فصلنامه تازه های علوم شناختی
سال سیزدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 49، بهار 1390)

The purpose of conducting this research was to investigate the relationshipbetween epistemological beliefs (simple/absolute knowledge and fast/fixed learning) andstudents’ conceptions of learning (learning as: gaining information, understanding andremembering, personal change, a process not bound by time or place, the development of social competence), and identifying the relative contribution of each of them in predicting surface and deep learning approaches by students. For this, 240 students from humanities and basic science of Tabriz Payame Noor University students (142 females and 98 males) were randomly selected using multiple-stage sampling, and completed the Epistemology Questionnaire (EQ), Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students(ASSIST) and the Conceptions of Learning Inventory (COLI). Data were analyzed usingPearson’s correlation test and standard or simultaneous multiple regression analysis. Results indicated that personal change and development of social competencewere the meaningful predicting factors of deep learning approached. Compared to thedevelopment of social competence, personal change had higher beta value. In theprediction of surface-learning approaches, epistemological beliefs of fast/ fixed learningand understanding and remembering conceptions of learning were statistically meaningful.Compared to fast/fixed learning epistemological beliefs, understanding and rememberingconceptions of learning had higher beta value.

This study investigated the effects of concurrent cognitive tasks on right or lefthemispheric dominant brains. Lateral Preference Inventory was administered on 787 girlstudents and, using purposive sampling method, 60 were selected as participants. Aftercontrolling participants’ handedness and intelligence, they were divided into two groups of30 with right or left hemispheric dominant brains, and were tested against dual cognitive task interference. The independent t-test confirmed significant differences between the right and left hemispheric dominant brains’ reaction times, when and only when SOA was 50ms. These findings supported the bottleneck theory of resolution of dual-task interference, and the difference between behavioral performance of right-and left-hemispheric dominant brains. They also suggested substantial impact of hemispheric dominance on cognitive functions, such as resolution of dual-task interference, instead of only control of handedness.

The purpose of this study is to explain the role of thought-action fusion inobsession symptoms. The study is a correlation research. Its statistical universecomprised of all undergraduate students of the ages between 18 and 25, who were studying at the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. Of them, 205 students were selected by Stratified Sampling. This study was conducted with thought- action fusion scale and Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI). The findings show that there are positive correlations between TAF-total and obsession symptoms. Based on regression analysis among TAF subscales, Likelihood for Self and Morality significantly anticipated obsession symptoms. Obsession symptoms can be explained by thought-action fusion belief.

In this study mothers were trained to use a high-elaborative and emotioncontentconversational style, as its effectiveness on children’s autobiographical memory andemotion knowledge was evaluated. The research plan was semi-experimental.The sample consisted of 34 mothers and their children (13 girls, 21 boys) who wererecruited from preschoolers. The dyads were divided on the basis of the children’s languagescores, genders, and mothers’ levels of education. They were randomly assigned to eitherexperimental or control groups. To train the mothers in high elaborative and emotion contentconversational style, they were instructed using five specific conversational techniques:wh-questions (when, where, why, who, what or how); associations; follow-ups; positive evaluation; and, talking about emotions and their causes. Data were evaluated through repeated measure analysis and correlation. Results showed that dyads in training group used more high elaborative elements than those in control group. Mothers and children in the training group talked more frequently about emotions and their causes during post-training and follow-up assessments. In addition, training procedure did not affect children’s emotion knowledge and memory. The effectiveness of the training mothers’ elaborative and emotion rich conversational style is consist with previous research in this field, and it demonstrates new way of enhancing children skills via maternal training.

The purpose of this study is to survey the ability of retrieving specific memory materials from autobiographical memory among PTSD veterans’ young children. The sample contains 131 high school students in 3 groups: PTSD veterans’ young children (n=31) as the target group, young children of veterans without PTSD (n=50), and young children of healthy persons (n=50), as comparison groups. Participants in all three groups are approximately matched in age, gender and academic achievement. Research instruments included: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y) and Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT). Data analysis is done by the method of descriptive statistics, One Way Analysis of Variance, and Scheffe Fallow-up Test. The results in dicate that PTSD veterans’ children have lower performance in autobiographical memory task than healthy persons’ children. In other words, PTSD veterans’ children have lower ability for retrieving specific autobiographical memory materials from memory and retrieve less specific memories from memory. The research also indicates that the state of depression and anxiety in PTSD veterans’ children is higher than healthy persons’ children, while in these two components (autobiographical memory and anxiety) there are no significant differences between PTSD veterans’ children and non-PTSD veterans’ children. However, in the depression component there is a significant difference between them. research findings have shown that levels of anxiety in non-PTSD veterans’ children were lower than healthy persons’ children, but there was no significant difference between them in depression.

The present research aims to examine the behavior of a widely used preposition in Modern Persian (Farsi), namely ‹az› within the framework of cognitive semantics. The analysis is geared towards determining the prototypical and various distinct senses of this preposition and proposing a semantic network for it. The nature of the research is descriptive- analytical and the type is corpus-based. The selected corpus is Farhang-e Sokhan (Sokhan Dictionary) and the tools applied are those of cognitive semantics e.g. categorization tools, prototype, cognitive schemas, semantic predominance, semantic network and protoscene. ‹Az› shows that it fits the criteria for the determination of the prototypical sense of a linguistic item e.g. highest frequency of occurrence and composite formation. The prototypical sense of ‹Az› constitutes the core sense within a semantic network, which is presented. This network makes it possible to establish and explain the differences between the concrete and the abstract (metaphorical) functions of the preposition under study.

In this study the effects of dopaminergic D1 receptor of dorsal hippocampuson anxiety-like behavior induced by stimulation or inhibition of NMDA receptors wereinvestigated in male Wistar rats. The elevated plus maze was used in thepresent study, which is an accepted model to examine anxiety-like behaviors in mice andrats. The results indicate that intra-CA1injection of MK801 (2 μg/rat) induceanxiolytic effects. Intra-CA1 injection of SCH23390 (0.25, 0.5 and 1 μg/rat) by itselfhas no effect on anxiety-like behaviors, but administration of same doses of SCH23390before MK801 (1 μg/rat, intra-CA1) potentiate anxiolytic effects of MK801. On the otherhand, intra-CA1 injection of NMDA (0.3 and 0.6 μg/rat) or SKF 38393 (3 and 6 μg/rat) byitself induces anxiogenic effects. Injection of different doses of SKF38393 before NMDApotentiated anxiogenic effects of NMDA. These results show that bothNMDA receptor and dopaminergic D1 receptor not only play a part in the modulationof anxiety in the dorsal hippocampus of rats but also have demonstrated a complexinteraction as well.

Cerebral ischemic/reperfusion causes severe brain damage, especially in CA1region of hippocampus. Nowadays, vasodilator drugs such as pentoxifylline are consideredfor their neuroprotective effects, but there is no study on possible neurotrophic effectsof this drug and its effective dose on CA1 pyramidal cells of hippocampus in transientglobal ischemic/reperfusion on experimental models.

In this study male Wistarrats (n=30) in experimental groups 1, 2 and 3 were injected intraperitoneally by 200, 400and 600 mg/kg pentoxifylline respectively one hour before and one hour after ischemia.Other groups were control, sham and vehicle (normal saline). Four days after ischemia,brains were removed and prepared for histological study (Nissl Method).

Our datashowed that there was no significant difference between the number of viable pyramidalcells in CA1 region of hippocampus in control and 200 mg/kg pentoxifylline treated groups.

It seems that the neuroprotective effect of 200 mg/kg pentoxifylline may beaccompanied by a reduction of ischemic damage in CA1 region of hippocampus in rats thatwere subjected to transient global cerebral ischemia.