WIVES’ SELF-VERIFICATION IN JAPAN

People seek self-verification from others. Previous studies suggest that striving for self-verification (e.g., the disclosure of accurate self-information and the preservation of a sense of coherence about oneself in social relationships) functionalizes couple relationships in Western cultures. However, there has been little research on couples in Asian cultures. The aim of this study is to address this gap by examining 46 heterosexual Japanese couples. Attitudes and behaviors regarding striving for self-verification, stress communication, and trust in marital relationships were assessed using a questionnaire. In contrast to previous Western studies, Japanese couples striving for self-verification had a stronger association between the attitudes of wives regarding striving for self-verification and their own trust and stress communication than that of their husbands. The role of Asian wives is also discussed

Validation of the Japanese Version of the Multidimensional Stress Questionnaire for Couples : Factor Structure, Validity and Reliability

We validated the Japanese version of the Multidimensional Stress Questionnaire for Couples (MSQ, Multidimensionaler Stressfragebogen für Paare) and examined construct validity and reliability. We conducted an online longitudinal survey of 300 husbands and 300 wives in 2017. The Japanese version of the MSQ had a two-factor structure centered on internal and external stressors. The internal-stressor factor showed sufficient validity and reliability making it suitable for measuring marital stressors and the external-stressor factor also did show acceptable validity in both husbands and wives. The MSQ-J will be useful not only for the research but also for the clinical practice

Swimming using surface acoustic waves

Microactuation of free standing objects in fluids is currently dominated by the rotary propeller, giving rise to a range of potential applications in the military, aeronautic and biomedical fields. Previously, surface acoustic waves (SAWs) have been shown to be of increasing interest in the field of microfluidics, where the refraction of a SAW into a drop of fluid creates a convective flow, a phenomenon generally known as SAW streaming. We now show how SAWs, generated at microelectronic devices, can be used as an efficient method of propulsion actuated by localised fluid streaming. The direction of the force arising from such streaming is optimal when the devices are maintained at the Rayleigh angle. The technique provides propulsion without any moving parts, and, due to the inherent design of the SAW transducer, enables simple control of the direction of travel

Psychometric Properties and Correlates of Precarious Manhood Beliefs in 62 Nations

Precarious manhood beliefs portray manhood, relative to womanhood, as a social status that is hard to earn, easy to lose, and proven via public action. Here, we present cross-cultural data on a brief measure of precarious manhood beliefs (the Precarious Manhood Beliefs scale [PMB]) that covaries meaningfully with other cross-culturally validated gender ideologies and with country-level indices of gender equality and human development. Using data from university samples in 62 countries across 13 world regions (N = 33,417), we demonstrate: (1) the psychometric isomorphism of the PMB (i.e., its comparability in meaning and statistical properties across the individual and country levels); (2) the PMB’s distinctness from, and associations with, ambivalent sexism and ambivalence toward men; and (3) associations of the PMB with nation-level gender equality and human development. Findings are discussed in terms of their statistical and theoretical implications for understanding widely-held beliefs about the precariousness of the male gender role