This study investigated the relationship between time perspective and emerging adults' identity formation, by focusing on both identity formation processes and products. A total of 108 undergraduates and vocational school students responded to a questionnaire survey, and were divided into 3 groups on the basis of their Multidimensional Ego Identity Scale (MEIS) scores, which are indicators of identity formation products. The results of ANOVA not only showed that there was a relationship between identity formation products and future time perspective, as had been shown by previous researchers, but there was also a relationship between identity formation products and present and past time perspectives, which had not been adequately covered in past research. The results of correlational analyses suggested that each identity formation process has a different meaning and function, and is triggered differently depending on the extent of one's sense of identity with regard to the product.

In our social lives, we strategically manage our own reputations in relation to others. However, the developmental pathway of reputation management and its mechanisms have not yet been fully investigated. The present study examined whether 5 year-olds display concern for their positive or negative reputations when monitored by an observer. We also studied the effect of displaying an image of a pair of eyes in front of children. In Experiment 1, children did not selectively increase their donations of stickers to a recipient when they were watched by an observer, which indicated a lack of concern for their positive reputations. In Experiment 2, children tended to steal fewer stickers from an absent recipient in the presence of an observer. However, their behavior did not differ when the eye image was displayed, compared to a display of a control image (flowers). These results indicate that children already have developed an awareness of their negative reputations when they are being watched by an observer. The data have implications for the prevalence of negative over positive reputation management among preschoolers.

This study demonstrated the effects of magic on young children's ability to wonder at physically “impossible events.” Their ability was measured by an evaluation and by their facial expressions in reaction to possible and impossible events. Four-year-olds and six-year-olds were divided into a control group and a magic group who heard a story about “a land of magic” before watching about the impossible event. In responses to the possible event, there were no significant age or treatment group differences. There were significant interactions, however, for the impossible event, and there was a significant age effect for their evaluation, i.e., 6-year-olds wondered more about the impossible events than did the 4-year-olds. In addition, there were no significant age or group differences for facial expressions. Four-year-old children tended to confuse real and fantasy, and so they thought of the impossible event as possible regardless of magic. Meanwhile, 6-year-old children apparently could wonder at the impossible event regardless of magic.

This study investigated a diversity of moratoriums among modern young adults. University students were classified based on what they considered important in their campus life. Their anxieties, state of moratorium, and learning motivation were also compared. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 624 students, and responses were subjected to cluster analysis using standard scores of seven priorities in campus life. The results extracted four clusters, of which Cluster 1 considered self-inquiry and study as important, exhibited motivation for learning and high self-determination; it corresponded to Erikson's classic-type moratorium. Cluster 2 did not place importance on any activity and was characteristic of students who could not cope positively with campus life. Cluster 3 considered all activities as important, and emphasized independence, anxiety about falling behind, and several motives for learning motivations; it was considered a “risk-averse type of moratorium.” Cluster 4 was about interaction with others, and club or circle activities as important, included a sense of omnipotence, and showed positive dealings with career decisions through activities other than studies; it corresponded to a new type of moratorium proposed by Okonogi.

This longitudinal study examined age-related changes in attitudes toward death among middle-aged and elderly Japanese subjects. Data were derived from the National Institute for Longevity Sciences - Longitudinal Study of Aging (NILS-LSA). Participants (N＝3789; age＝40–91 years) comprised the first, third, fifth, and seventh waves of NILS-LSA, and the attitude toward death scale for the middle-aged and elderly (ATDS-A: five subscales) was completed up to four times at approximately 4-year intervals. General linear mixed-model analyses revealed the following: “Fear of death” decreased for age groups from middle age to young-old, but stabilized during old-old age. “The belief in existence of an afterlife” score decreased with age. Older subjects showed a high score for “Intention to live out own life” and “Meaning of death for life,” but these scores did not exhibit longitudinal changes. “Approval of death with dignity” was higher in older subjects, but longitudinal change was seen only in early-middle age. These results suggest that each aspect of attitudes toward death has a different longitudinal trajectory.

Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) is a genetic disease associated with intellectual disability, caused by deletions and mutations of the RAI1 gene on chromosome 17p11.2. The syndrome prevalence is now estimated to be 1/15,000 births. This syndrome is characterized by complex clinical features, sleep disturbance and behavior problems. Behavior problems are most difficult for caregivers to manage. In Japan, especially in the areas of special needs education and welfare service, SMS is less well-known than other syndromes with a genetic basis. In this article, the authors review the literature on behavioral and cognitive profiles of SMS along with its associated clinical features and environmental correlates. As a result, disobedience, aggression, self-injury and property destruction were the most frequently reported behavior problems. These maladaptive behaviors were mostly associated with attention seeking function. Moreover, there were several syndrome-specific biological factors such as hearing loss, eye abnormalities, and peripheral neuropathy. Finally, implications were discussed for the enhancement of further effective development support based on an understanding of the characteristics of SMS.