International Journal of Psychology
Volume:2 Issue: 1, Summer 2008

The principal aim of this study was to analyze the effect of TQM training on bringing change in the organizational culture and behavioral patterns of Telecommunication employees in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiyari. Twenty-five specialists، registered in training courses، consisted the experimental group and another non-registered group of 25 specialists، consisted the control group. Both groups، completed the behavioral patterns and the Organization Culture Inventory، a researcher-made inventory. Following 22 three-hour training sessions on TQM for the experimental group، both experimental and control groups were measured by the same inventories. Both instruments showed satisfactory reliability and validity. The results of the analysis of multivariate covariance showed that TQM training for the experimental group improved organizational culture and behavioral patterns. That is، there was a significant increase in the post–test scores of the experimental group compared to the control group. In a repeated follow–up after six months، it was evident that there was still a significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental and control groups. Thus، an improvement occurred both for the organizational culture (P<0. 01) and the employee’s behavioral patterns (P< 0. 003). The results obtained indicated that 68% of the variance for the remaining scores of the organizational culture post–test and 62% of the remaining post–test scores for the employees’ behavioral scores were due to the effects of TQM training. Thus، it can be concluded that the effects of training on the experimental group was positive.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of group hope therapy on depression, hopelessness and hope of female students in Isfahan University. 26 female students who had referred to the counseling center of Isfahan University and had been diagnosed with depression were invited to participate in this study. Participants were assigned to the control and experimental groups, randomly. Hope, depression and hopelessness were measured by Snyder’s Hope Scale, Beck’s depression Inventory and, Beck’s hopelessness scale. It was hypothesized that hope therapy can decrease depression and hopelessness and increase hope and its components in the experimental group. The results of analysis of covariance showed that, after 8 session of group hope therapy, depression was significantly lower (p< .01) and hope was significantly higher (p<.05) in the experimental group than the control group. The follow-up data showed that these effects have remained for one month (p< .05). The results also showed that hope therapy didn’t reduce hopelessness, and its effects on agency thinking did not continue for one month. It was concluded that as a useful method of intervention, hope therapy can be applied to clients with depression.

The aim of this study was to examine the attentional biases for emotional faces in low and high trait anxious children using schematic faces in a pictorial version of the probe detection task. The dependent variable was an index of attentional bias derived from manual reaction times to probe stimuli. The between-participants variable was Group (Low and High trait anxious children) ، and the within-participants variable was Type of emotional faces (angry، happy، neutral). The stimuli consisted of schematic angry، happy and neutral faces. The reaction times data indicated enhanced vigilance for angry rather than neutral faces in high trait anxious children and avoidance from angry faces in low trait anxious children. There was no evidence of anxiety-related bias for happy faces.

This study was carried out in order to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Magical Ideation Scale (MIS) for 327 (171 females, 156 males) undergraduate students at the University of Isfahan. All students were asked to complete the Persian version of the MIS. The factorial or construct validity of the MIS by exploratory principal components analysis (PCA) with an oblimin rotation resulted in 3 factors which corresponded to 80.76% of the total variance and named 1) hallucination-like experiences and delusion-like beliefs, 2) telepathy and 3) paranormal beliefs. The reliability coefficients (Cronbach alpha and test-retest reliability) were found to be satisfactory for the factors and the total scale. Based on these results, it was concluded that the MIS possesses good validity and reliability in the Iranian population.

Auditory environmental pollution, generally referred to as noise, is probably the most widespread stressor. Noise sensitivity has strong implications on individual responses to noise. Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale (WNSS) is the only available tool to assess the total noise sensitivity, yet not validated in the Iranian population. A Persian version of WNSS was developed during the standard approach. This study investigated the reliability (internal consistency, split-half and test-retest) and construct validity of WNSS in 287 non-industrial employees (clerks and sales people) aged 17 to 76 years old in Tehran, using several validated psychological scales including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Zung Scale for Anxiety (SAS), Eysenck’s Personal Inventory (EPI), Buss and Perry’s aggression (AQ), job satisfaction and general noise annoyance questionnaires. Cronbach’s alpha was found to be 0.62 for part І, 0.68 for the part ІІ and 0.78 for the total WNSS scores. Test-retest reliability was 0.66. Two factors emerged from Velicer’s MAP test, i. e., the need for privacy and the adjustment to noises. The main factor in principal components analysis explained 17.277% of the total variance. Construct validity was assessed through correlation of WNSS scores with other questionnaire measures. A meaningful relationship was found between total test score and job satisfaction (p<0.01), neuroticism (p<0.01), self-reported noise annoyance at work place (p<0.01) and at home (p<0.01). The relationship, however, was not significant for the total test score and depression. WNSS Persian version is a valid scale to be used in Iranian settings.

The purpose of this study was to design and analyze a comprehensive 360 degree manager performance appraisal system in a large company in Isfahan, Iran. Therefore, 54 employees were selected as following: 9 managers, 9 superiors, 9 colleagues, and 27 subordinates. The research questionnaire was the Iranian Managerial Position Questionnaire (IMPQ), prepared by a group of specialists with 82 items in a 5-point Likert scale and with 9 sub-scales. The 9 managers completed the questionnaire with regard to themselves and the other subjects completed it with regard to those managers. The results showed that :(1) the mean total scores of self-appraisal of managers was significantly higher than either their supervisors'' or subordinates'' appraisals of them (both were significant at P< .05 level), and (2) managers'' appraisals of their own performances were significantly higher than the appraisals of other sources of them (P<.05). The limitations as well as some suggestions for further studies are also mentioned.