Development of understanding of mind-body relationships observed during the aging process

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24530810
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Educational psychology
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: NAKASHIMA NOBUKO 新潟大学, 人文社会・教育科学系, 准教授 (40293188)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 認知発達 / 概念発達 / 素朴生物学 / 心身の相互性理解 / 老化概念

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth discussion of the developmental process of the understanding of mind-body relationships, by focusing on aging phenomena that are influenced by this relationship. The results indicate that one’s ability to estimate the strength of influence on aging exerted by the correlation between factors within the physical domain and cognitive domain (e.g., a balanced diet reduces the decline in physical function; engaging in brain-training tasks prevents memory loss) reaches the level of a university student when or before the person is in the first year of elementary school. In contrast, the ability to estimate the strength of the influence exerted by the correlation between factors of different domains ( physical , cognitive, emotional/social) and factors within the emotional/social domain (e.g., psychologically relaxing reduces the decline in openness) reaches the level of a university student when or after the person is in middle childhood.

Free Research Field

発達心理学