The purpose of the current study was to clarify the psychological processes underlying aggressive behavior among drivers. The narratives of 118 drivers who had been interviewed by police and later subjected to administrative punishment because of their aggressive behavior were analyzed using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach. The results identified four stages that led to the aggressive behavior: "situation before the incident," "reaction to the opponent's behavior," "behavioral intentions," and "cognition of one's behavior." Depending on "recognition of the consequences of one's behavior," aggressive behavior may terminate or relapse. In some cases, "trigger of behavioral inhibition" may promote termination of aggressive behavior. The results revealed that the presence of a primer before an incident, maintenance of anger, attribution bias, and a lack of insight were associated with offending drivers in this study. The findings suggested that interventions that apply deterrent measures for general aggressive behaviors, such as interventions that are based on cognitive-behavioral models, may be effective for reducing offences among drivers.

This study examines the effects of mental contrasting on creativity among Japanese participants. Specifically, it tests the hypothesis that mental contrasting promotes creative performance in Japanese individuals when they receive negative feedback, reducing the likelihood of goal attainment. Additionally, it explores whether cognitive flexibility and cognitive persistence mediate this mechanism. Participants were adults (N = 432, age range 18-60). The Unusual Uses Task was used to assess their creativity. Results supported the hypothesis that mental contrasting positively affects creativity in Japanese participants facing difficulties achieving goals. Furthermore, results suggested that cognitive flexibility and cognitive persistence mediate the process by which mental contrasting enhances creative performance. The study discusses the potential of mental contrasting as a novel and effective strategy for improving creativity, distinct from traditional creativity training methods.

This study examined the effects of parental involvement in home-based learning on children's vocabulary across two cohorts, using data from the Japanese Longitudinal Study of Children and Parents. Data from 2016 (Wave 2), 2019 (Wave 5), and 2022 (Wave 8), when vocabulary tests were administered, were included. The first cohort (N = 1,368) completed a vocabulary test in the third, sixth, and ninth grades, while the second cohort (N = 1,177) did so in the sixth, ninth, and twelfth grades. We employed a conditional latent growth model to examine whether parental involvement in Wave 2 predicted vocabulary changes. The results showed that parental involvement was not related to the slope. Additionally, we used a cross-lagged panel model to infer the causal effects of parental involvement. Results showed that parental autonomy support enhanced children's vocabulary, whereas parental control and direct instruction hindered it.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to a surge in unemployment globally. To address the lack of effective tools to assess psychological stressors, this study developed a scale for measuring psychological stressors faced by unemployed individuals multidimensionally from three perspectives. Following preliminary research involving qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys, we conducted an online survey with 1,000 unemployed men and women. The results indicated that the stressors of leaving a job included two factors: "other-blame or victim consciousness" and "self-blame or low self-esteem." Stressors associated with lives of the unemployed encompassed two factors: "decreased activity and disorder in life during unemployment" and "isolation and difficulty during unemployment." Stressors as a job seeker consisted of one factor. The reliability and validity of these factors were substantiated. The proposed scale may be helpful for informing the development of suitable psychological support for individuals experiencing unemployment.

The present study aimed to adapt the Japanese versions of the short and extra-short forms of the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2-S-J and BFI-2-XS-J). In Survey 1, we examined the usability of the 30-item (BFI-2-S-J) and 15-item (BFI-2-XS-J) inventories by comparing them with the original 60-item inventory. In Survey 2, we conducted a survey using the BFI-2-S-J. A total of 962 (Survey 1) and 560 (Survey 2) Japanese adults responded to online questionnaires. Both surveys measured other psychological scales to examine the validity. A random intercept exploratory factor analysis was employed to identify the factor structure. An analysis using item response theory demonstrated measurement accuracy. Convergent and discriminant validity were also confirmed. Additionally, the analyses indicated measurement invariance across demographic groups and the availability of facet-level scores of the BFI-2-S-J within each Big Five domain. Overall, the results indicated that the BFI-2-S-J and BFI-2-XS-J are useful tools for measuring the Big Five personality traits in Japanese samples.

This study aimed to develop the Cognitive Abilities Test Online (CAT-O) for preschoolers and early school-age children. The scale's reliability, validity, and factor structure were also investigated. The CAT-O consists of three subtests: the Picture Vocabulary Test-Online, the Visual Reasoning Test-Online, and the Visual Working Memory Test-Online. Study 1 revealed that each of the three tests demonstrated good test-retest reliability. In terms of convergent validity, the three subtests demonstrated moderate to high significant positive correlations with similar scales. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analyses of ordered categorical data with a national random sample (N = 1,251) revealed that the three-factor model was the best fit. The high internal consistency of each test provided further evidence of its reliability. The mean levels of individual correct response rates and categorical factor scores progressed according to grade level, which also confirmed the validity of the CAT-O. Future research should focus on investigating the usability of the CAT-O in research and clinical settings.

The contrast avoidance model has been proposed as a (maladaptive) emotion regulation strategy in generalized anxiety disorder, suggesting that chronic worry and anxiety play a role in maintaining a negative mood to prevent a drastic shift to negative emotions triggered by uncertain future events. This model ironically explains why individuals with generalized anxiety disorder experience persistent worry and anxiety. The Contrast Avoidance Questionnaire (CAQ) was originally developed in English to assess individual differences in contrast avoidance. In this study, we developed a Japanese version of the CAQ and tested its reliability and validity. The CAQ includes two versions: one focusing on worry (CAQ-W) and the other on negative mood (CAQ-GE). Study 1 confirmed the structural validity and internal consistency of the Japanese version of the scale. Study 2 demonstrated sufficient test-retest reliability. Study 3 examined convergent and divergent validity, and the results generally replicated the original findings. We discussed transdiagnostic clinical applications and outlined directions for future research using the CAQ.

In recent years, the importance of data sharing has been emphasized in psychological research, and systems for data sharing have been developed. However, currently existing methods have not enabled secondary analysis that examines the relationships among variables across multiple data sets. To conduct secondary analysis beyond a single data set, a sharing system is needed to link data from the same individual that exists in multiple data sets. In the current study, we focused on decentralized personal data stores (decentralized PDS) as a sharing system for securely linking data among individuals. We discuss the issues that need to be resolved to popularize decentralized PDS in psychological research and the potential benefits of decentralized PDS becoming more prevalent in psychological research.