In order to assess dynamic personality traits that are difficult to tap by questionnaires, we attempted to analyze interaction scripts in computer simulation situations. To achieve home energy saving in a virtual family setup, subjects interacted with either demanding or non-demanding computerized counterparts (family members) regarding the use of electric appliances. We measured interpersonal cooperative actions and interpersonal amicability ratings as a time-series. Based on the correlations between the measures, we classified the subjects into two groups and extracted typical time-series trends separately in each group using the principal component analysis. The time-series trends of interpersonal amicability ratings were found to be affected both by the counterpart's manners of speaking and the cognitive coherence between them and actual behaviors. The finding that the measured dynamic individual traits did not correlate with the static traits measured by a questionnaire implied that the analysis of dynamic interactions is necessary for the study of personality.

View full abstract

This study aims at investigating `support school,' a unique educational attempt by private corporations to help young people who cannot adapt to institutionalized education. In Japan, 97% of students who finish nine-year compulsory education go on to senior high school, but many of them cannot adapt to school life and fail to finish school even if they want high school diplomas. The support school is one place where students can enjoy school life and pursue high school degrees with the intensive support from teachers. This case study illustrates the efforts made by support school teachers focusing on three points: first, the teachers make much more effort to develop close relationships with the students than the teachers at ordinary schools; second, the teachers carefully organize classes so that the students can come to school every day and feel comfortable there; and third, the teachers are always ready to provide additional assistance to the students who cannot follow the class schedule. Though support schools provide effective education that can hardly be realized in ordinary schools, they can never be accepted as equally good or better than ordinary schools. The study discusses the reason within the conceptual framework of the orthodox `institutionalized education' vs. non-orthodox `non-institutionalized education,' and suggests that the orthodoxy of `institutionalized education,' namely the current Japanese school system, should be reexamined.

View full abstract

The present study investigated the case of robot assisted activity (RAA) for elderly inpatients, and examined RAA as co-constructing process of stories about the robot. We carried out RAA program with pet-type robot for elderly people in the for-profit nursing home, and conducted participant observation. We collected quantitative and qualitative data concerned with the participants' behaviors during RAA program, and examined the features of the participants' interaction and narratives. As a result of these analyses, we could observe that the participants generated the "story of RAA" based on the participants' own narratives. The residents who joined in RAA repeatedly conducted "mind reading" toward pet-type robot, and narrated the "story" about the robot's behavior with each other. The participants "approved the story in cooperation" (Asao, 1996). Moreover, not only the elderly subjects but also the staff members and the author joined in the constructing process of the story. We could conclude that RAA was a co-constructing process of heterogeneity (Sugiman, 2001) based on the participants' narratives.

View full abstract

In this study, we hypothesized that a) professional significance and professional efficacy would determine professional commitment, b) organizational support and organizational appraisal would determine organizational commitment, and c) job complexity and adaptation to workgroup would determine job motivation. Further, we hypothesized that professional commitment, organizational commitment, and job motivation would be interrelated. We developed a structural model based on these hypotheses. The validity of this model was examined using covariance structure analysis, based on the data obtained by means of questionnaires given to 133 contingency engineers. As a result of this analysis, 1) professional significance and job motivation were found to have a positive effect on professional commitment, 2) organizational support, organizational appraisal and job motivation were found to have a positive effect on organizational commitment, and 3) job complexity, professional commitment and organizational commitment were found to have a positive effect on job motivation. The result of this study shows that the contingency engineer's work motivation was strongly influenced by his/her specialty-oriented attitude.

View full abstract

This research investigated the effects of (a) giving the rating purpose and (b) making differences in types of the purpose on rater's memory and performance ratings. The participants (N=99) were randomly assigned to purpose groups (a) salary increase decision, (b) remedial training decision, or (c) no purpose group. Then they were instructed to rate a target. After reading information about ratee's work behaviors, they were asked to recall the information, rate the performance and answer the affection for the ratee. Analyses revealed that the groups who had specific rating purpose recalled more information significantly than the groups with no purpose. The effect of purpose on performance rating was not found. However, the groups given purpose tended to evaluate the ratee with less influence of the affection than no purpose group. The differences in types of purpose had no effect on recall and rating

View full abstract