Cognitive Psychology Journal

Does War Give Meaning to Human Life? Investigating the Endlessness of Human Wars from a Social Cognition Viewpoint

Ebrahim Ahmadi

According to history, humans have never stopped fighting with each other and this endlessness and permanence of wars cannot have only external causes (threats) rather, it also has internal and psychological causes and identifying these causes is essential to reducing wars. The present study aimed to identify one of the psychological causes of the endlessness of human wars and assumed that war gives meaning to human life and therefore, humans do not like to end it. In order to test this hypothesis, 397 participants (190 males) with a mean age of 35 years were employed for this study among 30,000 subscribers of Hamrahe Aval and Irancell in Tehran and Karaj. In an experimental study, participants were randomly assigned to experimental group (which the Iran-Iraq war was highlighted in their minds) and control group (which the scientific advances of the Iranians were highlighted in their minds) and then meaning making from wars (mediating variable) was measured by Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996) test and agreement with militarism/permanence of wars (dependent variable) was measured by Vail and Motyl (2010) test. ANOVAs showed that experimental group makes meaning from wars and agrees with militarism/permanence of wars more than control group, and conditional process modeling showed that the salience of war in the minds of the subjects has led to agreement with the militarism/permanence of war "through" the meaning making from wars. So, humans get the meaning of life from war, and this is one of the reasons why human wars are endless.

Children's Working Memory Measurement Model: Testing of Hich and Baddeley Model, Baddeley and Cowan Model

Siavosh Talepasand

The aim of the present study was to investigate Children's Working Memory Measurement Model: Testing Theories’ Hich and Baddeley, Baddeley and Cowan. The research design was correlational. The population included all primary school students in Tehran in 1400. Participants were 150 students aged 7 to 10 years who were selected by convenience sampling method. They all responded to the Comprehensive Memory Working Assessment Gray et al. (2017). Data were analyzed by factor analysis. The results of factor analysis showed that the Baddeley four-factor model has a better fit than the Baddeley and Hich three-factor model and Cown three-factor model. Assessing working memory can provide more important information about children's cognitive function than psychological measures.

The role of temporo-parietal junction on implicit mentalizing in autism spectrum disorder: a theta-burst stimulation study

Fateme Dehghani-Arani

The temporo-parietal junction is a key region in the theory of mind process. Numerous brain imaging studies have demonstrated its involvement in the mentalizing process and its under-activation in autism. This study aimed to investigate the causal relationship between rTPJ activation and implicit mentalizing in autism spectrum disorder. This study is a single-blind Quasi-experimental study with a repetitive measures design. Nine children and adolescents with autism were recruited by convenience sampling method using Gilliam autism rating scale (GARS), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Stanford-Binet (SB). Afterward, they were assigned to three randomly ordered stimulation sessions: cTBS, iTBS, and sham. Immediately after each session indexes related to the subject’s implicit mentalizing were measured by a computer-based task. Repeated-measures ANOVA results demonstrated that the active stimulation sessions improved implicit mentalizing compared to sham sessions. It seems that there is a causal relation between rTPJ activation and implicit mentalizing.

The Effect of Positive and Negative Mood Induction on Risky Decision making in adolescents by Moderating High behavioral brain systems.

Abbas Bakhshipour

Making risky decisions in adolescents has become a major public health concern and understanding the correlations affecting this process makes it possible to implement prevention plans. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of positive and negative mood induction on risky decision-making by moderating high behavioral brain systems. In order to meet this aim, 327 adolescents aged 18-13 years in Isfahan were randomly selected and screened through the Behavioral Brain Systems Questionnaire (BAS / BIS). Based on the standard score, two groups of 24 participants including high BAS and BIS were selected. The members of each group were randomly divided into two equal subgroups, we induced positive mood in the first subgroup and negative mood in the second subgroup using Pieces of emotional movies. Participants completed the Balloon Risk Test (BART) and the Positive and Negative Emotion Scale (PANAS) before and after mood induction. Results of data analysis by univariate factor covariance analysis showed that there is a significant difference between inducing positive and negative mood on risky decision making (p≤ 0/05) and positive mood leads to increased risky decisions, The findings also showed that behavioral brain systems as biological personality traits significantly moderate the effect of mood induction on risky decision making (p≤ 0/05). This means that adolescents with a high behavioral activation system have more hyperactivity when faced with positive moods and they are more at risk than people with behavioral inhibition systems while adolescents with behavioral inhibition systems, on the other hand, are more sensitive to negative moods and signs of punishment and they are more cautious.

The effects of segmentation and redundancy methods on cognitive load and vocabulary learning and comprehension of English lessons in a multimedia learning environment

hadi keramati

The present study was conducted with the aim of the effects of segmentation and redundancy methods on cognitive load and vocabulary learning and comprehension of English lessons in a multimedia learning environment.The purpose of this study is an applied research and a real experimental study. The statistical population of the present study includes all people aged 14 to 16 who are enrolled in language schools in Damghan. The subject of the educational content was to explain the activity of volcanoes in the form of PowerPoint software in a maximum of 10 slides (based on the type of group) to 90 subjects who were randomly divided into six groups (15 people in each group). High segmentation / Audio presentation, High segmentation / Visual presentation, High segmentation / Redundant, Low segmentation / Audio presentation, Low segmentation / Visual presentation, Low segmentation / Redundant were assigned. The research was completely experimental (a completely random 2×3 factor design). Researcher-made test of vocabulary and comprehension learning, prior knowledge assessment and Pass Cognitive Load Scale (1992) were used to collect data. Analysis of variance was used to analyze the data.The results of analysis of variance showed that the interaction between segmentation method and redundancy method on cognitive load and learning was significant. The results of post hoc test also showed that the High segmentation / Visual presentation group reported significantly lower cognitive load and higher vocabulary and comprehension compared to other groups. According to the obtained results, it can be said that segmentation and redundancy methods are effective in reducing cognitive load and promoting English language learning in a multimedia learning environment.

The effectiveness of Memory Specificity Training on depressive symptoms and sedentary behavior in adolescent girls with depressive disorder

Elahe Bigham lalabady

Reduced specificity of memories is one of the significant cognitive processes in depression. The aim of this study was to reduce the symptoms of depression and sedentary behavior in female adolescents with depressive disorder through memory specialization training. This research was applied in terms of purpose and quasi-experimental method with pre-test, post-test with control group. The statistical population of this study included all students of 4 public and private schools in Kermanshah in 1400 who were selected by cluster random sampling. Depression test (Rindells, 1989) and sedentary behavior (Fisher et al., 2012) were then performed on 350 students of these 4 schools. From 67 students with depression higher than 60 and inactivity higher than 11 hours and 40 minutes per week, 30 were selected based on inclusion criteria and available in a simple random method in two experimental groups (15 N) and control (n = 15) were assigned. Then, the experimental group underwent memory specificity training (Rise, 2009), which was conducted in 6 group sessions of 90 minutes per week. The results of this study showed that the memory specificity training can reduce Mobility and depressive symptoms were significant at the level (P = 0.001) in female adolescents with depression. Generally, it can be concluded that autobiographical Memory Specificity Training is an effective way to reduce depression and Sedentary behavior. Due to the ease and a low number of sessions, this training can be used along with other treatments to reduce the vulnerability to depression.

Investigating reliability and validity of Persian version of the Attentional Style Questionnaire (ASQ)

Ali Fathi-Ashtiani

In spite of increasing importance of attentional control in conceptualization of psychopathology, there are a few scales to measure it. It is necessary to use valid and reliable scale to study this construct in Iranian studies.This study aimed to provide and investigate psychometric characteristics of Persian version of the attentional style questionnaire.The sample of 426 students were selected by available sampling and completed persian version of the attentional style questionnaire, attentional control (Derryberry &Reed, 2002) and repetitive thinking (Ehring et al, 2011) scales. Construct validity were evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed by pearson correlation. Reliability was calculated using Cronbach s alpha method, test-retest and Composite reliability.factor analysis indicated that two-factor model (congnitive avoidance/distractibility and focusing) provided good model fit. Significant correlations between these factors and attentional control, and repetitive thinking scales confirmed convergent and divergent validity. Cronbach s alfa for both factors were 0/75 and test-retest coefficient for cognitive avoidance/distractibility and focusing were 0/88 and 0/73 respectively also composite reliability were 0/81 and 0/84 respectively. According to the results, Persian version of attentional style questionnaire characterized two factors and has been demonstrated to have acceptable validity and reliability to use in psychological researches in Iranian population.

The Effectiveness of Computer-based Cognitive Rehabilitation on Working Memory and Problem Solving of High School Students

Seyed Mosa Tabatabaee

The aim of this study was to investigate The Effectiveness of Computer-based Cognitive Rehabilitation on Working Memory and Problem Solving of High School Students. Method: For this purpose, 30 high school students in Tehran were selected. These people were randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups of 15 people in each group. The number and duration of each session in the experimental group were 16 sessions and each session was 45 minutes, respectively. The control group did not receive any intervention. Research instruments included the Wisconsin Card Classification Test. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and SPSS 26 software. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in both components of class and survival and the effect of computer rehabilitation intervention on the class component was 0.375, which is lower than average. And the volume of the effect of computer-based cognitive rehabilitation intervention on the survival component is equal to 0.546, which is higher than average. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, it can be said that computer-based cognitive rehabilitation intervention is effective on the Working Memory and Problem Solving of high school students.

The Effect of Imagery, Observation and Execution of the Pattern in the Field on the Performance of the Regulated Games of Skilled Basketball Players

Mehdi Shahbazi

The effectiveness of different educational methods in learning different types of motor skills has been considered. However, comparisons of these methods in regulated team sports games have been less studied. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the three educational methods of imagery, observation, and execution of in-field pattern on the performance of regulated games in skilled basketball players.15 players working in the country's Super League and Premier League competitions participated in this study with available access. The players were divided into 3 teams of 5 players according to the position of the game and were subjected to one of three training conditions in each stage based on random classification; So that each team performed all three methods randomly in each stage. Each condition included 1 practice session and a written and practical test session (after 24 hours). The players observed each tactic 3 times in the observation conditions; In terms of imagery, 3 trials were made for each tactic, and the execution conditions included 3 slow execution of tactics inside the field. The results of mixed analysis of variance 3 (training method) in 2 (written and practical test) showed that the execution method compared to observation and imagery causes better performance in regulated games (P <0.05); Also in the written test, the observation method scored higher than the imagery (P <0.05). Therefore, it seems that the field execution method for teaching team tactics in skilled players, has a greater advantage than the observation and imagery method, but the mental imagery is also more effective in acquiring knowledge of team tactics than observation.

The Effectiveness of Cognitive Rehabilitation on Mathematical Word Problem Solving in Students with Specific Learning Disability with Impairment in Mathematic

Rahim badri Gargari

The aim of the current reaerch was to study the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation on mathematical word problem solving in students with specific learning disabilitiy with impairment in mathematic. The research design was quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the study included all male students with specefic learning disabilitiy with impairment in mathematic in Rasht who were selected by available sampling. In the same vein, cognitive rehabilitation intervention was carry out in 8 sessions for the experimental group and the Response to intervention Key Math Scale, RAVEN Intelligence Test and Mathematical Verbal Problem Solving Test were used to collect the data in the pre- and post-test stages. Univariate analysis of covariance revaled that cognitive rehabilitation increased the rate of mathematical word problem solving in students with specific learning disabilitiy with impairment in mathematic. To achieve evidence-based practices, it is recommended to develope and implement a cognitive rehabilitation program to improve the verbal problem solving of students with specific learning disabilitiy with mathematical impairment and other students with developmental disabilities.