Mejiro University

IntroductionAlthough the effects of self-control on motor learning have been well studied, the effects of self-controlled feedback timing have not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of self-controlled feedback timing on motor learning through two experiments.MethodsIn Experiment 1, participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: concurrent feedback, terminal feedback, or self-controlled feedback. The procedure included a pre-test, practice session, and a retention test conducted 1 week after the practice, with visual feedback provided only during the practice session. Participants also completed three subscales of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory before/after the practice session and the NASA-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) after the practice session. In Experiment 2, participants were randomly assigned to either a self-controlled feedback group or a yoked feedback group, following the same procedure as in Experiment 1.ResultsIn Experiment 1, the concurrent feedback group demonstrated the smallest performance errors during practice, while the terminal feedback group showed the largest performance errors. However, both the self-controlled and terminal feedback groups exhibited significantly smaller errors than the concurrent feedback group in the retention test. In Experiment 2, the self-controlled group made significantly fewer errors than the yoked group in the retention test. The self-controlled group showed significantly higher intrinsic motivation and significantly lower scores in the performance subscale of NASA-TLX than the yoked group.ConclusionIn the present study, concurrent visual feedback interfered with motor learning by inducing a dependency on visual feedback. Our findings suggest that self-controlled feedback timing may overcome the potential negative effects of concurrent visual feedback through the positive influence of self-control, which may arise through the involvement of both intrinsic motivation and information processing.

This study aimed to determine the characteristics and prognosis of new-onset swaying or dizziness, defined as self-motion sensation, following the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan and identify factors associated with persistent symptoms and disturbance in daily life. A cross-sectional, internet-based survey was conducted 2 months after the earthquake among 1,000 residents of the affected regions. The incidence and characteristics of self-motion sensation, its impact on daily life, and symptom duration were assessed in the survey. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify demographic factors (age, sex, and region), individual characteristics (dizziness treatment history, proneness to motion sickness, and trait anxiety), and emotional responses (feelings of anxiety or fear induced by self-motion sensation) associated with life disturbance and persistent symptoms. Of 968 valid responses, 43% of participants reported a new-onset self-motion sensation following the earthquake. Symptoms were described as brief episodes of body swaying lasting less than 1 min, mostly occurring while sitting or standing still. Among those with self-motion sensation, 18.5% reported disturbance in daily life, and 24.5% continued to experience symptoms 2 months after the event. Younger age and emotional responses were significantly associated with life disturbance. Proximity to the epicenter and emotional response were associated with persistent symptoms. Self-motion sensation is common after major earthquakes and usually resolves spontaneously. However, a subset of individuals experiences persistent symptoms or disturbances in daily life. Emotional responses, particularly anxiety or fear triggered by self-motion sensation, play crucial roles in daily life impact and symptom persistence. Early recognition and targeted support for at-risk individuals may help prevent long-term impairment and improve post-disaster health outcomes.

Abstract This study investigated cross‐cultural differences in visual attention patterns during comic reading, focusing on participants with Japanese and American cultural backgrounds. Using an eye‐tracking paradigm, we examined attention processes as participants viewed pages from American comics and Japanese manga featuring objective or subjective viewpoints. The results showed that for objective pages, American readers exhibited relatively longer fixations on focal objects, while Japanese readers allocated relatively more attention to backgrounds, aligning with analytic versus holistic cognitive styles. By contrast, for subjective materials, Japanese readers demonstrated greater attention to focal objects than American readers did, suggesting that the subjective perspective embedded in manga shifts Japanese readers toward a focal‐object‐oriented attentional style. Individual differences in self‐reported analytic‐holistic cognitive styles and manga reading experience, in addition to cultural background, were associated with attentional patterns for manga. The results underscore the influence of artistic design in shaping visual attention in ways that both mirror and transcend culturally ingrained attentional biases. This study deepens our understanding of cross‐cultural variations in visual processing and comic reading behaviors, providing fresh insights into the complex interplay among culture, cognition, and visual narrative comprehension.

Background and aim Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience coordination disorders, but the effects of different training conditions on motor learning in these children remain unclear. This study examined how constant versus variable practice impacts motor performance and learning in children with ASD and motor impairments. Methods Thirty-four children attending child development and daycare centers participated. Assessments included fine motor skills (Purdue Pegboard), gross motor skills (target-target task), visuospatial working memory (Corsi block tapping task), and the developmental disability questionnaire (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). The primary outcome was the change in target-task performance before, during, and after practice, analyzed using repeated measures two-way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation. Results No significant differences were observed for practice conditions or time effects alone, but significant interactions were found (F = 6.641, p = 0.015). Variable practice resulted in reduced pre- to post-test scores (p = 0.047), while constant practice showed stronger correlations between practice improvements and overall performance changes (p = 0.004, r = 0.666). Prosocial behavior was positively associated with performance improvements in the constant practice group (p = 0.018, r = 0.564). No significant correlations were found in the variable practice group. Conclusions Constant practice yielded greater motor learning improvements than variable practice. Additionally, prosocial behavior positively influenced motor learning in structured settings, highlighting the potential benefits of integrating motor and social skill interventions for children with ASD.

Understandings of psychotrauma have changed throughout medical history, shaped by cultural and social factors. Reviewing transcultural perspectives of psychotrauma helps understand its complexities and contextual impacts. This paper summarizes the Japan-Netherlands symposium on psychotrauma held on March 1, 2024. Despite experiencing psychological trauma from World War II and numerous natural disasters, Japan did not actively research post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for nearly 50 years after the war. The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Tokyo subway Sarin gas attack (1995) popularized the term PTSD in Japan and triggered related research. The absence of psychotrauma research in Japan may reflect a form of state-level PTSD, characterized by avoidance. Japan's collectivist culture, stigma against seeking psychological help, view of patience as a virtue, survivor guilt, and moral injury were potential related factors. Additionally, sociocultural factors (e.g., insufficient collective grieving and focusing on post-war reconstruction) were discussed as potential hinderances to discussing war experiences. From a European perspective, we examined how "Konzentrationslager" (KZ) syndrome, a trauma-related disorder, evolved independently into diverse conceptual frameworks, ultimately contributing to the acceptance of PTSD following its introduction in 1980. Beyond state compensation for concentration camp survivors, advocacy by feminist movements and veterans' groups increased awareness of psychotrauma across Europe, fostering scholarly research and public discourse. Both PTSD and KZ syndromes are diagnostic categories shaped by specific historical and cultural contexts and should not be regarded as simple, universally applicable medical conditions. They reflect how trauma is interpreted and responded to differently depending on cultural, political, and historical factors.

Abstract This study examined (i) the stage at which pitch accents contribute to lexical processing in native Japanese speakers and (ii) the interpretation pathway for the meaning of words pronounced with incorrect pitch accents. Event-related potential analyses during spoken word processing showed that words with incorrect accents elicited greater N400 amplitudes than those with correct accents, indicating that accent information aids in selecting suitable candidates from activated lexicons rather than in lexical activation itself. We employed a cross-modal semantic priming paradigm for the second aim, which involved exposure to a spoken word (prime) followed by a picture (target). Analyses of event-related spectral perturbations showed that the facilitation of semantic processing of the picture, indicated by low-gamma activity, occurred only after correctly accented words and not after incorrectly accented words. These findings suggest that incorrect Japanese pitch accents inhibit full access to their semantic contents when the words are spoken without appropriate contexts.

To investigate the effects of customized web video-based vestibular rehabilitation in patients with chronic vestibular hypofunction. This study is a randomized controlled trial. The dizziness specialty clinic. The participants were diagnosed with chronic vestibular hypofunction. The study used a randomized controlled trial design, in which participants were randomly assigned to either the customized web video-based vestibular rehabilitation or booklet-based vestibular rehabilitation in a 1:1 ratio. Patients were assessed at three time points: before-intervention (baseline), post-intervention completion (6 wk), and follow-up (12 wk). The primary outcome was the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), the secondary outcome was the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), and tertiary outcomes included other functional and psychological assessments. The baseline characteristics of the patients were comparable between the two groups. Statistical analysis revealed a significant time effect for the DGI score ( p < 0.0001). Comparing the post-intervention and follow-up assessments to the baseline assessment, the customized web video-based VR group showed a significant increase in the DGI score. Time × group interaction effects were observed ( F = 5.739, p < 0.01). Both groups showed decreased DHI_total scores when comparing the postintervention and follow-up assessments to the baseline assessment. No serious adverse events were reported during intervention period. The present study demonstrated that customized web video-based VR improved DGI compared with booklet-based VR, and the intervention effect was maintained at 6-week follow-up. Additionally, the findings suggested that both interventions improve to a similar extent DHI. Therefore, vestibular rehabilitation with motion visualized by video may be more effective than that with still image by booklet.

The emergence of East Asian spring ephemerals and the unique ecosystem can be attributed primarily to vicariance, brought about by the Quaternary rifting of the Okinawa Trough, the formation of the East China Sea, and the isolation of the island chains of Ryukyu, Japan, and Taiwan from the Asian continent. The northern forests of Japan, dominated by Fagus crenata and the associated Quercus crispula, present a captivating display of spring-flowering ephemerals, including Erythronium japonicum, Viola bissetii, Anemone pseudoaltaica, and Corydalis fukuharae. Among these, Asarum is also considered part of the spring ephemerals. Our primary focus for phylogenetic analyses, which included constructing a haplotype network using PopART version 1.7 and molecular dating with BEAST v1.10.4, was on the genus Asarum. In the BEAST analysis, we set the Quaternary geological event calibration at 1.55 ± 0.15 Ma and applied pre-Quaternary fossil calibrations. When we input 1.55 Ma into BEAST, the analysis suggested that spring ephemerals underwent a simultaneous splitting and diversification event around that time, approximately 1.55 Ma, during the Quaternary period. The differentiation of these species is more likely a result of adaptive radiation rather than vicariance, particularly given their partially sympatric distribution and occurrence across islands. This radiation likely originated from the most recent common ancestor of the ingroup species of spring ephemerals and can be seen as a response to significant environmental changes associated with the formation of the East China Sea around 1.55 Ma. Notably, species such as Asarum megacalyx and Fagus crenata exhibit adaptations to heavy snowfall, further supporting this idea. The spring ephemerals in beech or oak forests in North America and Europe may have radiated and diversified as a result of Quaternary global climatic changes.

In recent years, the role of parents and guardians in managing bullying among children has been attracting attention. The purpose of this study was to develop a bullying prevention program for parents and to examine if the program would change parental self-efficacy for managing bullying among children. In Study 1, a questionnaire was administered to 724 parents with elementary and junior high school students, and a “Parent’s Knowledge of Bullying scale” and a “Parent Bullying Self-Efficacy scale” were developed. The reliability and validity of the two scales were confirmed in Study 1. Based on the results of Study 1, in Study 2, a bullying prevention program for parents was developed, and the effectiveness was examined with 47 parents with elementary school-aged children. The results of Study 2 showed that the program had an effect on increasing parental self-efficacy to manage bullying. These results discuss the importance of a parent bullying prevention program.

[Purpose] One-leg standing motion was measured in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD)to evaluate the association between freezing of gait (FOG) and anticipatory posturaladjustments (APA). [Participants and Methods] The participants included10 healthy olderindividuals, seven patients with PD without FOG (PD-FOG group), and seven patients with PDand FOG (PD+FOG group). An accelerometer that was built into a smartphone was attached tothe lower back of each participant, and acceleration in the mediolateral direction wasmeasured during one-leg standing. For the mediolateral component of acceleration, the timeto the maximum value in the stance direction (peak latency, PL) and the amount ofdisplacement of the maximum value (peak magnitude, PM) were analyzed as APA features. Aone-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare PL and PM among the three groups.In addition, the APA ratio (APAr), which is the ratio of PL to PM, was compared betweenstudy cohorts. [Results] Delayed PL and decreased PM were observed in the PD+FOG group,compared with the older and PD-FOG groups. In addition, APAr levels were significantlylower in the PD+FOG group. [Conclusion] Patients with PD with FOG had greater APAimpairment than those with PD without FOG.