فصلنامه تازه های علوم شناختی
سال پانزدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 57، بهار 1392)

This research was administered with the aim of investigating the moderating role of cognitive attribution on the relationship between big five personality factor and aggressive reaction of male students. Research statistical population was the male students of a high school, among them 196 persons were selected using simple random sampling. Research instrument were; big five personality factor questionnaire with 50 items, aggressive reaction questionnaire with 2 items and three scenario of stimulating cognitive attribution. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and hierarchical regression analysis. Results revealed that, cognitive attribution moderates the relationship between extroversion and openness to experience and aggressive reaction of male students to stronger person. Simple slope analysis showed that in cognitive hostile attribution, there is negative significant relationship between extroversion and aggressive reaction of male students to stronger person (P<0.01), but in cognitive hostile attribution situation there is positive significant relationship between openness to experience and aggressive reaction of male students to stronger person (P<0.01). Also results revealed that, cognitive attribution moderates the relationship between extroversion and aggressive reaction of male students to familiar person. Simple slope analysis showed that in cognitive hostile attribution situation there is negative significant relationship between extroversion and aggressive reaction of male students to familiar person (P<0.01). Results of current research revealed that personality characteristics such as extroversion and openness to experience interact with hostile attribution in relation with aggressive reactions among male students.

The aim of present study was to compare the memory and cognitive confidence among patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (checkertype), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and normal group. Using convenience sampling method, three groups including 25 obsessive- compulsive patients (checker-type), 23 patients with generalized anxiety disorder and 26 normal subjects were selected. In the present causal-comparative investigation, participants completed Memory and Cognitive Confidence Scale, Padua Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory-revised. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance. The results showed a significant difference between three groups in memory and cognitive confidence (meta-memory trait) scale and its subscales. Problem in the process of meta-memory appears to be one of the most important issues among these patients. Meanwhile, low confidence to memory possibly plays a central role in explaining the obsessivecompulsive disorder (checker-type).

An important part of students’ understanding and thinking of mathematics is shaped through visualization. The concept of "limit" has a special place in mathematics. Researches have shown that students face problems and challenges in understanding this concept. It seems that relying on the procedural approach in teaching could be one of the factors affecting it, considering that in this approach, algorithmic thinking is mostly advanced. This study examines the effects of teaching based on visualization on students’ understanding of the concept of "limit" and their spatial ability. This study enrolled 32 female high school students (11th grade) majoring in mathematics – physics from two cities in Kordestan. Since students were already assigned in 2 classes, random sampling was not administered. We considered semi-experimental pre-testpost- test control group for this study. Randomly one of the classes was selected as the control group and other one as the experimental group. The teaching method was the independent variable and understanding the concept of ‘limit’ and spatial ability were dependent variables. The Pre-test indicated that there was no significant difference between two groups with regard to the dependent variables before intervening with the independent variable. During the three weeks of instruction, concept of ‘limit’ was taught to both groups. The control group was taught with a traditional approach whereas the test group was treated by visual-based approach accompanied with visualization activities. MANOVA was used to analyze the data. Our findings revealed that using visual activities in teaching the concept of ‘limit’, improves students’ understanding of it and the difference between groups was statistically significant. This intervention however did not enhance the spatial ability of the students.

Not knowing syntactic structures is one of the reasons behind weak reading comprehension. Poor readers may not be able to recognize syntactic structures and instead of processing the whole text, prefer word by word reading. Given the semantic and syntactic features of the relative clauses, the issue of syntactic awareness has been widely investigated by many researchers. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationship between the syntactic awareness and reading comprehension. In addition, an effort is made to develope an assessment tool for syntactic awareness. This study recruited a cumulative number of 160 male and female primary school grade four students (9-11 years old) through multi-stage cluster sampling, from three region of Tehran. The data collection instruments include reading literacy tests containing literary and informational texts (tests of PIRLS) to assess reading comprehension and researcher-made syntactic test to assess the syntactic awareness. Correlation and regression analyses were done to generate the descriptive report. Regression analyses revealed that the syntactic awareness potentially predicts reading comprehension. Syntactic awareness is one of the factors affecting reading comprehension. It is therefore necessary for educational planners to consider this variable as one of the determinants for students’ reading comprehension.

typical migraine is defined as a unilateral pulsating headache frequently encountered in neurology practice. Hearing loss and balancedisturbances are some other prevalent symptoms among patients suffering from migraine headache. Moreover, migraine is known as one of the identified causes for sudden deafness. In this study, we evaluated the auditory physiological and electrophysioligical test findings in migrainers in an attempt to define related parameters. in this study, hearing thresholds, auditory brainstem responses and oto-acoustic emissions were evaluated in 40 migraine patients (aged 25 to 45 years old). Results were subsequently compared with those obtained from 20 normal subjects as controls. in high frequency audiometry (except for 8 KHz), hearing threshold mean was significantly different between migrainers and controls (p<0.0001).Brainstem evoked response audiometry showed that the mean of absolute latencies of both ears’ I, III, V waves was significantly different as compared to normal population (statistical error level %5, P<0.0001).Comparison between mean of amplitudes of OAEs did not show significant differences among left and right ears in migraine patient. In addition, migrainers and non migrainers did not show significant differences in OAEs amplitudes (statistical error level, %5, P<0.0001). elevation of hearing thresholds in high frequency audiometry and prolonged neural transmission time (delayed absolute latency) in auditory brainstem test indicate that migraine attacks might affect brainstem function.

The aim of the present study wasto design the Persian versionof the time discrimination task. Thirty-one volunteer elementary school students participated in this experiment. By means of a computerized test, selected pictures of the International Affective Pictures System (IAPS) were presented to all participants both in 1000 and 2000 milliseconds (ms). The discrimination threshold of subjects was then calculated using the Levitt’s proposed formula (1971). Participants required 261/5 msand 373/06 msto differentiate the comparative stimulus from target one in 1000 ms and 2000 ms, respectively. These values were considered as time discrimination threshold. In conjunction with classic findings in psychophysics, the results of the current investigation indicated that when the intensity of stimulus increases, the magnitude of discrimination threshold rises accordingly. Meanwhile, doubling the intensity does not necessarily double the perceived discrimination threshold. We suggest prospective paradigm time discrimination studies toconsider using the currently developed task as an investigational tool.

Theory of mind (ToM) is the abilityto infer other persons’ mental states and emotions. This ability has been found to be impaired in many psychiatricdisorders.The purpose of this study was to compare the theory of mind between obsessive-compulsive disorder patients and normal individuals. The present descriptive- comparative study recruited 90 subjectscomprising 45 patients with obsessive- compulsive disorderand 45 normal individuals who had been selected through available sampling method. All participants were asked to complete the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Maudsly Obsessive Compulsive Inventory, Theory of Mind Picture Stories Task and Strange Stories Task questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Our results indicateda significant difference between obsessive- compulsive disorder patientsvs. normal individuals with regard to the subscales of theory of mind picture stories task(except for first-order false belief) and subscales of strange stories. The comparison ofpatients’ and control group’s mean scores from ToM tasks suggested a poorer performance in terms of ToM task amongst patients vs. healthy controls. Current results showed that patients’ performance in basic and advanced ToM abilities is notably compromised as compared to healthy individuals. The difference between these two groups may correspond to cognitive and emotional social impairments seen amongst individuals with obsessive- compulsive disorder.