Tomotaka Umemura
Biographic Data
| ID | 150059 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tomotaka Umemura |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tomotaka |
| FAMILY NAME | Umemura |
| SIGNATURE | UMEMURA T |
| AFFILIATIONS | Hiroshima University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1620-6930 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 28 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 24 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Crying in the strange situation procedure
Ainsworth and colleagues, who developed the strange situation procedure (SSP), emphasized the importance of context in attachment research. However, cultural characteristics of infants’ behavior during the SSP have not been explored in detail. This study examined whether East-Asian infants would differ in crying during the SSP from Western infants. If so, we further examined which episodes (e.g., separation and reunion episodes) East-Asian infant…
The Saliency of Attachment, Affiliation, and Caregiving Functions in Japanese Young Adults' Relationships with their Mothers and Friends
Emerging adults' relationships with their mothers and friends serve attachment , affiliation , and caregiving functions. The attachment function provides security. The affiliation function promotes mutual partnerships. The caregiving function involves caring for others. However, few non‐Western studies have examined the degree and role of the three functions. This study recruited 100 Japanese university students ( M age = 20.91 years, SD = 1.35 y…
Attachment Preferences in Chinese Adolescents
Based on Bowlby’s conceptualization of the attachment behavioral system, the Important People Interview (IPI) was developed to provide a measurement standard for assessing attachment preference in adolescents. This study utilized a sample of 1374 Chinese adolescents ( M age = 13.64, SD = 1.49, age range: 11–18 years; females = 48%) to validate the IPI for Chinese adolescents. The confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the IPI fit Chinese ado…
The Interplay Between Personal Identity and Social Identity Among Vocational High School Students
Although identity research has predominantly focused on college-bound adolescents, it has largely neglected vocational high school students who enter the job market immediately after graduation. Furthermore, most studies have concentrated on personal identity and have overlooked the concurrent development of social identity. This study examined the relationship between adolescents’ personal and social identities over three years of vocational hig…
Relational uncertainty and relationship satisfaction in a romantic relationship
The Relation Between Attachment and Identity
Secure attachment relationships with important others (one type of emotional bond) can lead to more adaptive identity formation. We studied the relation of attachment representations with meaning-making and in-depth exploration, two factors contributing to identity formation. Meaning-making is a process of understanding identity from past events, while in-depth exploration is a process of deeply considering identity issues. Our participants were …
Attachment-based intervention improves Japanese parent-child relationship quality
Identity Formation and School Experience among University Students in A Teacher Training Program
Students’ identity formation is intertwined with school experience. Despite the importance of career-related school experience and school events for their identity, few studies have focused on students in vocational education. To address this gap, this study examined bidirectional effects between identity formation and school experience (teacher skills reconsideration and teacher career reconsideration) among teacher training students focusing on…
Diverse Trajectories of Hikikomori Symptoms During Job Search and the Role of Identity Distress
Objective Hikikomori, a prolonged form of social withdrawal, has received attention in various research areas. This longitudinal study aimed to identify diverse trajectories of hikikomori symptoms among young Japanese adults engaged in a job search. It also tested whether identity distress, a critical developmental issue, predicts these trajectories while controlling for other risk factors (depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, career expectati…
Japanese infants’ attachment insecurity and externalizing/internalizing problems
According to attachment theory, an infant‐mother attachment is universal, and infants who develop an insecure attachment relationship with their mother are likely to show mental health problems compared to those who develop a secure attachment relationship. These hypotheses have been empirically supported in Western cultures. However, the cross‐cultural evidence is still insufficient. The purpose of this study was to examine the association betwe…
Maternal Perceptions of Infant Behavior as a Potential Indicator of Parents or Infants in Need of Additional Support and Intervention
The goal of the present study is to examine the relationship between early infant behaviors, which can be easily reported by parents, with parent-infant bonding and maternal mental health. It has long been established that child characteristics and behaviors have a significant impact on parent well-being and how parents respond to their infants. Examining parent perceptions of challenging infant behaviors may help health professionals identify hi…
Identity processes and identity content valences
Developing identities that are well-aligned with sociocultural expectations is a key psychosocial developmental task for adolescents and emerging adults. Most studies have examined identity development focusing on how individuals develop their identities (identity process), such as identity exploration and commitment. Meanwhile, researchers have emphasized incorporating the what of identity development (identity content) with identity processes t…
The Relationships Between Initial Consonants in Japanese Sound Symbolic Words and Familiarity, Multi-Sensory Imageability, Emotional Valence, and Arousal
Transfer of Early to Late Adolescents’ Attachment Figures in a Multicohort Six-Wave Study
Although Bowlby proposed that adolescence is a major developmental period to transfer their attachment figures from parents to other people, no comprehensive longitudinal study on attachment transfer from early to late adolescence exists. This study employed 215 early to late adolescents between ages 11 and 18 years ([Formula: see text] = 14.02, SD = 2.05 at Wave 1), using a six-wave 2-year longitudinal design with four different cohorts: 5th, 7t…
The Relationship between Psycholinguistic Features of Religious Words and Core Dimensions of Religiosity
Previous studies have reported that religious words and religiosity affect mental processes and behaviors. However, it is unclear what psycholinguistic features of religious words (e.g., familiarity, imageability, and emotional aspects) are associated with each dimension of personal religiosity (intellect, ideology, public practice, private practice, and experience). The purpose of this study was to examine whether and how the above-mentioned psy…
Roles of Configurations of Multiple Identity Domains in Adaptive and Maladaptive Functioning in Japanese Emerging Adults
This study aimed to investigate the associations between Japanese emerging adults’ identity configuration patterns across educational and interpersonal domains and various indices of adaptive (i.e., social trust and prosocial behaviors) and maladaptive functioning (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, and hikikomori symptoms). A total of 2,313 Japanese emerging adults completed the questionnaires. Based on the identity statuses assignments in the …
Japanese mothers’ prebirth Adult Attachment Interview predicts their infants’ response to the Strange Situation Procedure
The current study investigated the intergenerational transmission of attachment in Sapporo, Japan, using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). This is the first SSP study in Sapporo in three decades, after a study in the mid-1980s reported controversial results. The SSP distributions found in the current study, however, were similar to those reported in the earlier Sapporo study, including its controversi…
Secure base script and psychological dysfunction in Japanese young adults in the 21st century
The universality of secure base construct, which suggests that one's use of an attachment figure as a secure base from which to explore the environment is an evolutionary outcome, is one of the core ideas of attachment theory. However, this universality idea has been critiqued because exploration is not as valued in Japanese culture as it is in Western cultures. Waters and Waters (2006) hypothesized that one's experiences of secure base behaviors…
Japan–US comparison of mothers’ wishes for their children’s futures in the context of attachment
This study explored cross-cultural similarities and differences between Japanese and U.S. mothers’ wishes for their children’s futures based on their responses to one question asked toward the end of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). We also examined empirically whether mothers’ responses to this particular question would be consistent with their attachment representation to confirm the utility of this question in the AAI classification proce…
Different Developmental Pathways from Parental Warmth to Adolescents' Trust in Peers and Politicians
Marital Quality over the Transition to Parenthood as a Predictor of Coparenting
Coparenting Problems with Toddlers Predict Children’s Symptoms of Psychological Problems at Age 7
Changes in late adolescents’ voting intentions during the election campaign
This article investigates the effects of political discussions with parents, political discussions with peers and exposure to political news during an election campaign on the voting intentions and behaviour of first-time voters. Longitudinal data collected in the Czech Republic are employed in the main analysis ( N = 223). Results show that young people who frequently discuss politics with their peers are characterized by higher voting intention…
Is Emerging Adults’ Attachment Preference for the Romantic Partner Transferred From Their Attachment Preferences for Their Mother, Father, and Friends
This study examined whether emerging adults’ attachment preference for their romantic partner is complementary to their attachment preferences for their mother, father, and friends using a cross-sectional research design. Participants were 1,021 emerging adults recruited in the Czech Republic (mean age = 21.46, SD = 1.55) who filled out questionnaires. The attachment preference for the romantic partner correlated inversely with the attachment pre…
Different Developmental Pathways from Parental Warmth to Adolescents' Trust in Peers and Politicians
The Relationship between Psycholinguistic Features of Religious Words and Core Dimensions of Religiosity
Previous studies have reported that religious words and religiosity affect mental processes and behaviors. However, it is unclear what psycholinguistic features of religious words (e.g., familiarity, imageability, and emotional aspects) are associated with each dimension of personal religiosity (intellect, ideology, public practice, private practice, and experience). The purpose of this study was to examine whether and how the above-mentioned psy…
Secure base script and psychological dysfunction in Japanese young adults in the 21st century
The universality of secure base construct, which suggests that one's use of an attachment figure as a secure base from which to explore the environment is an evolutionary outcome, is one of the core ideas of attachment theory. However, this universality idea has been critiqued because exploration is not as valued in Japanese culture as it is in Western cultures. Waters and Waters (2006) hypothesized that one's experiences of secure base behaviors…
Changes in late adolescents’ voting intentions during the election campaign
This article investigates the effects of political discussions with parents, political discussions with peers and exposure to political news during an election campaign on the voting intentions and behaviour of first-time voters. Longitudinal data collected in the Czech Republic are employed in the main analysis ( N = 223). Results show that young people who frequently discuss politics with their peers are characterized by higher voting intention…
The Interplay Between Personal Identity and Social Identity Among Vocational High School Students
Although identity research has predominantly focused on college-bound adolescents, it has largely neglected vocational high school students who enter the job market immediately after graduation. Furthermore, most studies have concentrated on personal identity and have overlooked the concurrent development of social identity. This study examined the relationship between adolescents’ personal and social identities over three years of vocational hig…
Identity processes and identity content valences
Developing identities that are well-aligned with sociocultural expectations is a key psychosocial developmental task for adolescents and emerging adults. Most studies have examined identity development focusing on how individuals develop their identities (identity process), such as identity exploration and commitment. Meanwhile, researchers have emphasized incorporating the what of identity development (identity content) with identity processes t…
The Relationships Between Initial Consonants in Japanese Sound Symbolic Words and Familiarity, Multi-Sensory Imageability, Emotional Valence, and Arousal
Japanese infants’ attachment insecurity and externalizing/internalizing problems
According to attachment theory, an infant‐mother attachment is universal, and infants who develop an insecure attachment relationship with their mother are likely to show mental health problems compared to those who develop a secure attachment relationship. These hypotheses have been empirically supported in Western cultures. However, the cross‐cultural evidence is still insufficient. The purpose of this study was to examine the association betwe…
Japanese mothers’ prebirth Adult Attachment Interview predicts their infants’ response to the Strange Situation Procedure
The current study investigated the intergenerational transmission of attachment in Sapporo, Japan, using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). This is the first SSP study in Sapporo in three decades, after a study in the mid-1980s reported controversial results. The SSP distributions found in the current study, however, were similar to those reported in the earlier Sapporo study, including its controversi…
Is Emerging Adults’ Attachment Preference for the Romantic Partner Transferred From Their Attachment Preferences for Their Mother, Father, and Friends
This study examined whether emerging adults’ attachment preference for their romantic partner is complementary to their attachment preferences for their mother, father, and friends using a cross-sectional research design. Participants were 1,021 emerging adults recruited in the Czech Republic (mean age = 21.46, SD = 1.55) who filled out questionnaires. The attachment preference for the romantic partner correlated inversely with the attachment pre…
Marital Quality over the Transition to Parenthood as a Predictor of Coparenting
Coparenting Problems with Toddlers Predict Children’s Symptoms of Psychological Problems at Age 7
Changes in late adolescents’ voting intentions during the election campaign
This article investigates the effects of political discussions with parents, political discussions with peers and exposure to political news during an election campaign on the voting intentions and behaviour of first-time voters. Longitudinal data collected in the Czech Republic are employed in the main analysis ( N = 223). Results show that young people who frequently discuss politics with their peers are characterized by higher voting intention…
Different Developmental Pathways from Parental Warmth to Adolescents' Trust in Peers and Politicians
Japan–US comparison of mothers’ wishes for their children’s futures in the context of attachment
This study explored cross-cultural similarities and differences between Japanese and U.S. mothers’ wishes for their children’s futures based on their responses to one question asked toward the end of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). We also examined empirically whether mothers’ responses to this particular question would be consistent with their attachment representation to confirm the utility of this question in the AAI classification proce…
Japanese mothers’ prebirth Adult Attachment Interview predicts their infants’ response to the Strange Situation Procedure
The current study investigated the intergenerational transmission of attachment in Sapporo, Japan, using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). This is the first SSP study in Sapporo in three decades, after a study in the mid-1980s reported controversial results. The SSP distributions found in the current study, however, were similar to those reported in the earlier Sapporo study, including its controversi…
Secure base script and psychological dysfunction in Japanese young adults in the 21st century
The universality of secure base construct, which suggests that one's use of an attachment figure as a secure base from which to explore the environment is an evolutionary outcome, is one of the core ideas of attachment theory. However, this universality idea has been critiqued because exploration is not as valued in Japanese culture as it is in Western cultures. Waters and Waters (2006) hypothesized that one's experiences of secure base behaviors…
Roles of Configurations of Multiple Identity Domains in Adaptive and Maladaptive Functioning in Japanese Emerging Adults
This study aimed to investigate the associations between Japanese emerging adults’ identity configuration patterns across educational and interpersonal domains and various indices of adaptive (i.e., social trust and prosocial behaviors) and maladaptive functioning (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, and hikikomori symptoms). A total of 2,313 Japanese emerging adults completed the questionnaires. Based on the identity statuses assignments in the …
Transfer of Early to Late Adolescents’ Attachment Figures in a Multicohort Six-Wave Study
Although Bowlby proposed that adolescence is a major developmental period to transfer their attachment figures from parents to other people, no comprehensive longitudinal study on attachment transfer from early to late adolescence exists. This study employed 215 early to late adolescents between ages 11 and 18 years ([Formula: see text] = 14.02, SD = 2.05 at Wave 1), using a six-wave 2-year longitudinal design with four different cohorts: 5th, 7t…
The Relationship between Psycholinguistic Features of Religious Words and Core Dimensions of Religiosity
Previous studies have reported that religious words and religiosity affect mental processes and behaviors. However, it is unclear what psycholinguistic features of religious words (e.g., familiarity, imageability, and emotional aspects) are associated with each dimension of personal religiosity (intellect, ideology, public practice, private practice, and experience). The purpose of this study was to examine whether and how the above-mentioned psy…
Maternal Perceptions of Infant Behavior as a Potential Indicator of Parents or Infants in Need of Additional Support and Intervention
The goal of the present study is to examine the relationship between early infant behaviors, which can be easily reported by parents, with parent-infant bonding and maternal mental health. It has long been established that child characteristics and behaviors have a significant impact on parent well-being and how parents respond to their infants. Examining parent perceptions of challenging infant behaviors may help health professionals identify hi…
Identity processes and identity content valences
Developing identities that are well-aligned with sociocultural expectations is a key psychosocial developmental task for adolescents and emerging adults. Most studies have examined identity development focusing on how individuals develop their identities (identity process), such as identity exploration and commitment. Meanwhile, researchers have emphasized incorporating the what of identity development (identity content) with identity processes t…
The Relationships Between Initial Consonants in Japanese Sound Symbolic Words and Familiarity, Multi-Sensory Imageability, Emotional Valence, and Arousal
Attachment-based intervention improves Japanese parent-child relationship quality
Identity Formation and School Experience among University Students in A Teacher Training Program
Students’ identity formation is intertwined with school experience. Despite the importance of career-related school experience and school events for their identity, few studies have focused on students in vocational education. To address this gap, this study examined bidirectional effects between identity formation and school experience (teacher skills reconsideration and teacher career reconsideration) among teacher training students focusing on…
Diverse Trajectories of Hikikomori Symptoms During Job Search and the Role of Identity Distress
Objective Hikikomori, a prolonged form of social withdrawal, has received attention in various research areas. This longitudinal study aimed to identify diverse trajectories of hikikomori symptoms among young Japanese adults engaged in a job search. It also tested whether identity distress, a critical developmental issue, predicts these trajectories while controlling for other risk factors (depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, career expectati…
Japanese infants’ attachment insecurity and externalizing/internalizing problems
According to attachment theory, an infant‐mother attachment is universal, and infants who develop an insecure attachment relationship with their mother are likely to show mental health problems compared to those who develop a secure attachment relationship. These hypotheses have been empirically supported in Western cultures. However, the cross‐cultural evidence is still insufficient. The purpose of this study was to examine the association betwe…
Relational uncertainty and relationship satisfaction in a romantic relationship
The Relation Between Attachment and Identity
Secure attachment relationships with important others (one type of emotional bond) can lead to more adaptive identity formation. We studied the relation of attachment representations with meaning-making and in-depth exploration, two factors contributing to identity formation. Meaning-making is a process of understanding identity from past events, while in-depth exploration is a process of deeply considering identity issues. Our participants were …
The Saliency of Attachment, Affiliation, and Caregiving Functions in Japanese Young Adults' Relationships with their Mothers and Friends
Emerging adults' relationships with their mothers and friends serve attachment , affiliation , and caregiving functions. The attachment function provides security. The affiliation function promotes mutual partnerships. The caregiving function involves caring for others. However, few non‐Western studies have examined the degree and role of the three functions. This study recruited 100 Japanese university students ( M age = 20.91 years, SD = 1.35 y…
Attachment Preferences in Chinese Adolescents
Based on Bowlby’s conceptualization of the attachment behavioral system, the Important People Interview (IPI) was developed to provide a measurement standard for assessing attachment preference in adolescents. This study utilized a sample of 1374 Chinese adolescents ( M age = 13.64, SD = 1.49, age range: 11–18 years; females = 48%) to validate the IPI for Chinese adolescents. The confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the IPI fit Chinese ado…
The Interplay Between Personal Identity and Social Identity Among Vocational High School Students
Although identity research has predominantly focused on college-bound adolescents, it has largely neglected vocational high school students who enter the job market immediately after graduation. Furthermore, most studies have concentrated on personal identity and have overlooked the concurrent development of social identity. This study examined the relationship between adolescents’ personal and social identities over three years of vocational hig…
Crying in the strange situation procedure
Ainsworth and colleagues, who developed the strange situation procedure (SSP), emphasized the importance of context in attachment research. However, cultural characteristics of infants’ behavior during the SSP have not been explored in detail. This study examined whether East-Asian infants would differ in crying during the SSP from Western infants. If so, we further examined which episodes (e.g., separation and reunion episodes) East-Asian infant…
Psychology (24 works) · Developmental psychology (20 works) · Social Psychology (17 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (13 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (9 works) · Family Dynamics and Relationships (8 works) · Attachment theory (5 works) · Clinical Psychology (5 works) · Family Support in Illness (4 works)