Cognitive Psychology Journal

effectiveness of Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on cognitive fusion and physical Health Indicators in essential hypertensive patients

The main purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on cognitive fusion and physical Health Indicators in essential hypertensive patients. This study was a semi-experimental study with a pretest, post-test and follow-up. Subjects were first screened using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. therefore, 26 hypertensive patients who referred to the Valiasr Hospital in Rasht city were selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (13 patients in each group). The ACT group were treated in 8 sessions, while the control group did not receive any treatment. Results showed that there were significant differences between two groups in cognitive fusion and physical Health Indicators. So, ACT is an effective intervention in essential hypertensive patients.

Enhanced awareness and attention: Unidimensional or multidimensional Construct? Factor structure and psychometric properties of Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) in Iran

Mehdi Reza Sarafraz

Abstract:

There has been substantial interest in mindfulness as an approach to reduce cognitive vulnerability to stress and emotional distress in recent years, and mindfulness meditation practices have been incorporated into several interventions that are now widely available in medical and mental health settings. However, thus far mindfulness has not been defined operationally. Among the important questions that can be studied is whether mindfulness should be described as a multifaceted construct and, if so, how the facets should be defined. Several current descriptions of mindfulness suggest a multidimensional nature. The aim of the present study was to investigate the factor structure and psychometric properties of Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) in Iran. 247 Iranian university student (188 women, 53 men and 6 undefined) filled following scales: FFMQ (Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006), Integrative Self-Knowledge (Ghorbani, Watson, & Hargis, 2008), BSCS(Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone, 2004) , Rumination Scale (Trapnell & Campbell, 1999), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ; (Meyer, Miller, Metzger, & Borkovec, 1990), Vitality Scale (Ryan & Frederick, 1997), symptom checklist (Bartone 1995), perceived stress(Cohen, Kamarack, & Mermelstein, 1983) & Anxiety and Depression Scale(Costello & Comrey, 1967). The second order CFA showed that five-factor structure of FFMQ in first order and one-factor in second order did not fit the data well and EFA proved five-factor structure in first order and two-factor in second order of the scale that fit the data well. These results point toward conceptual distinction between facets of mindfulness. Mindfulness facets were shown to be differentially correlated in expected ways with several other constructs and to have convergent and divergent validity. Findings suggest that conceptualizing mindfulness as a multifaceted construct is helpful in understanding its components and its relationships with other variables, and suggested a need for reviewing the research and theory of mindfulness due to exposed facets.

A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Metacognitive Therapy with Neurofeedback Training on Metacognitive Beliefs and Anxiety Symptoms in Female Students with Social Anxiety Disorder (single subject)

zohreh sepehri shamloo

The aim of this research was to compare the effectiveness of MCT and Neurofeedback on metacognitive believes and symptoms of SAD. This research was a single subject study with volunteer sampling method. 7 students from Ferdowsi and Farhangian universities with diagnosis of SAD have been matched and assigned into one of the three groups (control, MCT and Neurofeedback).DSM-IV structured interview,Conner's Social Phobia Inventory, Watson and Friend's social anxiety questionnair, metacognition questionnair have been used before and after intervention and in 45 days follow-up. Conner's Inventory also had been answered 2 times within the treatment. 8 session per week for MCT and 16 sessions 3 times each week for neurofeedback has been performed. Percent recovery is used for data analysis. Results showed MCT and neurofeedback were effective in treating SAD with different range of percent recovery in each one of the subjects. But the mean of percent recoveries weren't different between the two interventions. Although metacognitive believes changed more in MCT. Percent recovery has improved in the follow up. In general, MCT and Neurofeedback are both effective in reducing SAD but MCT was more effective in milder SAD and Neurofeedback was more effective in more severe SAD than MCT.

Determining cognitive structure of students’ knowledge with using Knowledge Space Theory

علی یاسینی

This study examined the effect of concept maps and traditional ways of teaching to students’ learning about the concepts of third year high school chemistry course and to analyze this effect, knowledge space theory is used. Semi – experimental method with pre and post test were used and the population of this study consisted of all students (N=250) in the third year of secondary school in the city of Ilam. The sample used in this study selected via convenience sampling and two high school class were selected randomly to investigate the traditional and inquiry teaching methods. To collect the data, learning and attitude research made questionnaire was done in which their validity were approved by five professors of education and ten chemistry professors and teachers. Reliability assessed via Cronbach Alpha and the amount of 0.79 and 0.74 estimates to knowledge and attitude respectively. To analyze the data, knowledge space theory and Potter software was used. Comparison between groups was performed using t-test and results of post test showed significant difference between the groups' attitudes and knowledge structures of inquiry method more cohesive and its training critical path is different than the traditional group.

Performance of adolescents with major depressive disorder and PTSD in working memory and processing speed

maryam ahmadi

The present research aims to compare the cognitive performance of the adolescents suffering from MDD and PTSD in the working memory and information processing. the selected sample in this casual-comparative study included 15 MDD patients, 15 youth PTSD subjects and 15 normal subjects who were matched by age, IQ, sex as well as social and economic status variables. The tool package employed in this investigation comprised child depression inventory (CDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Impact of Event Scale (IES-R), Wechsler’s Memory and Intelligence Test, and The Information Processing Index Test. Findings were analyzed using the ANOVA, MANOVA analysis statistical method.as indicated by our result, in the verbal memory there is a significant difference between groups of depression and PTSD and between depressed and normal subjects. in the reverse spatial working memory there are significant differences between normal and PTSD. in the visual memory and information processing, the significant difference is between normal and both PTSD and depressed.The findings of this study confirm the disorders of working memory and speed of information processing in adolescents with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

compare the creativity and critical thinking Between bilingual students of Persian-Armenian language and monolingual students of Persian language

The purpose of the present study was to compare the creativity and critical thinking between bilingual students of Persian-Armenian language and monolingual students of Persian language. The study method is causal-comparative. Statistical community is all Bilingual of Persian-Armenian language and monolingual of Persian language students in first year of high school in the Tehran city in the 1393-94 academic year. The sample group is included 120( 60 monolingual students and 60 bilingual students and each group consisted of 30 male and 30 female) that were selected by multistage cluster sampling method. To collect data used from Abedi creativity test and California critical thinking skills test. Data using independent sample t-test were analyzed. The results showed that there is not significant difference between monolingual and bilingual students in creativity and it subscales (including fluency, elaboration, originality and flexibility) and critical thinking and it subscales (including analysis, inference, evaluation, deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning) mean scores. Also there is not significant difference between male and female students in critical thinking and it subscales mean scores and creativity and it subscales with the exception of flexibility subscale. Mean scores of female students in flexibility from creativity subscales was higher than of male students. In explaining these results we can say that due to the not found significant difference between creativity and critical thinking of monolingual and bilingual students as two cognitive skills, Therefore, bilingualism is not a defect and obstacle for bilingual students cognitive development and with proper educational strategy bilingualism becomes an opportunity for the cognitive skills development.