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American and Japanese children's evaluations of the reporting of peers' transgressions to authority figures were investigated. Seven-, 9-, and 11-year-old children (N = 160) and adults (N = 62) were presented with vignettes and were asked to evaluate the decisions of child observers who reported their friend's either major or relatively minor transgression to a teacher. The results showed that, in both countries, participants across all age groups considered it appropriate to report major transgressions. However, compared with older participants, the youngest children thought it was appropriate to tattle (i.e., to report more minor transgressions). The results also showed a cross-cultural difference: Japanese compared with American participants considered it appropriate to report minor transgressions. The age-related findings are discussed with reference to children's social experience and improving cognition. The cross-cultural findings are discussed with reference to potential differences in the emphases placed on respecting authority relationships, empathy, and social interdependence by the 2 cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the cultural differences present in post-traumatic growth following a life crisis among American and Japanese males published online in the August 20, 2012 issue of the journal "Psychology of Men and Masculinity." The researcher Kanako Taku implemented the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory the demographics of age, ethnicity, and religion. He concludes American men exhibited a higher score due to cultural expectations, and recommends further analysis be conducted with women.

Abstract: Objective: Subjects with restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN) display increased basal plasma levels of ghrelin that normalize after refeeding. The mechanism responsible for increased ghrelin levels in AN is unknown. We studied if changes of ghrelin reactive autoantibodies (autoAbs) could explain elevated plasma ghrelin in AN. Methods: Plasma levels of autoAbs reactive with ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in subjects with AN before and 1 mo after hospitalization (refeeding) and compared with healthy controls and with plasma levels of ghrelin peptides. Results: Decreased levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM, and IgA classes of autoAbs reacting with acyl ghrelin were found in patients with AN. Addition of des-acyl ghrelin but not of acyl ghrelin peptides at 10−8 M to plasma before enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed in patients with AN but not in controls high levels of IgG autoAbs reacting with des-acyl ghrelin as a result of dissociation of des-acyl ghrelin autoAbs in immune complexes. Plasma levels of acyl and des-acyl ghrelin peptides correlated negatively with des-acyl ghrelin IgG autoAbs. Body mass index, which improved after refeeding, correlated with an increase of acyl ghrelin IgM autoAbs. Conclusion: These results show that in patients with AN, ghrelin IgG autoAbs exist mainly as immune complexes with des-acyl ghrelin accompanied by a decrease of a free fraction of these autoAbs binding acylated and des-acyl ghrelin. This decrease of bioavailable ghrelin autoAbs may underlie a long-term elevation of plasma ghrelin levels and the resulting phenomenon of ghrelin resistance in malnourished patients with AN. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]