division, and promote the spread of misinformation and fake news, making them significant issues in modern society. Additionally, selections regarding which information to disclose carry the risk of leading to Internet troubles including privacy invasions. Addressing these issues requires promoting information literacy and diversifying the information environment.