The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional experience and autonomous motivation in academic and friendship domains. In study 1, the relationship between daily emotional experience and academic and friendship motivation was investigated among female college students (N=302). Results suggested that valence of emotional experience was associated with academic and friendship motivation, and the amount of emotional experience was related to the strength of motivation in both the academic and friendship domains. The relationship between emotional experience and motivation were similar in the academic domain and friendship domains. In study 2, the relationship between emotional experience of specific life events and autonomous motivation were investigated among female college and junior college students (N=106). Results suggested that positive emotional experiences were associated with autonomous motivation in the academic domain, while negative emotional experiences were related to autonomous motivation in the friendship domain. The importance of distinguishing relevant domains in considering relationships between emotional experiences and autonomous motivation is discussed.

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The Japanese term “kireru” refers to an inability to control oneself and a tendency to exhibit violent rage. Kireru behaviors among young people have been increasing at home and at school; predicting these behaviors and solving the problem has become a social issue. The goal of this study was to develop a scale to predict kireru tendencies. A questionnaire consisting of 21 items measuring expressions of anger in three personal situations (friends, teachers, and family) was administered to 825 junior high school students (416 boys and 409 girls). Factor analysis revealed three dimensions: “extroversion of anger,” “introversion of anger,” and “control of anger.” Answers to the questionnaire revealed the following: (1) children expressed their anger toward family members most easily, whereas they suppressed anger toward teachers; (2) children tended to try harder to control their anger toward friends more than they did toward teachers or family; and (3) gender differences were observed in “extroversion of anger” (girls>boys) and “introversion of anger” (girls>boys).

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Certain minor cognitive deficits cannot be detected by conventional neuropsychological tests. Moreover, conventional tests can only partially examine higher cognitive functioning, therefore complicated test batteries must be used to identify minor cognitive deficits. The Choju-Giga Test (CGT), developed by Minoshita et al. (2004), was designed to fill the gap in testing. Three pictures cards, 1, 2, and 3, are used for the CGT. A test of the effectiveness of the CGT was conducted in this study. Card 1 and card 2 were regarded by all participants as pictures which portray informal situations such as family, relatives, or friends. However, the theme of ‘organized relationship’ was assigned to card 3 by a quarter of all participants. The number of words used in explaining card 3 was significantly more than for card 1, and there was also a significant difference in the position of characters in the pictures assigned by participants only to card 3.
Paul et al. (2004) hypothesized that TAT pictures for neuropsychological test must include complex social situations. This study suggests however that card 3 is more effective than the other 2 cards in detecting subtle cognitive deficits.

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