cognitive

Exposure to heat stress is considered one of the most prevalent occupational hazards affecting performance. This study was conducted to investigate heat stress and its impact on the physiological and cognitive functions of operational field workers at a power plant.

This study was conducted on 150 male power plant personnel with 41.34±2.91 years (conducted in the summer of 2023). Physiological parameters were measured, and the assessment of heat stress (based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index) and environmental monitoring were performed according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7243 standards. Also, cognitive performance was investigated using the continuous performance test (CPT).

Based on the results, individuals were exposed to heat stress conditions, and the mean WBGT index at the workstations was reported as 31.50±0.31 (above the standard limit). It was observed that all physiological indices in the exposed group increased significantly compared to the controls (P<0.05). The mean commission and omission errors showed a significant difference between the non-exposure and exposure groups. Also, the reaction time in the presence of occupational heat differed significantly from the mean reaction time in the absence of exposure (P<0.05). 

Based on the results and considering the importance of the power generation industry, the exposure of employees to heat stress and the subsequent physiological and cognitive performance disorders can have significant implications for health and safety outcomes. Therefore, attention to occupational exposures, the functional status of employees, and influencing factors are necessary as part of control and management strategies.

Social media addiction has become prevalent among young people, negatively impacting their academic performance. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive and metacognitive strategy training on selfefficacy and procrastination among female students with social media addiction. A quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group was used in this study. The target population comprised all female high school students exhibiting social media addiction in Dezful, Iran, during 2023. A convenience sample of 30 participants was randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=15) or a control group (n=15). The experimental group underwent 10 weekly, 60-minute sessions of cognitive and metacognitive training, while the control group received no intervention. Pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments were conducted using the Academic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (ASEQ) and the Academic Procrastination Questionnaire (APQ). Repeated measures ANOVA was employed to analyze the data collected using SPSS version 22. The study results revealed significant differences between the groups in academic self-efficacy and procrastination (P<0.001). The experimental group demonstrated a significant increase in academic self-efficacy from a mean of 67.20±4.67 to 84.27±5.66 and a significant decrease in procrastination from a mean of 35.13±5.96 to 20.40±6.57 (P<0.001). In contrast, the control group showed no significant changes in these variables. This study indicated that cognitive and metacognitive strategy training is effective in reducing the adverse effects of social media addiction on academic self-efficacy and procrastination among female high school students. These results suggested that equipping high school students with cognitive and metacognitive strategies can empower them to manage their social media usage more effectively, leading to improved academic outcomes.

Medical training is notoriously demanding, exposing students to significant stressors such as heavy workloads, high-stakes examinations, exposure to suffering and death, and pressure to perform. These factors can lead to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, negatively impacting students' mental health and well-being.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of positive mindfulness training (PMT) and cognitive emotion regulation training (CERT) on automatic thoughts and optimism in medical sciences students.

This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design to examine the effects of PMT and CERT on medical students at Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (Ahvaz) during the 2022 academic year. A convenience sample of 45 students was randomly assigned to a PMT group, a CERT group, or a control group. Participants in the two intervention groups received ten 90-minute sessions of their respective training programs, while the control group received no intervention. Data on automatic thoughts and optimism were collected using the Negative Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire and the optimism subscale of the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I). Data analysis was conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni post-hoc tests (SPSS v. 27).

The findings indicated that both PMT and CERT were effective in reducing negative automatic thoughts and enhancing optimism among medical sciences students at the post-test stage (P < 0.001). These effects were sustained at the follow-up assessment, with no significant difference in effectiveness between the two intervention groups.

The results demonstrated that both PMT and CERT were effective in decreasing negative automatic thoughts and increasing optimism among medical sciences students. A key implication of these findings is the potential for incorporating mindfulness and cognitive emotion regulation techniques into medical education curricula.

Aging is associated with decreased mental and cognitive ability and increased chronic diseases. Identifying therapeutic interventions to improve functional and cognitive responses can greatly help elderly people. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness, transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS), and Brain Gym on cognitive empowerment and psychological characteristics of the elderly with a history of falling.

In a semi-experimental trial with a pretest-posttest plan, 32 elderly individuals with a history of falling (mean age 65-75 years) were conveniently and purposefully selected and then randomly assigned to four groups (n = 8): mindfulness exercise, TDCS, Brain Gym, and control. In this research, mindfulness protocols, TDCS, and Brain Gym were taught in six sessions over three weeks. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test at the P ≤ 0.05 significance level.

The results showed that TDCS and Brain Gym improved psychological well-being in the elderly with a history of falling compared to the control group in the posttest (P = 0.001). Mindfulness exercise, TDCS, and Brain Gym improved cognitive empowerment in elderly people with a history of falls compared to the control group in the posttest (P = 0.001). No significant difference was observed between the effects of mindfulness exercise, TDCS, and Brain Gym on psychological well-being and cognitive empowerment (P < 0.05).

Based on the findings, there is no difference between the beneficial effects of non-invasive brain stimulation interventions and mental exercise on the cognitive empowerment and psychological characteristics of elderly people with a history of falls.

Depression, a prevalent psychological disorder, significantly impacts emotional regulation and cognitive avoidance in the academic and professional performance of students. This study compares two interventions, behavioral activation and mindfulness-based, to improve emotional balance and reduce cognitive avoidance in college students experiencing depression. A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a 60-day follow-up period was used in this study. The target population comprised female students at Isfahan State University, Isfahan, Iran who exhibited depressive symptoms during the 2022-2023 academic year, and were referred to the university’s Counseling Center. A convenience sample of 45 participants was selected and randomly assigned to three groups of 15: behavioral activation, mindfulness-based intervention, and a control group. The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) and the Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire (CAQ) were administered to all participants at three time points. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests in SPSS version 16. The study found that both mindfulness-based interventions and behavioral activation significantly improved positive emotions and reduced cognitive avoidance in college students with depressive symptoms. For the mindfulness group, positive emotions increased from 15.20±5.59 to 21.00±5.75 at the post-test and then to 18.00±2.85 at follow-up. Cognitive avoidance decreased from 84.66±8.33 to 67.60±7.93 at post-test and then remained stable at 66.93±6.28 at follow-up. The behavioral activation group showed similar trends, with positive emotions increasing from 16.00±6.49 to 19.20±7.07 at post-test and then decreasing to 18.53±5.05 at follow-up. Cognitive avoidance decreased from 80.26±11.78 to 60.93±7.07 at post-test and then increased slightly to 61.60±7.44 at follow-up (P=0.027). While both interventions were effective, behavioral activation had a more lasting impact on positive emotions (P=0.027). The findings of this study suggested that both behavioral activation and mindfulness-based interventions are effective in improving emotional balance and reducing cognitive avoidance in college students with depressive symptoms.

Correct recognition of hazards in academic labs by using safety signs can prevent injuries in these settings. Although safety signs seem simple, misunderstanding them can put students at risk. Therefore, this research aims to assess the cognitive sign features and guessability of laboratory safety signs for pharmacy students.

In this study, the comprehensibility of 22 commonly used safety signs was evaluated by 55 pharmacy students aged 20-30 years from Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Two measures of guessability score and cognitive sign features were used to assess the safety signs. The guessability score was measured by a five-choice answering method, where there were correct, partly correct, and wrong answers. Cognitive sign features (familiarity, concreteness, simplicity, meaningfulness, and semantic closeness) rated from 0 to 100. SPSS software, version 23 was applied for data analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, box plots, and the Spearman correlation test. The significance level was set at 0.05.

The lowest guessability score was 1.08% for the “general mandatory action sign”, and the highest score was 100% for the “no smoking” sign. Despite the varying responses, two “general mandatory action” and “disconnect before carrying out maintenance or repair” signs had significantly scattered coefficients of variation. According to the overall scores for cognitive sign features, the simplicity criterion had the highest score (85.73%). All cognitive sign features significantly correlated with guessability scores except for concreteness and familiarity. The highest coefficient was reported between guessability score and semantic closeness (r=0.469, P<0.001).

The lab safety signs without accompanying text or those that are not frequently encountered are difficult to be perceived correctly by pharmacy students.

Major depressive disorder is one of the most common causes of disability in people of the world, so it has imposed a heavy burden on society in terms of medicine and the economy. One of the important and valuable biomarkers in identifying major depressive disorder is the FKBP5 and SLC6A4 genes in depressed patients.

This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of FKBP5 and SLC6A4 genetic markers in distinguishing major depressive disorder (MDD) patients from healthy controls (HCs) and the responses to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and fluoxetine therapy.

Forty patients diagnosed with MDD based on the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V) criteria and 44 HCs were included in our study from patients of private clinics and Zare Hospital Sari from January 2022 to March 2022. Sampling was carried out from MDD patients and HCs. The patients were randomly assigned to CBT or fluoxetine therapy groups using a randomization block method. The CBT group (12 weeks/one session per week/90 minutes per session), the fluoxetine therapy group (3 months/20 mg daily/weekly follow-up), and relative gene expression alterations were calculated using the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) technique.

The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that FKBP5 [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.724, standard error = 0.054, P < 0.001] and SLC6A4 (AUC = 0.661, standard error = 0.092, P = 0.036) genes have acceptable sensitivity and accuracy in identifying MDD from HCs. After the therapeutic intervention, a significant decrease in the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scores was observed in both groups (CBT group, P < 0.001, fluoxetine group, P < 0.001). Comparing before and after treatment in the CBT group, a significant decrease in FKBP5 (P < 0.001) and SLC6A4 (P < 0.001) gene expression were observed. In the fluoxetine group, SLC6A4 (P = 0.44) gene expression did not show any significant changes, but FKBP5 (P < 0.001) gene expression decreased.

The present study showed that the FKBP5 and SLC6A4 genes are appropriate biomarkers for distinguishing MDD patients from HCs and treatment response. However, more research is required to identify biomarkers in distinguishing MDD patients from HCs and treatment response.

Cognitive failures are one of the most important causes of patients' unsafe events. Hence, it is necessary to consider individual and cognitive, as well as extra-organizational characteristics. The present study was conducted to investigate the association between personality traits, job stress, work-family conflict and nurses' cognitive failures.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 nurses working in three public hospitals in Sari city, Iran, in 2021. The subjects were selected using Stratified Random Sampling. NEO Five-Factor Inventory, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) tool, Work-Family Conflict Scale (WFCS), and Occupational Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (OCFQ) were used to measure personality traits, job stress, work-family conflict, and cognitive Failures, respectively. The data were analyzed in SPSS (ve. 23) and regression analysis with the sequential method was applied. 

Among 13 studied predictor variables, only extraversion, agreeableness, demand, and role were predictors of cognitive failures. These variables explain 44.1% of the variance of cognitive failure. The b values of neuroticism and conscientiousness to predict cognitive failures were 0.34 and -0.29, respectively (P < 0.001). Although role (b = 0.15, p < 0.001) and demand (b = 0.14, p < 0.001) significantly predict cognitive failure; however, their effect is limited. The results of the study did not provide confirmation for the moderating effect of neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness on the association between work-family conflict, job stress, and cognitive failures.

Along with environmental and organizational stress factors, evaluating nurses’ personality traits is necessary to control cognitive failures.

Intensive maternal parenting, while intended to foster academic achievement, has been linked to increased stress and anxiety in children. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of maternal mental health in the correlation between intensive maternal attitudes and cognitive abilities in female students applying for the gifted exam. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional approach that incorporated the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. The target population comprised all female students applying for the ninth-grade gifted exam in Tehran, Iran during 2023, along with their mothers. A convenience sample of 301 student-mother dyads participated in the study by completing a battery of self-report questionnaires. These instruments included Cognitive Abilities Questionnaire (CAQ), Intensive Parenting Attitudes Questionnaire (IPAQ), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The hypothesized model was evaluated using SEM, and bootstrapping was employed to assess the significance of indirect correlations. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 27 and Amos version 25. The findings indicated a negative correlation between intensive maternal attitudes and students’ cognitive capabilities (P=0.020). There was also a significant negative correlation between intensive maternal attitudes and mothers’ mental health (P=0.001). The correlation between mothers’ mental health and girls’ cognitive abilities was positive and significant (P=0.001). The correlation between intensive maternal attitudes and students’ cognitive abilities was significant through the mediating role of mental health (P=0.005). Intensive maternal parenting practices were associated with decreased cognitive abilities in students and poorer mental health in mothers. The negative effect of intensive maternal attitudes on cognitive abilities appears to be indirectly mediated by mothers’ mental health.

Cognitive games are one of the effective ways to improve the working memory of borderline students. The game plays an effective role in the development of students, and during the game, you can find out many characteristics, problems, and growth of borderline students. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive games on the working memory of sixth-grade borderline students in Saqqez City, Iran.

The research method was semi-experimental with pretest-posttest, with a control group. The statistical population included borderline students studying in the sixth grade of schoolsinSaqqezCity, Kurdistan Province, Iran,in the academic year of 2021-2022. 24 borderline students were selected purposefully and randomly placed in two groups of 12 people, intervention and control. The educational program of cognitive games such as Lomocyte and Tetris was conducted in 8 sessions of 60 minutes twice a week forthe test group. Then the simultaneous post-test was conducted for both performance groups and the data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and SPSS software.

Cognitive games improved memory (P < 0.01), and they also caused the expansion of active memory, central processing, phonological loop, and visual-spatial memory.

According to the results of this research and the importance of improving working memory, it is suggested that cognitive games be used in schools and medical centers to improve the working memory performance of borderline students.

Noise pollution from various internal and external sources affects people's behaviors and job performance. The current study investigated the effects of noise pollution on annoyance, aggression, and cognitive failures.

This descriptive study was conducted in 2020-2021 recruiting 400 employees of Tejarat Bank in Tehran. First, questionnaires of cognitive failures, noise annoyance, sensitivity, aggression, and demographic information were completed by the study staff. Next, association between the variables were determined. Finally, using Bayesian models, the association between variables were modeled and important factors were identified using sensitivity analysis.

Based on the results, the mean scores of noise exposure, annoyance, sensitivity, aggression and cognitive failures were 62.86 ± 6.66, 57.74 ± 23.47, 68.26 ± 17.94, 71.19 ±12.68, and 46.83 ± 12.00, respectively. Of all the variables, only annoyance and noise sensitivity had significant effect on aggression. The factors of accuracy, precision, and recall of the Bayesian model were 0.8, 0.89, and 0.96, respectively, which indicates the appropriate diagnostic performance of the model.

Based on our findings, it can be concluded that noise annoyance increases the likelihood of cognitive failures, so that the highest probability of cognitive failures occurs when people are annoyed. In addition, because people with higher noise exposure and higher education experience more annoyance, it can be concluded that the variables of education and noise exposure cause cognitive failures through annoyance.

Mothers are more responsible for raising their children and are usually the main caregivers of disabled children. This research aims to determine the effectiveness of behavioral activation therapy on depression, mental rumination, and social avoidance in mothers of children with cerebral palsy. 

This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with a control group. The statistical population included all mothers of children with cerebral palsy in Ilam City, Iran in 2022. The sample size included 40 mothers who were referred to occupational therapy centers from the mentioned population who were selected by convenient sampling method and were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Behavioral activation therapy was given to the experimental group for 8 sessions of 90 minutes once a week. Data were collected using the Beck depression inventory-second edition (BDI-II), rumination questionnaire, and social phobia questionnaire in two stages before the intervention and after the intervention. In this research, covariance analysis was used to analyze data.

The results of the multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed that behavioral activation therapy has a significant effect on reducing symptoms of depression (P≤0.001), rumination (P≤0.001), and social avoidance and its components (P<0.05) except for fear (P>0.05).

Behavioral activation therapy has a positive and significant effect at the 0.05 level in improving depression symptoms and reducing rumination and social avoidance in the subjects of the present study. This study proposed that behavioral activation therapy is a suitable treatment for depression, rumination, and social avoidance and its components, which can be tested in future research.

Students with a social anxiety disorder (SAD) face a variety of problems such as early dropout, academic failure, and avoidance of social situations. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on cognitive avoidance and emotion regulation strategies in female students with SAD through an emotional schema therapy (EST) approach. In this semi-experimental study, a Pretest-Posttest Control Group design was used. The study population included female high school students with SAD in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2023. Out of 120 students with SAD who met the inclusion criteria, 75 were randomly selected as the study participants and were then assigned to three groups of 25 (two experimental groups and one control group). Training sessions for mindfulness-based stress management and EST were conducted in eight 90-minute sessions twice a week. For data collection, the Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire were used. Data analysis was done using the ANCOVA test and SPSS version 23. P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. In the posttest, mean±SD for cognitive avoidance, reappraisal, and suppression in the mindfulness-based stress reduction training group was 50.71±6.78, 32.87±2.65, and 14.08±5.68, respectively; suggesting a significant difference as compared with the control group (82.91±2.18, 12.53±6.75, and 20.81±2.74) (P<0.001). In addition, mean±SD for cognitive avoidance, reappraisal, and suppression in the EST group and the post-test phase was 61.52±5.71, 38.91±1.15, and 10.36±7.32, respectively; suggesting a significant difference as compared with the control group. The mindfulness-based stress management training was more effective than EST in reducing cognitive avoidance (P<0.001). By contrast, EST was more effective than mindfulness-based training in improving emotion regulation strategies (P<0.001). The study results suggested that mindfulness-based stress management training and EST can effectively reduce cognitive avoidance and improve emotion regulation strategies in students with SAD.