Individuals with high social anxiety often fear that others will notice signs of anxiety via their facial expressions and evaluate them negatively. The current study examined the effects of wearing a mask that hides most of the face on interpersonal communication among people with high social anxiety. In a laboratory experiment, 58 participants rated their level of social anxiety. Subsequently, participants engaged in a 5-minute conversation with a partner with or without a mask, and rated their own communication. Coders then coded each participant's behavior during the conversation. The results revealed that participants in the high social anxiety group expressed more communicative behaviors and rated their own communication more positively when wearing a mask than when not wearing a mask. The possibility that wearing a mask may promote smooth communication in people with high social anxiety is discussed.

The purpose of the current study was to clarify the psychological processes underlying aggressive behavior among drivers. The narratives of 118 drivers who had been interviewed by police and later subjected to administrative punishment because of their aggressive behavior were analyzed using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach. The results identified four stages that led to the aggressive behavior: "situation before the incident," "reaction to the opponent's behavior," "behavioral intentions," and "cognition of one's behavior." Depending on "recognition of the consequences of one's behavior," aggressive behavior may terminate or relapse. In some cases, "trigger of behavioral inhibition" may promote termination of aggressive behavior. The results revealed that the presence of a primer before an incident, maintenance of anger, attribution bias, and a lack of insight were associated with offending drivers in this study. The findings suggested that interventions that apply deterrent measures for general aggressive behaviors, such as interventions that are based on cognitive-behavioral models, may be effective for reducing offences among drivers.

Perimetric complexity, a character (letter) complexity metric, can be easily computed with a computer program and thus has the potential for application to characters in a wide range of languages. However, the validity of perimetric complexity for Japanese has only been tested for kana characters. Thus, the validity of perimetric complexity for kanji characters is still an open question that was addressed in the current study. We asked Japanese and English speakers to rate the subjective complexity of different kanji characters, which was averaged into the subjective complexity of each character for each speaker group. On the basis of these ratings, we calculated the correlations between perimetric complexity and subjective complexity. The results revealed three main findings: (a) we found strong correlations between the two factors (rs >.85), (b) the correlation was comparable to that between subjective complexity and other measures of character complexity (i.e., stroke count), and (c) subjective complexity was highly correlated between Japanese and English speakers. These results suggest that perimetric complexity is a valid index of the subjective complexity of kanji and is more useful than stroke count given its multilingual versatility.

This study examines the effects of mental contrasting on creativity among Japanese participants. Specifically, it tests the hypothesis that mental contrasting promotes creative performance in Japanese individuals when they receive negative feedback, reducing the likelihood of goal attainment. Additionally, it explores whether cognitive flexibility and cognitive persistence mediate this mechanism. Participants were adults (N = 432, age range 18-60). The Unusual Uses Task was used to assess their creativity. Results supported the hypothesis that mental contrasting positively affects creativity in Japanese participants facing difficulties achieving goals. Furthermore, results suggested that cognitive flexibility and cognitive persistence mediate the process by which mental contrasting enhances creative performance. The study discusses the potential of mental contrasting as a novel and effective strategy for improving creativity, distinct from traditional creativity training methods.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to a surge in unemployment globally. To address the lack of effective tools to assess psychological stressors, this study developed a scale for measuring psychological stressors faced by unemployed individuals multidimensionally from three perspectives. Following preliminary research involving qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys, we conducted an online survey with 1,000 unemployed men and women. The results indicated that the stressors of leaving a job included two factors: "other-blame or victim consciousness" and "self-blame or low self-esteem." Stressors associated with lives of the unemployed encompassed two factors: "decreased activity and disorder in life during unemployment" and "isolation and difficulty during unemployment." Stressors as a job seeker consisted of one factor. The reliability and validity of these factors were substantiated. The proposed scale may be helpful for informing the development of suitable psychological support for individuals experiencing unemployment.

In recent years, the importance of data sharing has been emphasized in psychological research, and systems for data sharing have been developed. However, currently existing methods have not enabled secondary analysis that examines the relationships among variables across multiple data sets. To conduct secondary analysis beyond a single data set, a sharing system is needed to link data from the same individual that exists in multiple data sets. In the current study, we focused on decentralized personal data stores (decentralized PDS) as a sharing system for securely linking data among individuals. We discuss the issues that need to be resolved to popularize decentralized PDS in psychological research and the potential benefits of decentralized PDS becoming more prevalent in psychological research.

The aim of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ-J), used to measure mentalizing deficits, and to test its validity and reliability. The author conducted an Internet survey, and data for 250 adults were collected. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the MZQ-J had a single factor structure common to both genders, and sufficient internal consistency and test-retest reliability were confirmed. A correlation analysis showed that the MZQ-J was closely related to self-related mentalization as well as to mindfulness, empathy, Big Five personality traits, attachment, and self-esteem. The MZQ-J clearly showed correlations with pathological indicators of borderline personality traits and depression and anxiety. The results established the acceptable validity and reliability of the MZQ-J. The MZQ-J will also make it possible to provide appropriate clinical psychological assistance tailored to mentalizing capabilities and compare research findings of empirical studies regarding mentalizing at the international level.

The purpose of this study was to create a scale measuring the yarigai of human service professionals in the fields of medicine, welfare, and education and verify the scale's reliability and validity. In Study 1, responses to an open-ended questionnaire were collected from 759 service workers, and a provisional scale of 39 items was created. In Study 2, an online survey was administered to 1,999 human service professionals to examine factor structure, reliability, and validity. The factor analysis confirmed a structure of 28 items under the five factors of "growth and positive change in the recipient," "gratitude and trust," "smooth cooperation," "growth as a professional," and "positive evaluation at the workplace." A significant correlation was demonstrated with respect to test-retest reliability. Moreover, correlations were confirmed between work engagement and meaningful work, degree of job utilization and aptitude, and the intention to quit. These results suggest that the scale possesses a certain degree of reliability and validity.

The effect of older siblings on language development is a phenomenon in which secondborn children with an older sibling have lower levels of language skills than firstborn children without older siblings. Because this effect has been confirmed in only a few cultures (e.g., France and Singapore), it remains unclear whether the effect is robust and universal. Using data for 755 Japanese 4- to 5-year-olds from the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children, we investigated the effect of older siblings on children's language skills, measured as verbal IQ by the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI). Consistent with previous findings, results showed that secondborn children with an older sibling had significantly lower verbal IQ than firstborn children. Further analysis also confirmed previous findings: the more closely spaced the siblings' age gap, the higher the verbal IQ of the secondborn child. Therefore, the present findings suggest that the older sibling effect is robust in Japan and may be universal across cultures.

This study aimed to investigate differences in responses between groups by comparing online responses via smartphones using various response formats on Google Forms with responses from paper questionnaires among university students. Participants were randomly assigned to either an online group where they responded using one of grid, radio button, or linear scale formats, or a paper-based group. In each group, respondents answered multiple psychological scales and rated the visibility of the survey form. Additionally, response times and the ratio of careless responses were recorded. A total of 1,108 valid responses were analyzed. Results indicated that in the grid group, certain mean values of scale scores and some correlation coefficients differed from those in the paper-based group. Furthermore, there were more careless responses, longer response times, and lower ratings for form visibility in the grid group. Differences in mean values for some scales compared to the paper-based group were also observed in the linear scale group. The radio button group showed the least difference in responses compared to the paper-based group.

This study examined the construct validity of ambiguity scores, including the bipolarity and coexistence between extraversion (E) and introversion (I), thinking (T) and feeling (F), and sensation (S) and intuition (N) using the Jung Psychological Types Scale for Coexistence (JPTS-C). Despite the bipolarity assumption, the JPTS-C uses two pairs of items, each scored on a 7-point Likert scale in a unipolar format-to measure the coexistence of between E and I, T and F, and S and N. The results were as follows. (a) Correlational patterns were found among the ambiguity scores for the three subscales on JPTS-C and the Two-Sided Personality Scale. (b) Ambiguity scores between E and I had a negative correlation with anxiety on attitudes toward ambiguity, and ambiguity scores between S and N had a positive correlation with enjoyment and reception on attitudes toward ambiguity, and a negative correlation with dichotomous belief, although ambiguity scores between T and F had a positive correlation with enjoyment and control on attitudes toward ambiguity. This suggests that construct validity about ambiguity scores for the three subscales on JPTS-C was confirmed and that each characteristic of ambiguity score was different for the three subscales.

The autonomic-based Concealed Information Test (CIT) relies on differential physiological responses to a specific item. We examined the impact of categorization rules on physiological responses in the CIT. The stimuli were numbers presented in various colors and participants randomly selected one to memorize. The CIT items comprised a number-congruent item, color-congruent item, and incongruent items; none were the same as the memorized item. In Experiment 1, these items were presented under different categorization rules. In the "unworkable" condition, participants were asked about the stimulus they had memorized, whereas in the "workable" condition, they were asked the color of the memorized stimulus. Notably, the number-congruent item in the "unworkable" condition elicited differential responses in electrodermal activity. In the "workable" condition, the color-congruent item prompted differential responses across all electrodermal, cardiovascular, and respiratory measures. No measure indicated a differential response to the number-congruent item. The findings from Experiment 1 were replicated in Experiment 2, where combinations of color and number varied across each repetition under the "workable" condition. This consistent pattern suggests the differential responses in the CIT is rule-based.

Previous research has established a link between group exclusivity and relational victimization, pointing out that victims often have weaker relationships with outsiders, which potentially trapping them in harmful group dynamics and exacerbating internal conflicts. However, the specific mechanisms of relational victimization within exclusive groups remain underexplored. This study addressed this gap by distinguishing between "in-group relational inhibition" (preventing outsiders from joining the group) and "out-group relational inhibition" (hindering insiders from forming relationships with outsiders). A survey of 957 junior high school students revealed that only "out-group relational inhibition" was significantly related to in-group relational victimization, with no observed gender differences. This finding suggests that out-group relational inhibition hinders in-group relational victims from employing coping strategies such as joining new groups. Consequently, their vulnerability to further relational victimization may also increase.

In the present study, a Japanese version of the Short Boredom Proneness Scale (SBPS) was developed, and its reliability and validity were examined. In addition, the effects of boredom proneness on eating behaviors, such as emotional eating and intuitive eating, were examined. In study 1,208 men and women completed the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the Japanese version of the SBPS had a one-factor structure similar to the original version, and the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the SBPS were demonstrated. In study 2,782 men and women completed the questionnaire. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that the more easily bored one was, the more likely one was to engage in emotional eating. Regarding the moderating effect of emotion regulation strategies, the function of emotion regulation differed depending on sex and the characteristic factors of boredom. The results of this study suggest that by accounting for the characteristic factors of boredom, effective interventions for eating behavior may be enabled by accounting for the characteristic factors of boredom.

Social status in the classroom has been shown to influence students' sense of adjustment and interpersonal behavior. While some studies used methods like the peer nominations method to measure sociometric popularity, this cannot be used in Japanese studies because of ethical and other issues. Therefore, this study reviewed the method used in Yukura's (2017) study to measure in-class status perception, developed the Selected In-class Status Perception (SICS-P) method, and examined its validity. Based on the findings of previous studies, in-class group status can be divided into three groups. In the SICS-P method, three scenarios were designed to create these groups, and one scenario was selected. Results indicated significant differences consistent with the predictions among the three groups in the degree to which the scenario applied to themselves, their perceived influence on friends, and their communication skills (assertiveness, empathy, and conformity). In addition, for cross-validation, the sample was randomly divided into two groups and each group was subjected to the same analysis, yielding almost the same results. These results confirmed the validity of the SICS-P method.

In this study, we introduce freely available burnout scales primarily used overseas and examine their reliability and validity. A Web survey was conducted with a total of 953 participants, consisting of 492 nurses and 461 certified care workers. The scales we examined were the Japanese Burnout Scale (JBS), Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measures (SMBM), Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), and Matches Measure (MM). First, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the structural validity of each scale. The goodness of fit of the JBS and BAT was confirmed to be good, while the SMBM was moderate; the CBI and OBI were very low. The alpha coefficients of the subfactors were adequate for all the scales. Next, the relationship between the scale scores shows that while all burnout scales share fatigue as a core symptom of burnout, they measure different constructs of burnout from different perspectives. Researchers will need to use these measures differently depending on which symptoms of burnout they are focusing on.

Using a foreign language is known to temporarily reduce the ability to think, due to the cognitive resources lost to language processing. This is called the foreign language side effect. Previous studies have shown that similarity of the structure in the foreign language used to that of the native language is associated with a smaller foreign language side effect. However, what defines a similar structure has not been clarified. This study examined whether the occurrence of foreign language side effects is due to syntactic analysis or lexical retrieval. Using a dual-task method to compare the degree of foreign language side effects between Japanese and English use among Chinese students demonstrated that the influence of lexical retrieval was larger than that of syntactic analysis.

This study aims to reveal the characteristics of auditory hypersensitivity among Japanese university students with a particular focus on two elements of auditory hypersensitivity: hyperacusis and misophonia. We conducted an investigation of the prevalence and interrelationship of these conditions in a non-clinical sample of 439 individuals using self-reported measures. Additionally, we performed a meta-analysis to compare our findings on hyperacusis and misophonia with the existing literature. Our results revealed a prevalence of 8.2% for hyperacusis, 40% for misophonia, and a 7.2% comorbidity rate for both conditions. Our meta-analysis indicated that our hyperacusis and misophonia scores are consistent with those reported in previous studies, but also suggested variability in these conditions across different countries. This implies that cultural and gender-related factors might influence the prevalence rates of hyperacusis and misophonia in the general population.

This study examined the immediate interpersonal emotion regulation and nonverbal behaviors that occur during short-term interactions. In Study 1, participants were asked to recall an experience of immediate interpersonal emotion regulation and asked about the regulation strategies they employed as well as their nonverbal behaviors. Based on factor analysis, six dimensions for emotion regulation strategies were established, labeled as cognitive support, socioemotional support, emotional amplification, attention deployment, hostility/denial, and cheering up. Meanwhile, among the nonverbal behaviors, five factors were extracted: touch, acceptance, rejection/avoidance, emphasis, and suppression/neutralization. Correlation analyses indicated that nonverbal behaviors were expressed in accordance with the intention of each regulation strategy. Study 2 was conducted using the vignette method, and supported the replicability of the key findings of Study 1. In addition, regulation strategies and nonverbal behaviors were found to differ depending on the type of the target's emotion. In the future, nonverbal behavior should be examined using experimental approaches.

Traditional print advertisements, as well as television and video ads, consist of a headline, images, body text, and brand elements. Although the headline conveys the main message of the ad, it is occasionally accompanied by disclaimers such as "Applies to premium members only." Fine print that is unclear due to small font sizes constitutes an unfair representation and is potentially disadvantageous to consumers. We examined the effects of disclaimer font size on recall and recognition memory and on eye gaze in two video ads about formal suits and smartphone services. The dwell time on the fine print increased as font size was increased from 30 to 55 or 80 pt, but only for one type of ad. The improvements in memory performance were small or negligible and specific to one ad. Importantly, > 80% and 50% of the participants failed to recall and recognize the fine print, respectively. These results suggest that increasing font size has limited ability to improve memory for terms conveyed to customers in fine print.

Moral disengagement is a cognitive distortion that makes it easy to behave immorally and explains how people who internalize moral standards violate them while avoiding conflict and guilt. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the Moral Disengagement Scale (J-MDS) to measure individuals' tendency toward moral disengagement and examine its reliability and validity. In Study 1, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the validity of the single-factor structure of the 8-item moral disengagement scale. Additionally, the J-MDS negatively correlated with moral identity internalization and proneness to guilts. Study 2 showed that the J-MDS significantly predicted immoral behavior. Study 3 confirmed the incremental validity of the J-MDS. Study 4 confirmed the test-retest reliability of the J-MDS. Study 5 showed that the J-MDS negatively correlated with internal attribution and positively correlated with external attribution. These results indicate that the J-MDS has a certain degree of reliability and validity.

Emotions that are a mixture of positive and negative emotions are called mixed emotions. Culture influences what kinds of mixed emotions exist, sometimes regarded as emotions that symbolize a specific culture (e.g., saudade). However, there are few studies on mixed emotions in Japan, and it is unclear what kind of mixed emotions are likely to be experienced by Japanese people. The present study aimed to examine what mixed emotions are evaluated as typical among Japanese people, based on three studies. In a preliminary survey, 24 mixed emotion words were selected as candidates. In Study 1, mixed emotion words were evaluated regarding comprehension and emotional valence, and 12 were selected as more typical mixed emotion words. Finally, in Study 2, the 12 mixed emotion words were examined in more detail, and it was shown that "nagorioshii" and "aizou" in particular, may be typical mixed emotion words in Japanese people.

Belief in a just world entails the inclination to perceive the world as inherently fair and secure, where individuals are shielded from misfortune. While previous studies have focused on adults, none have comprehensively explored the developmental origins of just world beliefs. This study examined the development of two facets of just world beliefs - beliefs in immanent justice and ultimate justice- among participants aged five to nine and adults. Participants were presented with narratives depicting instances of either good or bad luck, followed by inquiries regarding the character's actions the previous day and predictions for the following day. The results exhibited a developmental difference in belief in immanent justice, evidence for the fortunate character during the initial half of age five and for the unfortunate character during the latter half of age seven. Conversely, belief in ultimate justice exhibited no developmental difference, indicating that it was already evident among five-year-olds. These findings suggest that belief in a just world takes root as early as the preschool years, although opportunities for further development persist.