Dr Ahmad Rastegar, Dr Mohammadhasan Seyf, Dr Somayeh Negahdari, Mis Zahra Dehghan Khalili,
Volume 11, Issue 3 (12-2023)
Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the presentation of the causal model of perception of the electronic (virtual) learning environment and reflective thinking with regard to the mediating role of cognitive flexibility among the students of Payam Noor University in Shiraz. This research is descriptive and correlational. For this purpose, using simple random sampling, 400 students were selected as a statistical sample from all the students of Payam Noor University, Shiraz center, and questionnaires of perceptions from the educational environment of Sweeney et al. (1994), reflective thinking by Kamber et al. Cognitive flexibility questionnaire (CFI) was completed by Dennis and Vanderwaal (2010). All questionnaires are standard and have validity and reliability (alpha higher than 0.70). The collected data were analyzed with the help of Lisrel software. The results of the research showed that the direct and positive effect of engagement in academic assignments, learning authenticity and feeling of membership on the components of cognitive flexibility (perception of controllability, perception of behavior justification and perception of different options) is significant. Also, the direct and positive effect of the feeling of support on the components of the perception of controllability and the perception of different options is significant. In addition, the direct and positive effect of the sense of ownership on the component of the perception of the justification of behavior is significant. The direct and positive effect of flexibility components on reflective thinking is also significant. Also, the results showed that, in general, the mediating role of cognitive flexibility components is significant in the relationship between the perception of the educational environment and students' reflective thinking.
Younes Keihanifard, Ali Salmani, Younes Keyanifard,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (3-2024)
Abstract
Risky behaviors are common in adolescent populations worldwide. It is believed that the disturbance in emotion regulation and emotional inhibition leads to an increase in risky behaviors in teenagers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of metacognitive interpersonal therapy on the cognitive regulation of emotion and emotional inhibition in adolescents with high-risk behaviors. The method of semi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test with a control group was conducted on all girls with high-risk behaviors who referred to Tehran counseling center in 2022. 30 teenage girls with risky behaviors were included in the study. Controlled study. Participants were selected by purposive sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups (15 people in each group). After conducting the pre-test using Carver and White Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Activation Scale and Gross and John Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the experimental group received metacognitive interpersonal training for 8 sessions of 90 minutes each week, while the control group received no training. did not. To evaluate the effect of training, a post-test was taken from both experimental and control groups. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS.23 software and multivariate covariance analysis method. The results showed that metacognitive interpersonal therapy caused a significant difference between the cognitive regulation of emotion and emotional inhibition in adolescents with high-risk behaviors. (P≥0.001). Based on these findings, it can be concluded that metacognitive interpersonal therapy has a positive effect on the cognitive regulation of emotion and emotional inhibition in adolescents with high-risk behaviors. Therefore, it can be said that this program can be used to help teenagers with risky behaviors.
Sima Eivazi, Jahangir Karami, Kamran Yazdanbakhsh,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (3-2024)
Abstract
children with dysgraphia have several visual perception. This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of HAMRAH cognitive rehabilitation package on improving visual perception in children with dysgraphia. A semi-experimental in the form of pretest-posttest control group design was used. 40 primary school students with dysgraphia who referred to counseling centers in Kermanshah city in the academic year 2022/2023 were selected. Among them, 40 who were willing to cooperate and were also available according to the entry criteria (having at least three components among the diagnostic criteria of dysgraphia, student and parent satisfaction) and withdrawal (being under other interventions) and after obtaining informed consent, they were randomly selected and and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. After performing the pre-test on both groups, a 12-session HAMRAH cognitive rehabilitation package was performed on the experimental group. Then both groups received the post-test. The data were analyzed using covariance. The results showed that the Hamrah cognitive rehabilitation package has an effect on improving visual perception and its components (spatial communication, spatial perception and shape stability) in children with dysgraphia (P<0.01). However, there was no significant effect on the components of shape-background recognition and motor-visual coordination. It can be concluded that the Hamrah cognitive rehabilitation package can be used as a single treatment or along in combination psychological therapies for students with dysgraphia.
Arezoo Mojarrad, Esmaeil Sadri Damirchi, Ali Sheykholeslami, Ali Rezaei Sharif, Vahid Abbasi,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (3-2024)
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and short-term cognitive rehabilitation protocol on Symptoms of hallucinations and delusions in the elderly with mild Alzheimer's disease. The research method was an extended experiment with two experimental groups and one control group, which was conducted using the pre-test and post-test method. The statistical population included all elderly people over 65 years of age with mild Alzheimer's who had referred to a neurologist in 1401, and among these people, 60 people were selected by available sampling and then randomly. They were assigned in two experimental groups and one control group (20 people in each group). Then, the independent variables of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for 10 sessions of 20 minutes once a week on an experimental group and a short-term cognitive rehabilitation program for 9 sessions (90 minutes each session) It was designed according to the documentary method and based on Luria's (1963) healthy function replacement approach, and after confirming the validity of the content by experts, it was applied to the second experimental group once a week, and no intervention was performed on the third group. After the end of the intervention, the post-test was conducted with an interval of one week on the experimental and control groups. After one month, the studied groups were followed up again. Neuropsychological Questionnaire (NPI) was used to collect data. The results showed that both methods improve hallucination symptoms in the elderly with mild Alzheimer's and there is no significant difference between the effectiveness of these two methods. while they had no significant effect on the delusion variable. Therefore, it can be concluded that both methods can be used to improve hallucinations in the elderly with mild Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Marzie Hashemi, Mrs. Mansoure Gholami,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (3-2024)
Abstract
The research was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between thinking styles and decision-making styles with the mediation of problem solving among startup employees. The research was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the research included all employees in the field of startups in Tehran in 1401. 300 people were selected by available sampling method and responded to research tools including questionnaires of thinking style (Sternberg, 1994), decision making style (Scott and Bruce, 1995) and problem-solving skills (Heppner, 1988). Analysis of research data using descriptive statistics methods (prevalence, percentage, mean and standard deviation), Pearson correlation coefficient, multivariate regression and structural equation modeling and path analysis statistical method with SPSS-26 software and Amos is done. Based on the findings, the proposed model had a good fit in structural equations and causal relationships between the mentioned variables. In general, in the proposed model of the research, it was found that the decision-making style is related to the thinking style both directly and indirectly through the problem-solving skills of the startup employees (P<0.05). The results showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between problem solving skills and its dimensions with decision-making style (P<0.05) and between thinking style and its dimensions with decision-making style. The collected data are consistent with the desired structural model and have a good fit. Therefore, the relationship between thinking styles and decision-making styles is confirmed with the mediation of problem-solving skills in startup employees.
Majid Ghorbani, Mahmoud Najafi, Vahid Nejati, Mohammad Ali Mohammadifar,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (3-2024)
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive empowerment of mental states on the mind reading ability of substance dependent people. The current study was a quasi-experimental type with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. 30 drug addicts with the same conditions in terms of age, education, occupation, etc. were selected and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups (15 people in each group). The participants responded to the eye reading test (Baron-Cohen test) in the pretest and posttest. The experimental group was subjected to the intervention of the cognitive empowerment program (Terme program) and the control group did not receive any intervention. The results of covariance analysis showed that cognitive empowerment (Terme program) is effective on the ability to read minds (theory of mind) in drug dependent people. In fact, the Terme program has improved the ability to read minds through the eyes in drug dependent people. Based on the results of the present research, it is possible to use the cognitive empowerment program (Terme program) in the ability to read minds through the eyes for drug dependent people.
Najmeh Hamid, Miss Fathemeh Yosefy, Dr Morteza Omidian,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (6-2024)
Abstract
The present study investigated the effect of attention and memory training and improvement software on cognitive ability and emotion regulation in patients with corona virus after recovery. The present research project is a pre-test-post-test experiment with a control group. The statistical population of this research included all the residents of Shadegan city who were hospitalized in the first half of 2021 due to the corona virus in Shahid Moarefi Zadeh hospital (exclusively for corona patients) and then recovered. According to the research design, the sample size was 40 people, who were placed in 2 groups of 20, test and control groups (20 people in test group and 20 in control group) and were selected by simple random sampling method and randomly placed in test and control groups. Also, only the test group was intervened with attention and memory training and improvement software, and finally both groups answered the questionnaires (post-test) again. The research tools were the Garnefski`s Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Nejati`s Cognitive Capability Questionnaire, and attention and memory training and improvement software. Also, descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation, minimum and maximum scores and inferential statistics such as; Levene test and covariance analysis were used to analyze data using SPSS software version 24. The results of covariance analysis of the data have shown that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in each of the dependent variables (P<0.001). That is, the average of the cognitive regulation of emotion and cognitive ability and all the components of these two variables have increased significantly in the experimental group compared to the pre-exam and the control group. Therefore, it can be said that the attention and memory training and improvement software has had a significant impact on the cognitive ability and emotion regulation of recovered patients of corona virus.
Fatemeh Saadat Bargaee, Dr Tahameh Hamvatan,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (6-2024)
Abstract
In this research, the relationship between attachment styles and difficulty in emotion regulation was investigated in a student sample. The design of this non-experimental research is correlational. The statistical population of the present study was made up of all the students of Azad Universities who were referred to the counseling centers of Tehran Azad Universities with major complaints in the field of interpersonal relationships in the academic year of 2014-2014, of which 400 were selected by voluntary sampling. The subjects were asked. Complete Hazan and Shavr (1987) attachment questionnaires and Gertz and Roemer (2004) difficulty in emotion regulation questionnaires. The results of the research showed that there is a significant negative relationship between secure attachment styles and difficulty in emotion regulation and its components, and a significant positive relationship between avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles and difficulty in emotion regulation and its components. Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that attachment styles are correlated with difficulty in emotion regulation and its components.
Dr. Sajjad Rezaei, Mrs. Seyyede Elaheh Hosseini, Dr. Azra Zebardast,
Volume 12, Issue 2 (9-2024)
Abstract
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disturbance. Besides drug therapy's effectiveness, non-drug treatments like cognitive therapies, particularly computer-based cognitive rehabilitation (CBCR), are gaining much attention today. This study assessed the applicability and the effectiveness of the Captain's Log software on improving change blindness and response selection in children with ADHD. The design was single-group quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test. Before and after the implementation of CBCR, the change detection and Simon effect tasks were performed through CogLab software to measure levels of change blindness and response selection, respectively. Six boys from Babol, aged 7 to 12 years old were selected through purposive sampling and received 10 sessions of CBCR twice a week with each session lasting 40 to 45 minutes. The results of the Wilcoxon test indicated that these children improved their response score in change blindness with flicker (z=-2.041,exact p<0.05); In addition, the response time to this test was significantly reduced (z=-1.782,exact p<0.05). However, the correct response score did not show significant improvement in the non-flicker condition (z=-1.732, exact p>0.05). Also, the time required for this test did not decrease significantly (z=-1.572, exact p>0.05). The response selection ability for spatial congruence condition had a significant decrease in speed (Z=-2.201, exact p<0.05); But in the case of spatial incongruence, no significant improvement was observed (z=-1.363, exact p>0.05). Results indicate relying on the brain plasticity and considering the repetition of cognitive operations that lead to increased cognitive skills, change blindness can be improved. These interventions were somewhat successful in increasing the desirable pausing behavior in response selection for ADHD children.
Ms Sana Panahipour, Dr Mahnaz Akhavan, Dr Zahra Hashemi,
Volume 12, Issue 2 (9-2024)
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to provide a structural model of academic performance based on multiple intelligences with the mediating role of executive functions (sustained attention, processing speed, planning, and working memory) in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The method of correlational research was structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the research included all boys between the ages of 12 and 17 with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and their mothers who had visited psychological centers in Tehran from 1400 to 1403. To collect data, the McKenzie’s Multiple Intelligences Questionnaire (1999) and the learning, executive, and attention function scale of Castellanos et al. (2018) were used. The data was analyzed by structural equation modeling. The findings showed that the research model has a favorable fit and sustained attention, processing speed and planning have a mediating role between mathematical intelligence and academic performance, processing speed, planning and working memory have a mediating role between visual-spatial intelligence and academic performance, sustained attention and working memory have a mediating role between musical intelligence and academic performance, also working memory have a mediating role between bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal intelligence with academic performance. The use of educational strategies of multiple intelligences in schools and educational centers is recommended to increase the executive functions of sustained attention, processing speed, planning and active memory, and as a result, the academic success of adolescent students with ADHD.
Bahare Mohammadi, Seyed Amirhossein Mousavi, Sara Shah Mir, Fateme Baba Ahmadi,
Volume 12, Issue 2 (9-2024)
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the structural model of cognitive depression based on early maladaptive schemas with the mediation of cognitive processing of personality traits in students. The research method was correlational and based on structural equation modeling. A sample of 300 students from Tehran universities was selected using a multistage cluster sampling method. Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI, 1961), Young’s Early Maladaptive Schemas Questionnaire (1998), Cognitive Processing Questionnaire, and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling in SPSS version 25 and AMOS version 22. The results showed that the proposed model did not exhibit an adequate fit. Direct effect analysis indicated that early maladaptive schemas had a significant positive impact on cognitive depression and personality traits. However, the examination of indirect effects revealed that early maladaptive schemas did not mediate cognitive depression through the cognitive processing of personality traits. Overall, the findings suggested that early maladaptive schema components can directly influence students' cognitive depression, but this effect is not significant through the mediation of cognitive processing of personality traits.
Fatemeh Yaghoobi Siahgoorabi, Sajjad Rezaei, Azra Zebardast,
Volume 12, Issue 3 (12-2024)
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the accuracy, bias, and severity of gender-related facial emotion recognition among normal adolescent girls. The research design was an analytical cross-sectional study. The statistical population of the present study was adolescent girls from the high schools of Lahijan city in the academic year 1402-1403, and the sample size was 243 people who were selected from public school students using the available sampling method and based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The research tool was the emotion recognition/perception test designed using the NimStim Set of Facial Expressions (2009). The data were analyzed using the student's t-test, Pearson's chi-square, and chi-square goodness of fit tests. The results showed that adolescent girls had greater accuracy in recognizing women's facial emotions and showed more errors when recognizing men's emotions. In addition, happiness and disgust were recognized more accurately (with less errors) in men, same as sadness, fear, and anger in women. Adolescent girls also showed bias when recognizing facial emotions in men and women. This bias was associated with a greater selection of disgust in men's faces and a more selection of surprise and fear in women's faces. Finally, adolescent girls perceived facial emotions in women more intensely than in men. In addition, adolescent girls perceived happiness, sadness, and disgust in men more intensely, and fear and anger in women more intensely. Therefore, the gender of the emotion expressers affects the perception and recognition of facial emotions in adolescent girls.
Mrs Sahar Khoshsorour, Dr Mohammad Narimani, Dr Sajjad Basharpour,
Volume 12, Issue 4 (3-2025)
Abstract
High autistic traits in adolescents are associated with a wide range of destructive educational and social consequences. Therefore, it is important to identify the influencing factors. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the role of social information processing in the autism spectrum symptoms by moderating working memory, cognitive flexibility and mentalizing.
This research was descriptive and correlational type and was done by structural equation modeling method. The statistical population of the research included all 12th grade students of public schools for boys and girls in Tehran in the academic year 2023-2024, 260 of whom were selected using a multi-stage sampling method. The research tools included the Social Information Processing - Attribution and Emotional Response Questionnaire (SIP-AEQ), the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), computerized version of the Daneman and Carpenter's Working Memory Task, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Data analysis was done using Smart PLS 3 software.
The results of structural equation modeling showed that Hostile Attribution Bias (t=2/534 ،β=0/322) and Negative Emotional Responses (t=2/001، β=0/275) have a direct, positive and significant effect on the subclinical symptoms of autism. Mentalizing has a moderating effect on the relationship between hostile attributional bias (t=2/549، β=-0/507) and negative emotional responses (t=3/164، β=-0/632) with subclinical symptoms of autism. Also, the moderating role of working memory in the relationship between hostile attributional bias and subclinical symptoms of autism was confirmed (t=4/389، β=-0/394).
According to the results of the research, the use of Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT), Working Memory Training and Social Information-Processing Skills Training is suggested to the therapists.
Seyed Mohammad Saeid Sahaf,
Volume 12, Issue 4 (3-2025)
Abstract
Problem-solving is a goal-directed cognitive process that involves evaluating a problem and generating solutions to achieve desired outcomes. This skill is influenced by optimal timing regulation and self-control. The present study aimed to examine the role of total time, delay time, task difficulty, reaction time, and self-control in the speed-accuracy trade-off.
The sample consisted of 54 female students aged 10 to 11 years, with no history of illness, who were selected through convenience sampling from non-profit schools in Mashhad during the 2022–2023 academic year. The Tower of London task was used to assess accuracy in problem-solving, delay time, total time, and task difficulty, while the Flanker task was employed to measure self-control and reaction time. Multiple regression and mediation analyses were conducted in SPSS-26 to predict the influence of these variables on problem-solving accuracy.
The results indicated that total time (β = -0.769), delay time (β = 0.574), task difficulty (β = 0.388), and reaction time (β = -0.160) significantly predicted problem-solving accuracy. Specifically, an increase in total time led to decreased accuracy, whereas a longer delay before initiating problem-solving improved accuracy. Although the moderating role of self-control in the relationship between delay time, total time, and accuracy was not significant (p > 0.05), stepwise regression revealed that self-control was a significant predictor of accuracy (β = 0.157).
Thus, timing plays a crucial role in problem-solving accuracy. Allocating sufficient time for cognitive processing before responding can enhance performance, whereas prolonged problem-solving may reduce accuracy due to increased cognitive load or inefficient strategies. However, task difficulty and the nature of the task are also key factors in this relationship. The non-significant moderating effect of self-control may be attributed to its broader connections with other cognitive dimensions in participants.
Bahare Mohammadi, Yasaman Hashemi, Fateme Jahangirian, Atefeh Batwani,
Volume 12, Issue 4 (3-2025)
Abstract
The present study aimed to compare cognitive subscales—fluid reasoning, working memory, and visual-spatial processing—among students with reading and mathematics learning disabilities, with an emphasis on a cognitive perspective. This causal-comparative study initially involved a sample of 90 students (30 with reading disability, 30 with mathematics disability, and 30 typically developing students as the control group), selected through convenience sampling from counseling centers and psychological clinics in Tehran. After excluding 12 cases with incomplete data, the final analysis was conducted on 78 students. To assess cognitive components, the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5) was used. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and Tukey’s post hoc tests. The findings revealed that students with learning disabilities performed significantly lower than the control group in the subscales of fluid reasoning, working memory, and visual-spatial processing (p < 0.05), while no significant differences were found between the reading and math disability groups. These results suggest that deficits in the assessed cognitive subscales are present in both types of learning disabilities and may contribute to academic underachievement. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of SB5 cognitive subscales in explaining learning difficulties and underscore the need for cognitive-based interventions aimed at strengthening these components to improve academic performance and reduce symptoms in students with reading and math learning disabilities.
Mahdiyar Mokhlespour Esfahani, Alireza Moradi, Mehrdad Dadgostar, Nooshin Pourbaghi, Mostafa Khanzadi,
Volume 13, Issue 1 (6-2025)
Abstract
Adhering to ethical principles in construction projects is one of the most fundamental elements for achieving project goals. This research aimed to assess civil engineers' moral development level using Kohlberg's moral dilemmas while simultaneously recording brain data. Thirty right-handed male engineers with at least three years of practical experience participated in the study. Their hemodynamic brain activity was monitored using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during three phases: reading the stories, answering questions, and prioritizing. The results were analyzed using a non-parametric Mann-Whitney statistical test, revealing a significant difference in the levels of HbO2 in the right DLPFC and the left VLPFC while reading the stories, between engineers with better and poorer moral judgment (p = 0.047 and p = 0.026, respectively). This activity in the mentioned regions was greater for engineers with better scores. Also, it was found that in the prioritization phase, the level of Hb in the right VLPFC was significantly higher in the group with low-ethics scores (p = 0.015). The findings indicate the key role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in processing conflicts and moral judgments, which aligns with previous research. Despite the numerous advantages of NIRS, this method has limitations in measuring the depth of brain activity. It is suggested that future research include female engineers, left-handed individuals, and additional brain regions. Therefore, this study represents a novel step in predicting the moral level of engineers using hemodynamic brain data, providing biological evidence consistent with the results of the moral dilemma questionnaires and enabling the prediction of the moral development level of civil engineers using artificial intelligence.
Mrs. Saemeh Khalili-Torghabeh, Dr. Javad Salehi Fadardi, Dr. Zohreh Sepehri Shamloo, Dr. Seyed Kazem Rasoulzadeh Tabatabai,
Volume 13, Issue 1 (6-2025)
Abstract
Cognitive biases are influential factors in explaining illness anxiety disorder, and understanding the existing biases in this disorder can contribute to more effective treatments. This study was conducted to examine the biases of attention, interpretation, and memory in individuals with and without illness anxiety disorder. The sample consisted of 142 participants who voluntarily participated in the research from across the country. In this study, differences in information processing between the two groups were assessed using the Health Anxiety Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and computer-based tasks measuring attention bias, interpretation, and memory. The data obtained from the research were analyzed using independent t-tests and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with the statistical software SPSS 26.The results showed that individuals with illness anxiety disorder had a greater tendency to focus on threatening cues compared to those without the disorder and interpreted ambiguous health-related information more negatively. However, no significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding positive interpretation bias. Additionally, individuals with illness anxiety recalled disease-related information more effectively. The findings indicate that individuals with illness anxiety display biases in attention, negative interpretation, and memory concerning health-related information. This research emphasizes the importance of identifying and targeting these biases in psychological treatments and suggests employing intervention methods such as cognitive bias modification to directly affect these biases due to their role in the formation and persistence of illness anxiety.
َazim Rasouli Manesh,
Volume 13, Issue 1 (6-2025)
Abstract
Experimental philosophy is a growing field in cognitive science and philosophical-psychological issues. The side-effect effect, or Knobe effect, is one of the well-known topics in this area. The Knobe effect refers to the idea that people often judge the harmful side effects of a moral agent’s behavior as intentional, while they typically consider the beneficial and constructive side effects of the same behavior as unintentional. In the research literature related to experimental philosophy, this asymmetry in judgment is referred to as the Knobe effect, as it was first observed by Joshua Knobe.
The aim of the present study is to evaluate Joshua Knobe’s experiment under different conditions and to assess its replicability using various scenarios. For this purpose, sixteen scenarios were prepared and distributed among 480 university students. Each scenario was presented to 26 students, and their opinions were collected. The collected data were analyzed using the chi-square test. The chi-square statistic at the 0.01 significance level was 106.87 for harm scenarios and 39.45 for help scenarios. These results indicate that the findings observed in Joshua Knobe’s original study were not replicated in the present research. Therefore, the replicability of the Knobe effect was not confirmed in this study.
Mojtaba Ahmadi, Associate Professor Gholamreza Chalabianloo, Associate Professor Reza Abdi,
Volume 13, Issue 2 (9-2025)
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Unified Protocol (UP) and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) treatment on working memory and continuous attention in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The research design employed a quasi-experimental framework, featuring a pre-test and post-test design with two experimental groups and a control group. The statistical population consisted of patients diagnosed with GAD who sought treatment at clinics and specialized neuropsychiatry centers in Tehran during the first half of 2024. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a sample of 45 individuals (31 women and 14 men) was selected through purposive sampling and equally allocated (15 individuals in each group) into the UP intervention group, the combined UP and tDCS intervention group, and the waiting list group. The Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-V), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), the Corsi Block Test (to assess working memory), and the Clock Test (to assess continuous attention) were utilized as assessment tools. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS-26 statistical software, employing analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The findings indicated that the use of the UP protocol, both alone and in combination with tDCS, led to a significant improved in working memory and continuous attention (P<0.05). Furthermore, this study suggests that both UP intervention and the combined intervention (UP+tDCS) are effective approaches to improve working memory and continuous attention in GAD patients and may serve as a novel strategy for managing this disorder and improving executive functions.
Dr Peyman Hatamian, Dr Ali Kazemi Rezaei,
Volume 13, Issue 2 (9-2025)
Abstract
The present study was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy on repetitive negative thoughts and anxiety sensitivity in students. the current study was semi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test and follow up. The statistical population included all the male students of Razi University of Kermanshah, 30 of whom were selected by purposive sampling method and using the entry criteria. They were assigned to two experimental and control groups (15 people in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group). The research tools included the repetitive thoughts questionnaire of McAvee et al (2014) and the anxiety sensitivity scale of Taylor and Cox (1998). The experimental group received the intervention in 8 sessions of 60 minutes and the control group did not receive such training. Finally, the data were analyzed by multivariate covariance analysis using SPSS version 24 software. the results of covariance analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups in the post-test phase (p. 0.001). Therefore, it can be said that metacognitive therapy has been effective on negative recurring thoughts and anxiety sensitivity of students. based on the findings, it can be concluded that metacognitive therapy training can be effective in reducing the symptoms associated with repetitive negative and anxious thoughts. Therefore, it is suggested to use metacognitive interventions to reduce the mentioned symptoms.
