Human communication has been described as involving the coding-decoding of a conventional symbol system, which could be supported by parts of the human motor system (i.e. the "mirror neurons system"). However, this view does not explain how these conventions could develop in the first place. Here we target the neglected but crucial issue of how people organize their non-verbal behavior to commu...

An interpretative theory of mind enables young children to grasp that people fulfill varying intentions when making pictures. We tested the hypothesis that in middle childhood a unifunctional conception of artists' intention to produce a picture widens to include artists' intention to display their pictures to others. Children aged between 5 and 10 years viewed a brief video of an artist delibe...

In order to examine the relationship between the intention to stay on the job and job satisfaction among Japanese nurses, and to obtain clues for preventing turnover, we conducted a questionnaire survey. The subjects involved in the survey included 625 female nurses (registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and assistant nurses) working in 4 small and medium-sized private hospitals, excludi...

BACKGROUND Regular physical activity is ranked as a leading health indicator. Despite the extensive benefits of physical activity, elder people are much less active than desired. Using Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the self-efficacy construct, this study examined the prediction of physical activity intention and behavior in a sample of elderly male resident of a nursing home. METHODS I...

Does the delivery platform for a health behavior game contribute to its effectiveness? With the growing popularity of interactive video games that combine physical exercise with gameplay, known as ‘‘exergames,’’ there has been a burgeoning interest in their impact on users’ exercise attitudes and behavioral outcomes. This study examines how the level of user interface embodiment, the degree tow...

In the context of the social network service environment, we explore how discrete emotions—envy and shame, in particular—may mediate the effects of social comparison on behavior intention and psychological responses. Based on the survey responses of 446 university students, the results suggest that social comparison to media figures correlates with a range of emotional responses as well as with...

OBJECTIVE To explain the influence of parental monitoring on adolescent sexual initiation within the context of a cognitive behavioral model. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Virginal youth (N = 307) recruited from a health maintenance organization adolescent medicine clinic were interviewed at baseline and at 6 months about parental monitoring and other known cognitive factors associated wi...