28th International Congress of Psychology August 8 ... - U-netSURF

4028.64 Are intergroup relations competitive in Japan?: A test of interindividual-intergroup
discontinuity effect in a “collectivist” society, Kosuke Takemura, Masaki Yuki, Hokkaido
University, Japan
We tested whether the interindividual-intergroup discontinuity effect (i.e. the tendency for
intergroup relations to be more competitive than interindividual relations: McCallum et al., 1995),
which has been observed in the United States, would be more pronounced in Japan, a collectivist
society. The results of intergroup/interindividual prisoner’s dilemma experiment showed a
significant discontinuity effect; however, the magnitude of effect was smaller than those often
obtained in the US. Interestingly, this unexpected finding did not seem to be due to low intergroup
competitiveness, but rather was due to high interindividual competitiveness. Implications for
studies of culture and group processes are discussed.
4028.65 Self and emotion in people with dementia: Some theoretical considerations from an
Asian view, Yamazaki Ikuo, Shimizu Hajime, Hiroshima University, Japan
Self is said to be deconstructed in people with dementia. But as early as late 19th century, Ribot
pointed out the preservation of emotion in people with dementia. Emotion is the core structure of
self, and the self of people with dementia is preserved even if cognitive decline is severe. In a
society where collectiveness, intersubjectiveness and permeability is prominent features of self,
the self of people with dementia might be more fused with the self of other people, and emotion
might be more shared between people, which can lead to co-preservation of the self in people with
dementia.
4028.66 A large comparative study on generation, gender, and geography in Japan, Christine W.
Hartmann, Bryn Mawr College, USA
The goal of this study was to investigate sense of self among three generations of family members
in Japan. The sample consisted of 682 ninth graders, 528 parents, and 172 grandparents living in
various rural and urban environments. Interdependence and independence were assessed in
situations with friends or supervisors. Results showed generational differences among youth,
parents, and grandparents. Factors with moderate/strong effects included gender, location,
education, social participation, moving, and visits abroad. Youth and males had higher
independence scores. Scores were also impacted by situation. Results reinforce conceptions of
dynamic changes taking place in Japanese society, particularly with youth.
4028.67 Self enhancing evaluation among Japanese, Yoshiyasu Toguchi, Osamu Takagi, Kansai
University, Japan
Cultural perspectives in explaining psychological phenomena have enriched us in our
understanding of the self, such as that East Asians (i.e., Japanese) are less prone to
self-enhancement than the Westerners. Yet, several inconsistent findings demanded a within
cultural analysis to seek out self-enhancement among Japanese. Study 1 revealed that independent
subjects showed self-enhancing evaluation on individually oriented behaviors. Study 2 examined
the validity of such results, and found that subjects who self-enhanced thought that those
individually oriented behaviors were actually important to them, implying that they self-enhanced
on the personally important domain. Possible explanations for the findings will be discussed.
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