HIROTO IKEDA

The purpose of this study was to develop a Japanese version of the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS-J), and examine its reliability and validity. The original version of the scale was developed to measure procrastination, a phenomenon that involves a voluntary delay of an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for doing so. In this study, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on 195 university students. The scale has a 12-item, three-factor structure consisting of “implemental procrastination,” “decisional procrastination,” and “untimeliness.” It was confirmed that it had sufficient internal consistency and construct validity. It was also shown to have acceptable retest reliability in a study of 57 university students. A daily life survey of 44 university students showed the substantial construct validity of the PPS-J. Overall, the results suggest that the PPS-J is a valid scale for measuring procrastination.

The current study examined the relationships among mindfulness, attention control, mind wandering, and emotion. In Study 1, 149 undergraduate and graduate students were surveyed. Results suggested that attention control reduced negative emotions through a decrease in mind wandering and that acceptance of mindfulness directly reduced negative emotions. Previous studies have indicated that mindfulness training (MT) and the attention training technique (ATT) enhance attention control. Study 2 compared MT and the ATT to examine their effects on mind wandering and negative emotions. The participants were 37 undergraduate and graduate students who were randomly assigned to an MT group (n=13), an ATT group (n=13), and a control group (n=11). The experiment included a pre-test and post-test over a period of two weeks, and mind wandering was measured using the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). The MT and ATT groups were asked to undergo daily training for two weeks, and the control group was asked to engage in routine activities. Results indicated that the MT and ATT groups were able to control mind wandering and that attention control and the acceptance of mindfulness were effective in decreasing mind wandering.

Metacognitive therapy (MCT), which is a form of psychotherapy for depression or anxiety, has been attracting attention in recent times. Intervention involving MCT deals with metacognitive beliefs (MCBs), which maintain repetitive negative thoughts such as rumination and worry. The metacognitive model of depression indicates the effect of rumination and positive/negative MCBs about the rumination on depression; however, it does not indicate the influence of worry and other forms of MCBs on depression. Therefore, the present study aimed at examining a metacognitive model of depression considering the influence of worry on depression. Participants were 219 university students. A covariance structure analysis was performed and the results showed a good fit of the model. Based on the model in this study, rumination, worry, and negative beliefs about worry showed significant positive influence on depression. On the other hand, negative /positive beliefs about rumination, cognitive confidence, and cognitive self− consciousness showed significant positive effects on depression through rumination and/or worry. The influence of various variables on depression was indicated by the present study. Therefore, this study suggested the importance of theoretical validity while dealing with various variables during metacognitive therapy for depression.