**3. Collaborative block construction on the sense of acceptance**

The effect of collaborative block creation especially focused on the sense of acceptance is overviewed in this section based on Kato et al. [20]. Examining the effects of group cooperation and group therapy are important research topics in educational and clinical psychology. For example, the self-categorization theory was developed (Turner et al. [21]), and it indicated that collaborative group work could improve social identity. It also promotes reciprocal positive evaluations, trust among group members, and sense of acceptance by others. The role of peer groups and gender in adolescents' task values and physical activity were examined (Yli-Piipari et al. [22]), and the study mentioned that it was important to investigate the effect of group dynamics on adolescents as a research topic. The results also reinforced the importance of peer group membership as a determinant of future activity.

of 20 items such as "I have a place where I can express myself as I am," "I am useful to someone," and "I have a person who accepts me unconditionally," and they are rated from

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The collaborative block creation was held in psychology class in the university, and the activity was held in 60 minutes. Participants were asked to express anything they desire on the plate using blocks and figures with group members. They were also asked to answer the

The scores of the sense of Ibasho scale before and after the collaborative creation were compared. First, the general sense of Ibasho (the sum of the four subscales) score after the activity was significantly higher than the score before the activity (t(19) = −1.81, p < .10). Second, the score of subscales before and after the work was compared to examine which aspect of the sense of Ibasho was influenced by the collaborative work. Result of the analysis showed that the score of the sense of role was promoted significantly after the work (t(19) = −3.18, p < .01). There was no significant difference in any other subscales (the sense of authenticity (t(19) = 0.71, ns), sense of perceived acceptance (t(19) = −1.14, ns), and sense of relief (t(19) = 0.66, ns)). **Table 2** shows scores of Ibasho before and after a collaborative

The results showed that the general sense of Ibasho was increased after the collaborative block creation. In addition, especially sense of role was promoted through the work more than other subscales such as sense of authenticity, sense of perceived acceptance, and

When we express something or tackle a task with others, such as a block construction task, the role of each participant is important. Participants perceive their own role through the work, and it may facilitate their sense of role. For instance, self-confidence of participants was enhanced when their idea or proposal was accepted by other group members. This process

Self-disclosure and the ability to understand one another are important in friendship of adolescents [27]. This is also necessary for establishing roles in peer groups and maintains good relationships with others. Participants of the present study expressed their idea to other members, and it promotes their self-disclosure. In addition, they could know the way of thinking of other members at the same time. These interactions may promote the skill of sympathy and understanding one another. The sense of role is also deeply connected with social skills. As shown in the previous section, the collaborative block creation improves social skills, and it might support the establishment of roles among the

1 (disagree) to 5 (agree).

**3.4. Results and discussion**

questionnaire before and after the activity.

**3.3. Procedure**

task.

sense of relief.

participants.

may improve their sense of role.

Blocks are a useful medium for self-expression not only in individual art therapy but also in group settings as mentioned before. LeGoff [15] found that collaborative problem-solving activity using blocks was useful to developing social skills of autistic children. In addition, both social skills and trust were increased through the collaborative block creation (Kato et al. [16]) as shown in the previous section.

The Japanese term "Ibasho" means "whereabouts or a place of my own" literally, and it is one of the key terms of Japanese psychological studies. In the psychological context, the sense of Ibasho is defined as the sense of being accepted by others unconditionally (Ishimoto [23]). Norisada [24] developed the scale to measure the sense, and it includes four subscales: sense of authenticity, sense of role, sense of perceived acceptance, and sense of relief. In addition, the friendship styles are also influenced by the sense of Ibasho. For example, school adjustment in Japanese female adolescents is related with the respectful friendships (Ishimoto et al. [25]). As these previous studies showed, the sense of Ibasho concerns the cognition of individuals' relationship with others. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the experience of engaging collaborative block increases the sense of Ibasho.

The participants of this study were also healthy students without any developmental and mental disorders. The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of the collaborative creation work using healthy samples and show useful evidences for the future application.

#### **3.1. Method**

#### *3.1.1. Participants*

Twenty Japanese female university students participated in this study (Mage = 20.15 years, SD = 0.37). They were randomly divided into groups of between three and four people.

#### *3.1.2. Materials*

We provided green LEGO® plastic building plates (50 × 50 cm) and several types of blocks and figures to each group. The detail of the material is same as the previous section.

#### **3.2. Measures**

#### *3.2.1. Sense of Ibasho*

The general sense of Ibasho scale for university students [26] is used. The scale is developed based on the sense of Ibasho scale for adolescents [24] and includes four subscales: sense of authenticity, sense of role, sense of perceived acceptance, and sense of relief. It also measures the general sense of Ibasho as the sum of the four subscales. It is consists of 20 items such as "I have a place where I can express myself as I am," "I am useful to someone," and "I have a person who accepts me unconditionally," and they are rated from 1 (disagree) to 5 (agree).

## **3.3. Procedure**

topic. The results also reinforced the importance of peer group membership as a determi-

Blocks are a useful medium for self-expression not only in individual art therapy but also in group settings as mentioned before. LeGoff [15] found that collaborative problem-solving activity using blocks was useful to developing social skills of autistic children. In addition, both social skills and trust were increased through the collaborative block creation (Kato et al.

The Japanese term "Ibasho" means "whereabouts or a place of my own" literally, and it is one of the key terms of Japanese psychological studies. In the psychological context, the sense of Ibasho is defined as the sense of being accepted by others unconditionally (Ishimoto [23]). Norisada [24] developed the scale to measure the sense, and it includes four subscales: sense of authenticity, sense of role, sense of perceived acceptance, and sense of relief. In addition, the friendship styles are also influenced by the sense of Ibasho. For example, school adjustment in Japanese female adolescents is related with the respectful friendships (Ishimoto et al. [25]). As these previous studies showed, the sense of Ibasho concerns the cognition of individuals' relationship with others. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the experience of engag-

The participants of this study were also healthy students without any developmental and mental disorders. The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of the collaborative creation work using healthy samples and show useful evidences for the future application.

Twenty Japanese female university students participated in this study (Mage = 20.15 years, SD = 0.37). They were randomly divided into groups of between three and four people.

We provided green LEGO® plastic building plates (50 × 50 cm) and several types of blocks

The general sense of Ibasho scale for university students [26] is used. The scale is developed based on the sense of Ibasho scale for adolescents [24] and includes four subscales: sense of authenticity, sense of role, sense of perceived acceptance, and sense of relief. It also measures the general sense of Ibasho as the sum of the four subscales. It is consists

and figures to each group. The detail of the material is same as the previous section.

nant of future activity.

40 Socialization - A Multidimensional Perspective

**3.1. Method**

*3.1.1. Participants*

*3.1.2. Materials*

**3.2. Measures**

*3.2.1. Sense of Ibasho*

[16]) as shown in the previous section.

ing collaborative block increases the sense of Ibasho.

The collaborative block creation was held in psychology class in the university, and the activity was held in 60 minutes. Participants were asked to express anything they desire on the plate using blocks and figures with group members. They were also asked to answer the questionnaire before and after the activity.

#### **3.4. Results and discussion**

The scores of the sense of Ibasho scale before and after the collaborative creation were compared. First, the general sense of Ibasho (the sum of the four subscales) score after the activity was significantly higher than the score before the activity (t(19) = −1.81, p < .10). Second, the score of subscales before and after the work was compared to examine which aspect of the sense of Ibasho was influenced by the collaborative work. Result of the analysis showed that the score of the sense of role was promoted significantly after the work (t(19) = −3.18, p < .01). There was no significant difference in any other subscales (the sense of authenticity (t(19) = 0.71, ns), sense of perceived acceptance (t(19) = −1.14, ns), and sense of relief (t(19) = 0.66, ns)). **Table 2** shows scores of Ibasho before and after a collaborative task.

The results showed that the general sense of Ibasho was increased after the collaborative block creation. In addition, especially sense of role was promoted through the work more than other subscales such as sense of authenticity, sense of perceived acceptance, and sense of relief.

When we express something or tackle a task with others, such as a block construction task, the role of each participant is important. Participants perceive their own role through the work, and it may facilitate their sense of role. For instance, self-confidence of participants was enhanced when their idea or proposal was accepted by other group members. This process may improve their sense of role.

Self-disclosure and the ability to understand one another are important in friendship of adolescents [27]. This is also necessary for establishing roles in peer groups and maintains good relationships with others. Participants of the present study expressed their idea to other members, and it promotes their self-disclosure. In addition, they could know the way of thinking of other members at the same time. These interactions may promote the skill of sympathy and understanding one another. The sense of role is also deeply connected with social skills. As shown in the previous section, the collaborative block creation improves social skills, and it might support the establishment of roles among the participants.


method is well structured and effective as a social skills training program for them. However, the "block technique" approach in this study allows for more freedom in expression than other approaches; furthermore, it can be applied in a group therapy setting for children with developmental disorders. We tested the collaborative creation approach with a group of ASD children. We created small groups of three to five children that met with one of the facilitators.

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Six Japanese adolescents with ASD joined the study. Three were junior high school students, and the others were high school students. All participants were male, diagnosed based on

The study was conducted in a social skills training group for ASD students. The group contain six times program, and it includes several social skills training activities. The collaborative block creation was held in the second time of the group. Participants were divided into two groups. One group consisted of the junior high school students and the other of the high school students. As shown in the previous section, the participants were asked to express themselves collaboratively with the other group members and encouraged to build anything they wanted on the group's plate using LEGO® blocks and figures. Graduate students majoring in clinical psychology joined each group as facilitators. The creation was completed within 1 hour. Participants responded on the trust scale [19]. This scale originally included three subscales: "trust for oneself," "trust for others," and "distrust." We used "trust for oneself" (six items) and "trust for others" (eight items) in this study. After the entire process was finished,

group members presented their works to each other and shared their experience.

The scores of each item of the trust scale were compared before and after the group work. The scores from after the work were categorized into three groups as "increased," "decreased," and "not changed." The percentages of these three groups were compared to "trust for oneself" and "trust for others." The results showed that there were significant differences both in

comparisons showed that "not changed" was larger than "decreased" (p < .05) in "trust for oneself." In addition, "increased" and "not changed" were larger than "decreased" (p < .05)

The total number of participants who increased and decreased the scores of the items in the trust scale was counted. As a result, the score increased in the majority of the participants regarding the items "I am worthy of trust" and "I can trust myself" on the subscale "trust for oneself." In addition, there was an increase in "I can keep trust with others if we face problems" and "I trust others based on my experience." There were no decreasing items for the majority of the participants.

(2) = 19.63, p < .01). Multiple

(2) = 13.50, p < .01) and "trust for others" (χ<sup>2</sup>

Based on Kato et al. [28] study, the effect of the group is reviewed in this section.

DSM, and categorized in the high-functioning ASD.

**4.1. Participants**

**4.2. Procedure**

**4.3. Results and discussion**

"trust for oneself" (χ<sup>2</sup>

in "trust for others."

**Table 2.** Scores of Ibasho before and after a collaborative task.

In contrast, we could not find significant differences in the sense of authenticity, perceived acceptance, and relief. However, the sense of role concerns with social skills, the other factors are more individual factors, and they might relate with the personality of each participant. Therefore, it is considered that they did not change in short time. It is important to examine the effect of the continuous collaborative activity over a longer period of time in future studies.

#### **3.5. Conclusion**

We examined the effect of collaborative block creation on the sense of Ibasho in this study.

The result showed that the collaborative activity increased the general sense of Ibasho and sense of role especially. The findings indicated that the activity can be a useful medium for communication in group therapy or social skills training program. However, this finding is meaningful for future clinical application, and we need to interpret the result of the study carefully because the result is based on the limited setting of healthy samples. The study that includes the view point of both genders, generation, and clinical samples are necessary in the future.
