Cognitive Psychology Journal

The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation on improving working memory of adolescents with brain injury

Ali akbar sharifi

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation on improving working memory of adolescents with traumatic brain injury. The method of this research was quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test with control and follow-up groups. To conduct this study, 20 adolescents aged 9-18 years with traumatic brain injury referred to medical centers in Sadaf Shahriar (Parandmehr Clinic) were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of 10 experimental and control. To measure the dependent variable of working memory, Wechsler scale 4 subtests (auditory measurement of working memory) and Benton test (visual-spatial measurement of working memory) were used. The experimental group underwent cognitive rehabilitation intervention (12 sessions of 45 minutes). Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to analyze the data. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in pre-test, post-test and follow-up of working memory performance. The results showed a significant difference between the mean scores of working memory (auditory and visual-spatial measurements) of the experimental group and the control group in the post-test. In addition, there was no significant difference between post-test scores and follow-up in the experimental group, which showed the effect of cognitive rehabilitative perstability on working memory performance in adolescents with brain injury. Therefore, cognitive rehabilitation has a significant effect on improving working memory performance in patients with brain injury and can be used as an effective and useful method to improve working memory performance in adolescents with brain damage.

The Effectiveness of Computerized Cognitive Empowerment on Attentional Functions, Concentration and Cognitive Effort in the elderly

Majid Youseefi-afrashteh

The main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of computer cognitive empowerment on the attentional functions, concentration and cognitive effort of the elderly. Metods This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. Participants were 30 elderly people who were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (Each group includes 15 people). Instruments included Captain's Log cognitive software and D2 test. Data analysis was performed using analysis of covariance. Data analysis using analysis of covariance showed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of pre-test and post-test in the experimental and control groups (p <0.001). The results of this study show that computer cognitive empowerment can be used as an effective method to improve attention, concentration and cognitive effort in the elderly.

The effect of computer-assisted Cognitive Rehabilitation (CR) on improving of executive functions of students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

akram parand

the children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in executive functions such as kinds of attention, response inhibition and response rate cope with problems which need therapeutic and educational plans to improve. From this kind of methods, cognitive rehabilitation is a new approach, which its effectiveness has studied in various cases. The aim of this study is to find out the effect of Computer- assisted cognitive rehabilitation on improving of executive function of students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This study is a kind of quasi-experimental design with pre-test / post-test and control groups. 30 students come down with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) selected by the available sampling method and base on criteria for entering of referrals to medical centers. 15 students were in experimental groups and others in control group. Experimental group have received training and computer-assisted Cognitive Rehabilitation for 15 Sessions. the integrated visual and auditory (IVA) continuous performance test, raven's progressive matrices test for children 5 to 9 years, SNAP-IV rating scale the Swanson questionnaire and Captain's Log Cognitive Rehabilitation software. Data has analyzed by analyze of covariance method. the results of this study revealed that improving executive functions, response inhibition variables, sustain attention, self-centered attention and selective attention were caused by Cognitive Rehabilitation by computer game (P=0.05). But, significant Improvement was not observed in two variables, response rate and divided attention. (P=0.05). Ognitive Rehabilitation by Captain's Log computer game affected on improving of executive functions of students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder so if the children with disorder being train under Cognitive computer software, executive functions of them will improve on response inhibition components, self-centered attention, selective attention and sustain attention.

Efficacy of Working Memory Training on Executive Functions in Adult with Attention Deficit with Hyperactive Disorder

Mohammad Rostami

Pharmacological treatment of adult with attention deficit with hyperactive disorder (ADHD) has been shown to be successful; however, medication may not normalize executive functions. The present study was assessed the effect of working memory training program on executive functions of adult with ADHD. Sixteen adults with ADHD and 16 healthy adult participated in the study. After a diagnostic and baseline evaluation, 16 adults with ADHD participate in up to 16 sessions of working memory training program and the outcomes are evaluated. Healthy people did not receive any training. Working memory and attention, were examined prior to and following the interventions. Data analysis revealed that the working memory training used in the present study led to significant improvements of various aspects of attention, including focus and sustain attention and capacity of working memory. The findings indicate that working memory training programs can improve working memory performance and have the potential to facilitate attentional functioning in adult with ADHD as well.

Vertical and horizontal mental timeline in Persian Speakers

Hossein Matoori

In this research, the horizontal and vertical direction of the time line in the minds of Persian speakers is examined from the perspective of Lakoff and Johnson conceptual metaphors. The mental timeline as an abstract concept according to our cognitive experiences and embodied mind may be conceptualized metaphorically under the influence of concrete concepts of space in our mind. In this research, a type of experimental experiment in the form of arranging colored cubes of time is used in different dimensions and possible directions in the concepts of the days of the week, including Saturday, Sunday, and Monday; the three main meals that include breakfast, lunch and dinner; and the concept of time that includes the yesterday, today and tomorrow. A total of 45 male and female employees between the age of 27 and 45 from the Islamic Azad University of Khorramshahr-Persian Gulf International Branch participated in this experiment. Percentage and average frequency of sorting colored cubes in the three concepts of time showed that, respectively, the horizontal lateral axes from right to left are adopted from the writing direction of Persian language with 45.6% as the first; the horizontal axis of the back-front paradigm is taken from the walking and looking direction, and linguistic metaphors, with 25.7% as the second; and the horizontal axis left to right taken from the writing direction of numbers and mathematics with 14.6% are considered as the third adopted sources of abstract concepts of time in Persian. The results show that in the minds of Persian speakers, the cognitive experience for writing the language due to repetition and sensory-motor experience is still represented as the most dominant pattern, and after this pattern walking and looking forward has a considerable affects on the representation of the direction of mental timeline.

The Effect of Mood Induction (Positive, Negative and Anxiousness) on time perception

Sooran Rajabi

Time perception is one of the important cognitive functions of the brain, and it refers to the mental sense of time by a person. This ability not only affects all human activities but also affects our mood and emotions. The present study was applied in a semi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test for two experimental and control groups. Subjects were 40 men and women (20 males and 20 females), which were selected by available sampling from bachelor's and master's degrees and divided into two peer control and experimental groups based on gender and education. All subjects were tested by production time task of 30 and 60 seconds by chronometer before and after the intervention. The experimental group was exposed to induction of three stages of negative, positive mood, and anxiety state, and the control group were tested by the same method in neutral state. The results of variance analysis with repeated measures in the production time task showed, individuals in positive mood and anxiety estimates time faster than neutral state, and also time perceived faster in positive mood in compare to anxiety state. Furthermore, individuals in the Negative mood perceived time slower than neutral state. Based on the result of this study, it can conclude that people experience time faster in positive mood and anxiety state, while in negative mood, people experience time slower.