DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (JOURNAL OF IRANIAN PSYCHOLOGISTS)
Year:2017 | Volume:13 | Issue:50|Papers Count:13

this study aimed to investigate the development of formal operations from adolescence through adulthood. The sample consisted of 345 participants in four age groups (15-18 years-old: n=108; 19-29 years-old: n=104; 30-45 years-old: n=44; 46 years-old and elder: n=51). All groups were selected using random sampling. The first group was selected from high schools and the other groups were selected based on municipal areas of Isfahan. The study design was causal-comparative. The participants completed the Logical Reasoning Test (LRT; Burney, 1974). The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and chi square methods. The results indicated that there were no significant group effects on LRT. The pairwise comparisons were significant between total scores of 15-18 years-old and 19-29 year-olds. The age groups didn’t have significant differences in terms of frequencies of individuals who were in the concrete, transitional, and formal operations stages. The developmental trend of formal operations remained constant after adolescence. The findings were discussed based on Piaget and Neo-Piagetian cognitive developmental theories.

This study aimed to investigate the emotional development of children with autism spectrum disorder on the basis of Developmental, Individual Differences Model (DIR). Thirty autistic children were selected by non-random sampling from3 autistic centers and 30 typical children were selected randomly from Tehran. The sample’s mothers completed the Functional Emotional Questionnaire (Greenspan, 2001). The parents of two groups were matched on socioeconomic status, age and education. The results indicated that there were significant differences between autistic and typical children in terms of 6 stages of emotional development: self- regulation and interest in the world, intimacy, two-way communication, complex communication, emotional ideas, emotional and logical thinking in their lower and previous ages (0-3/5). In the children’s current age, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the stages, except for the fifth & sixth stages in which emotional development of typical children were higher than children with autism. The lower emotional development of children with autism in the fifth & sixth stages might be due to the sensory processing, language, and vision defects in autistic children.

This study aimed to examine the mediating role of fear of negative evaluation in the relationship between self-handicapping and instability of self-esteem. The sample consisted of 150 eighth grade girl students (mean age=14 years) in 2015-2016 academic year. The participants completed the short version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNES-B; Leary, 1983), the Self-Handicapping Scale (Jones & Rvdvlt, 1982) and the Unstable Self-esteem Scale (Chabrol, Rocio, & Callahan, 2006). The data were analyzed using regression method. The results indicated that self-esteem could predict both aspects of self-handicapping. The results supported the mediating role of fear of negative evaluation in the relationship between self-handicapping and self-esteem instability. The findings suggested that the unstable self-esteem, partly had an effect on self-handicapping through fear of negative evaluations. As a result, stability of self-esteem can be enhanced by addressing the fear of negative evaluation in adolescents.

This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties (validity, reliability and factorial structure) of the Persian version of the Washington University Sentences Completion Test (WUSCT; Hy & Loevinger 1996) for evaluating ego development. Two hundred and eighty nine undergraduate students (143 females, 146 males) were selected from different disciplines of Tehran University using convenience sampling. The guilt subscale of the Personal Feeling Questionnaire (Harder & Zalma, 1990) and the Chronic Self-Destructiveness Scale (Kelley, et al., 1985) were used for studying divergent validity. The results indicated that the WUSCT had appropriate internal consistency (ranged from 0/118 to 0/326). The Cronbach α and 2-weeks test-retest reliability were.781 and.876, respectively. The negative correlation of the WUSCT with self-destructiveness demonstrated the divergent validity of the WUSCT. The WUSCT could discriminate the group with high ego development from the group with low guilt and self-destructiveness which indicated the discriminant validity of the WUSCT. The factorial analyses indicated that the WUSCT was unidimensional. The findings suggest that the Persian version of the WUSCT is a valid and reliable tool for assessing ego development.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of parent- child focused cognitive- behavioral intervention on decreasing behavioral problems of physically abused children and improving parental practices. Twenty eight children aged 7-9 years from the Association for Protection of Working Children in Tehran and their mothers were selected by available sampling. Fifteen pairs of mother-child were assigned into the parent-child group and 13 mothers were assigned into the parent focused group. The mothers received 5 sessions of the combined parent-child cognitive- behavioral therapy package and the children received 8 sessions of the package. Posttest conducted at the end of the intervention. The study had a 2-month follow-up period. The mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991), the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (Frick, 1991) and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (Milner, 1986). The data were analyzed by mixed ANOVA. The results indicated that the cognitive- behavioral intervention significantly decreased internalizing and externalizing problems. The scores of the poor monitoring and the corporal punishment subscales of the parental practices scale decreased but the scores of the child abuse potential subscale didn’t significantly change. Furthermore there were no significant differences between the effectiveness of the intervention on behavioral problems, parental practices and child abuse potential in both groups, which reflected the central role of mothers in child abuse interventions. By clarifying the role of child and parent in child abuse interventions, the findings suggested these interventions could be applied to clinical settings and may reduce the child abuse phenomenon..

This study examined the mediating role of positive and negative achievement emotions in the relationship between cognitive appraisals and academic engagement among girl students. A sample of 200 students completed the Achievement Emotion Questionnaire-Revised (AEQ-R; Pekrun, Goetz & Perry, 2005), the Stress Appraisal Measure-Revised (SAM-R; Rowley, Roesch, Jurica & Vaughn, 2005) and the Schoolwork Engagement Inventory (SEI; Salmela-Aro & Upadaya, 2012). Structural equation modeling was used to assess the structural relations among achievement emotions, cognitive appraisals, and academic engagement. The results indicated that 1) the adaptive cognitive appraisals related positively and significantly to positive achievement emotions, 2) the adaptive cognitive appraisals related negatively and significantly to negative achievement emotions, 3) the nonadaptive cognitive appraisals related negatively and significantly to positive achievement emotions, 4) the nonadaptive cognitive appraisals related positively and significantly to negative achievement emotions and, 5) the positive achievement emotions related positively and significantly to academic engagement and finally 6) the negative achievement emotions related negatively and significantly to academic engagement. The results also indicated that the positive and negative achievement emotions fully mediated the relation between the adaptive and non-adaptive cognitive appraisals and academic engagement and this model had a good fitness. All of the regression weights in the both models were significant and the mediating models of positive and negative achievement emotions, accounted for 49 and 26 of the variances in academic engagement, respectively. The findings provided further support for the control-value theory of achievement emotions among Iranian students.

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy training on procrastination among boy secondary school students. The study design was a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest control group. The sample was drawn from secondary school student in Tabriz. Two classes were selected by multistage cluster sampling. One class with 25 students randomly assigned to experimental group and another class with 24 students randomly assigned to control group. To assess students' academic procrastination, the Procrastination Assessment Scale-Student Form (Rothblum & Solomon, 1984) was used. The experimental group received 8 sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy techniques and strategies. The results of analysis of covariance indicated the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy in reducing procrastination. Using this intervention as a therapy is recommended.

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties the Self-esteem Contingency Questionnaire for Adolescents (SCQA; Wouters, & et al., 2016) among student population. Two hundred and eighty six students were selected by using multi-stage cluster sampling. The participants completed the SCQA, the Conditional Self-Worth Scale (Croker, & et al., 2003) and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Frost, et al., 1990). The validity of the SCQA was assessed by Cronbach's alpha, test-retest and splitting methods. The criterion validity of the SCQA was assessed using the Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. The results indicated that the discriminant and convergent validity of the SCQA were desirable and the stability of the SCQA. The factor structure of the was assessed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The results of the factor analysis indicated that the Self-esteem Contingency Questionnaire for Adolescents (SCQA) had eight factors. Overall, the findings suggests that the Self-esteem Contingency Questionnaire for Adolescents has a good psychometric properties in a sample of Iranian Adolescent Students and can be used in the Iranian culture -related studies.