This paper argues that implicit self-stereotyping is moderated by the potential for social evaluation in that situation. It was hypothesized that implicit self-stereotyping is facilitated when social cues (i.e., gaze cues) signal social evaluation. This study examined whether gaze cues affected implicit self-stereotyping related to gender stereotypes regarding math competence. A pilot study demonstrated that just a presentation of direct-gaze cues (vs. averted-gaze cues) signaled social evaluation and social norms. The main study revealed that gender differences in math identity were more prominent under direct-gaze cues, relative to averted-gaze cues. Women showed more negative math identity than men did when they were exposed to direct-gaze cues, but not when exposed to averted-gaze cues. Moreover, these effects were particularly prominent among women with stronger implicit math-gender stereotypes and female identity. These findings improve our understanding of how and when implicit self-stereotyping occurs in social situations.

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This study examined how the personality traits of behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation contribute to the development of anxiety and depression. We used two-wave short-term longitudinal data from 319 students. Data collections were two months apart. Personality traits were assessed using Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory: Behavioral Inhibition and Activation Systems (BIS and BAS). After confirming simple correlations, hierarchical regressions were conducted to test how residual changes or unique variances in psychopathology were predicted by the personality traits. Findings revealed that high BIS sensitivity predicted both anxiety and depression, while low BAS sensitivity predicted only depression. These results suggest that hyperactive BIS functions as a predictor for general distress, and that hypoactive BAS functions as a unique predictor for depression.

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The present study investigated the relationship between mental stress by indirect exposure to earthquakes and the auditory attention. In a previous study, we recorded event-related brain potentials during an auditory oddball paradigm from young adults who live in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and a following long-term earthquake swarm. The results showed that earthquake-induced mental stress is positively related to the deviant P3a, indicating a relationship between mental stress and a heightened involuntary attention. In contrast, the present study showed that, for young adults (n = 13) who live outside the earthquake-affected areas and have been indirectly exposed to earthquakes (e.g., through the media), earthquake-induced mental stress is not related to the deviant P3a. Although the present data are preliminary given the small sample size, the clear contrast supports the view that the heightened involuntary attention would be specific to people who have directly experienced earthquakes.

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This study investigated whether the extension of psychological distance from in- or out-group targets that hold different opinions covaried with increased negative impressions about such targets. A between-participants 2 (matching opinion vs. non-matching opinion presentations) × 2 (Japanese in-group presenter vs. American out-group presenter) factorial design was used. The results indicated the following: (1) in the matching opinion condition, participants reduced the psychological distance from out-group targets and increased their likeability: whereas (2) in the non-matching opinion condition, participants maintained the psychological distance from in-group targets and disliked them. These results indicate that the difference between actual and expected opinions that people have about targets affected the increase, or decrease of psychological distance and the likability of targets.

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Compared to regulating their own emotions, people have to take into account self-other dissimilarities when regulating others’ emotions. We investigate whether self-other dissimilarity decreases confidence in extrinsic anger regulation and how trait emotional intelligence moderates this difference in anger regulation confidence, regardless of context (none, confrontational, and collaborative). Participants indicated how they would respond to provocation-related vignettes. They rated their confidence in successfully regulating their own anger, a similar other’s anger, and a dissimilar other’s anger. Results showed that individuals had lowest confidence in regulating anger for the dissimilar other, followed by the similar other and self. Moreover, individuals high in interpersonal emotional intelligence had higher confidence in regulating anger of a dissimilar other; confidence was nearly as high as for regulating their own anger. These results generalized to all contexts. They offer novel insights into extrinsic emotion regulation and social functions of trait emotional intelligence.

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