A new paper on the effects of AI-generated workplace feedback on employees’ occupational self-efficacy led by Dr. Yasushi Watanabe has been published in Scientific Reports.

As AI is increasingly expected to be utilized in employee training and workplace feedback, it is essential to understand how AI and humans can complement or supplement each other to effectively enhance employees’ occupational self-efficacy. The published study conducted an experiment using ChatGPT-based AI chatbots to provide feedback to office workers and freelancers in Japan. The experiment compared the effectiveness of two types of AI feedback: “positive feedback”, focusing on individuals’ strengths, and “negative/constructive feedback”, addressing areas for improvement. Results indicated that participants who received “positive feedback” experienced improved occupational self-efficacy. On the other hand, the “negative/constructive feedback” was effective in enhancing self-efficacy only when participants received substantial emotional support from supervisors and colleagues. This research offers valuable insights into effective complementary roles for AI and humans in the workplace and provides important implications for future AI implementation at work.

The full article is open access and freely available here.

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A new paper on the relationship between color diversity and numerical cognition led by IFoHS researcher Qi Li and colleagues has been published as a brief report in Psychonomic Bulletin and Review.

This study examined how color diversity affects numerosity estimation and counting. The experimental results showed that higher color diversity led to a tendency to overestimate quantities, regardless of the spatial arrangement of the colors. On the other hand, counting efficiency improved when identical colors were grouped together, while it decreased with random arrangements.

These findings have practical applications in areas such as inventory management, personnel tracking during disasters, and consumer behavior. For example, colorful products may appear more numerous than monochromatic ones, potentially influencing purchasing decisions. Additionally, grouping items of the same color can enhance counting efficiency. The insights from this study could also contribute to fields like education and data visualization.

The full article is open access and freely available here.

Reference:
Li, Q., Ting, G., Kikuno, Y., & Yokosawa, K. (2025). The influence of increasing color variety on numerosity estimation and counting. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-024-02625-x

A new paper lead by Dr Alethea Koh (University of Canterbury, NZ), Associate Professor Masataka Nakayama (IFoHS), Kongmeng Liew (University of Canterbury, NZ) and Professor Yukiko Uchida (IFoHS) has been published in the Social Psychological Bulletin. Dr Koh and Dr Liew are both alumni of the Uchida Lab at Kyoto University.

The paper  investigates how the emotion known as “Kama Muta,” often referred to as “being moved,” relates to people’s attitudes when facing collective threats.

Kama Muta is a positive emotion that emerges in difficult situations, prompting individuals to reassess their priorities in life. It arises from a sudden strengthening of social bonds and connections within a community. The project explored how experiencing Kama Muta during collective threats, such as natural disasters, may shift personal concerns and encourage prosocial behavior. This research tested the hypothesis that collective threats heighten experiences of Kama Muta, which in turn reduces negative evaluations of personal issues and fosters broader prosocial responses.

The results indicated that stronger experiences of Kama Muta were associated with reduced negative evaluations of personal problems. However, experimental manipulation did not clearly demonstrate that collective threats directly heightened Kama Muta. Nevertheless, subjective perceptions of the societal impact of collective threats were linked to stronger experiences of Kama Muta. This study suggests that Kama Muta may help alleviate psychological burdens related to personal concerns. Additionally, the findings imply that recognizing the societal impact of collective threats may enhance feelings of Kama Muta.

The full article is open access and freely available here.

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A new article written in collaboration between researchers from Panasonic Holdings Co., Ltd. and a research team from the Institute for the Future of Human Society (Prof Nobuhito Abe, Associate Prof Masataka Nakayama, and Prof Yukiko Uchida) has been published in Cognitive Studies: Bulletin of the Japanese Cognitive Science Society.

The paper investigated the neural basis of two elements of creativity: “convergent thinking” and “divergent thinking.” The results of an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) experiment revealed that convergent thinking primarily activated the insular and frontal cortex, indicating the involvement of high cognitive load and executive functions. On the other hand, divergent thinking activated brain regions such as the left precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, left parahippocampal gyrus, and left angular gyrus, which are associated with language and long-term memory retrieval. These findings suggest that the psychological processes involved in convergent and divergent thinking are supported by distinct neural foundations.

To learn more and read the article, please follow this link.

Reference:

Ohno, Y., Tominaga, H., Anzue-Satoi, N., Nakata, M., Yanagawa, H., Korenaga, T., Uchida, Y., Nakayama, M., & Abe, S. (2025). fMRI を用いた収束／拡散的思考時の脳活動計測. 認知科学, 32(1), 56–69. https://doi.org/10.11225/cs.2024.054

A new article led by a graduate student from Professor Uchida’s lab has been published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin international journal.

The study explored the impact of relational mobility on interpersonal behavior: Specifically, it tested the hypothesis that in low relational mobility environments a heightened sensitivity to social rejection may lead to a greater avoidance of decision-making and thus may foster interpersonal indecision.

To learn more and read the article, please follow this link.

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A new article written in collaboration with Professor Uchida has been published in the British Journal of Social Psychology. The co-authors Dr. Gobel and Dr. Choi are both international researchers who stayed at Uchida-sensei’s lab during the period of the study.

The paper explores how social power fundamentally shapes the way people think and behave, from playgrounds to boardrooms. Specifically, the paper distinguishes between achieved power construal, where power is perceived as being based on personal merit and achievement, and entrusted power construal, where power is perceived as being granted by others.

The findings reveal that powerholders who adopt an entrusted power construal tend to exhibit greater psychological other-orientation (the tendency to take another’s perspective and feel what they feel) as well as stronger altruistic behavioral tendencies, compared to those who adopt an achieved power construal.

To learn more and read the article, please follow this link.

Reference: 

Gobel, M. S., Choi, E., & Uchida, Y. (2025). Entrusted power enhances psychological other‐orientation and altruistic behavioural tendencies. British Journal of Social Psychology, 64(2), e12857.

An article about BuddhaBot, a Buddhist chatbot developed by Prof Seiji Kumagai of the IFoHs, has been published in the newspapers Kobe shimbun, Sanin chūō shimpō, and Gifu Shimbun (January 1st, 2025).

The article includes a discussion of various topics surrounding the development of BuddhaBot and how generative AI may be used to improve counseling and everyday life.

To read the original article please follow ths link (Japanese):

A new paper on the prevalence of honor values in the Mediterranean authored by Assistant Professor Alexander Kirchner-Häusler and Professor Yukiko Uchida has been published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Mediterranean societies are commonly labelled as “cultures of honor” in contrast with presumed “dignity” and “face” cultures of Anglo-Western and East Asian societies, but empirical investigations into the validity of these labels have been scarce. In the current study, the authors tested this categorization in two large-scale surveys with more than 11 societies from Mediterranean, East Asian, and Anglo-Western regions. The results suggest that a cultural logic of honor plays a role in some, but not all Mediterranean societies, and that collectively labeling these societies as “honor cultures” may therefore be oversimplistic. Furthermore, a methodological comparison showed that asking participants for their perceptions of values in their society may offer some benefits over asking for personal endorsement when studying cultural values.

Read more in the original article:

Vignoles, V. L., Kirchner-Häusler, A., Uskul, A. K., Cross, S. E., Rodriguez-Bailón, R., Bossom, I. R. L., Castillo, V. A., Gezici-Yalçın, M., Harb, C., Ishii, K., Karamaouna, P., Kafetsios, K., Kateri, E., Matamoros-Lima, J., Miniesy, R., Na, J., Özkan, Z., Pagliaro, S., Psaltis, C., … Wohl, M. J. A. (2025). Are Mediterranean Societies “Cultures of Honor?”: Prevalence and Implications of a Cultural Logic of Honor Across Three World Regions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672241295500