Search

The present study examined the processes by which children acquire pro-environmental behaviours in different cultures. Our focus was on parental influence. Several studies have been conducted on adults' environmental behaviours; however, we know little about how children's environmental attitudes and behaviours are formed. We conducted a questionnaire survey with elementary school children and one of their parents in Germany and Japan. Two hundred and twenty-one pairs participated in Germany and 365 in Japan. The results of structural equation modelling showed that parents' behaviours affected children's environmental behaviours directly and also via the subjective norm (the children's experienced expectations of their parents). A comparison of the two countries revealed that hypothesized cultural differences between the impact of personal norms and subjective norms were clearer for adults. The results also showed that the effects of subjective norms were stronger for children, indicating that children are more likely to be influenced by expectations of others. The results of the study suggest that for promoting children's environmental behaviours, showing the behaviours in daily life would be most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We administered a paper-and-pencil questionnaire to 133 female and 99 male Japanese high school students 13-18 years old ( M = 15.9, SD = 1.57) from the Kansai area to examine cultural influences on their body image and body change behaviours. Our aim was to ascertain the independent and combined influences from traditional Japanese, modern Japanese, and Western values. Cluster analyses identified four 'acculturative' groups: 'anti-modern', 'traditional', 'pro-modern/anti-traditional', and 'pro- Western/anti- Japanese'. Pro-modern and pro- Western adolescents were most dissatisfied with their bodies, and pro-Western adolescents were also most likely to attempt weight loss. The results demonstrate the value of assessing cultural interactions in Japan along three dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2018, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment (MoE) has worked on the "Recycling Demonstration Project for the Soil Generated from Decontamination Activities" (the Project), which aims to offer empirical evidence for the final disposal of radiation‐contaminated substances. To offer practical suggestions for the Project, this study aimed to explore determinants of its support. More specifically, building on previous studies on trust, this study proposed a hypothetical model in which support for the Project was determined by trust in the MoE, which in turn was determined by salient value similarity, ability, and motivation. Additionally, it was hypothesised that the relationships between trust and its different determinants differed: Salient value similarity showed a stronger relationship with trust in those who lived near the place where the Project is taking place whereas ability and motivation showed stronger relationships with trust in those who did not. Questionnaire‐based research was conducted in both Iitate village (n = 106), Fukushima, where the Project had been taking place, and Tokyo (n = 163), located approximately 220 km from Fukushima. Multilevel structural equation modelling supported the hypothesis. These results suggest that emphasising the similarity of values between the MoE and the public would help obtain the public's support for the Project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined children's borderline personality features and their association with developmentally appropriate factors, including friendship exclusivity, forms of aggression and peer maltreatment with a non-Western urban sample. The participants consisted of 234 Japanese preadolescents who were in the fourth and fifth grade (50% girls; ages: 9-11). Results of correlational analyses show that borderline personality features were stable during a six-month period ( r = 0.55). Moreover, results of mixed linear models indicate that friendship exclusivity was associated with elevated borderline personality features concurrently and longitudinally, after controlling for the effects of physical and relational aggression. Physical aggression (not relational aggression) and physical victimization (not relational victimization) also predicted relative increases in borderline personality features. These findings are discussed from a cultural-developmental perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has indicated that the effects of in-group social value on mental health are mediated by the extent to which individuals identify with their in-group. Other research has shown that in-group identification leads to positive mental health because it provides in-group members with a psychological basis for social support. We examine how the individual's perception of the social value of the in-group leads to positive mental health, integrating the effects of identification with and support from the in-group. As predicted, the relationship between higher social value and decreased mental health (e.g. depression, perceived stressful events) is mediated by higher in-group identification, which in turn leads the members to expect support from the in-group but not the out-group. An integrated model of the effects of perceived in-group social value, identification, and support on mental health is proposed, and the implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue that the current concept of interdependent self-construal as 'harmony seeking' has overlooked a strategic aspect of interdependence, which we term 'rejection avoidance'. Using newly constructed scales of interdependent self-construal, one for harmony seeking and one for rejection avoidance, we find that Japanese respondents showed lower independence and higher rejection avoidance than Americans, while no cultural difference was found in harmony seeking. These findings explain why past efforts to demonstrate cultural differences in interdependent self-construal using self-report measures exclusively focusing on the harmony seeking aspect have failed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the relationships between out-group perception, perceived intergroup conflict, emotions, and concern for out-group victims in the context of the Japanese earthquake of 2011. Six hundred and eighty-six participants in China completed a questionnaire immediately after the earthquake. Results showed that the image of Japan and historical conflicts between the two nations significantly predicted intergroup emotions. A positive image of Japan enhanced Chinese respondents' perceived competence of the Japanese people, which, however, appeared to mitigate concern for the victims. Positive emotions increased participants' concern for Japanese victims. Implications of the research findings are discussed with reference to research on intergroup relations and help following disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]