To ascertain the primary improvement mechanism in speech therapy, we applied factor analysis to the improvement scores for 26 subtest items on the Standard Language Test of Aphasia (SLTA) of 267 aphasic patients whose mother tongues are Japanese. The improvement score was defined as the difference between the subtest score at the beginning of speech therapy and at the second evaluation. Our factor analysis derived six improvement factors, none of which was considered as corresponding to so-called general factor. Factor 1 was determined as representing “non-converting” language production and complex language information processing. Each one of Factors 2–6 was identified primarily by a particular modality, leading us to presume that Factors 2–6 represent instrumental faculties of language information processing. As Factor 1 appears to embody the entirety of the human language function and to manage symbols creatively and independently, we categorize this Factor as “the core factor of improvement in a recovery from aphasia” and stress its importance in speech rehabilitation.

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The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of similarity of group member and cooperative experience on aggression by the third party person who was not personally suffered. 96 participants were assigned into one of four conditions; 2 (high similarity or low similarity) 2 (cooperative experience or non-cooperative experience). In every condition, the participants observed the victim and then, they were given a chance to retaliate against the harm-doer. The result showed that the cooperative experience increased aggressive behavior. And the perception of threat and aggressive intent mediated between them. Further, the cooperative experience directly increased the aggressive intent and the similarity prompted the aggressive response. We discussed these results from a social identity perspective.

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Japanese two-kanji compound words (Jukugo: e.g., 病院 “hospital”) have two sets of neighbors: Rear-neighbors that share the same front-kanji and vary in the rear-kanji, and Front-neighbors that share the same rear-kanji and vary in the front-kanji of the Jukugo. We investigated the role of semantic activation of word neighbors in Japanese kanji word recognition. The effects of neighborhood frequency for Rear-neighbors and Front-neighbors (Experiment 1) and semantic similarity between a Jukugo and its Rear-neighbor (Experiment 2) were examined using the lexical decision task. In Experiment 1, when a Jukugo and its neighbors were semantically similar, Rear-neighbors of higher frequency produced longer reaction times, whereas Front-neighbors of higher frequency produced shorter reaction times. In Experiment 2, semantic similarity between a Jukugo and its neighbor of higher frequency produced longer reaction times, although no delay was observed for semantically dissimilar Jukugo and neighbors. The results are interpreted within the companion-activation model.

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Extensive previous research has focused on the development of children’s conceptual organization and its effects on children’s veridical memory. The present research investigated whether the structure of children’s category knowledge also affected their false memories using categorical lists in the DRM paradigm, a list-learning method commonly used in false memory research. In Experiment 1, the effects of graded category structure were examined with both third and sixth graders by accessing false memories for unstudied critical items of differing output dominance in category production. In Experiment 2, the effects of hierarchical category structure were examined with third graders by manipulating the hierarchical level of studied list items (basic or subordinate) and unstudied critical items (superordinate, basic, or subordinate). The results show that by age 10, the graded and hierarchical structure is present in children’s conceptual organization and affects formation of false memories. Theoretical implications of the present findings are discussed.

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A novel task was used to examine how sublexical orthographic components are activated in the case of Chinese characters. Participants judged which of the two composing radicals of a horizontal character was displaced in an apparent motion (AM) detection task. The detection performance of semantic and phonetic radicals did not differ in Experiment 1. As additional recognition demands (naming or lexical decision) were imposed in Experiments 2 and 3, participants more efficiently detected the AM of the phonetic radical than the semantic radical when the character frequency was low. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of the AM detection task in probing radical activation. Implications for models of word and Chinese character recognition are also discussed.

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To examine the effect of dietary restriction on spatial cognition, rats were divided into four groups (free feeding, 80%, 60%, or 40% of free feeding), and tested with Morris water maze place task throughout their lives. The escape platform was fixed at the first several sessions, then at the 9 months and thereafter, the platform was transferred to new location at every new session. Performance was not significantly different among groups when the subjects were at younger ages. However, at 9 months and thereafter, the 40% feeding group performed poorer than the other groups, and a quadratic relationship between performance and dietary restriction intensity was recognized. The optimal restriction intensities for the best spatial performance calculated from the quadratic equation were 98.3%, 88.9%, and 84.1% of free feeding at 9, 12, and 19 months old, respectively, suggesting that the stronger dietary restriction is desirable for better performance as aging proceeds.

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