Contemporary Psychology
Year:2010 | Volume:5 | Issue:2|Papers Count:10

The aim of this study was to examine mediation effect of anger rumination on the relationship between dimensions of anger and anger control including trait anger, state anger, anger in, anger out, anger-control in, and anger-control out with physical health in a sample of Iranian general population. A total of 449 volunteers (332 men, 355 women) were included in this study. All participants were asked to complete the Tehran Multidimensional Anger Scale (TMAS), Anger Rumination Scale (ARS), and the Mental Health Inventory (MHI). Higher levels of anger was associated with lower levels of physical health as well as higher levels of physical illness. In contrast, higher levels of anger control was associated with higher levels of physical health as well as lower levels of physical illness. Analysis of the data revealed that anger rumination mediated the relationship between dimensions of anger and anger control with physical health in opposite directions. The mediating effect of anger rumination for the association of trait anger, state anger, anger-control in, and anger-control out with physical health was full, while mediation effect of anger rumination for the association of anger control dimensions with physical health was partial.

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between thought-action fusion beliefs and the clusters of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Based on this construct, the intrusive thoughts can have a direct effect on external events, or obsessional thoughts and negative acts are morally equivalent. The sample of this study were comprised of 60 obsessive-compulsive patients selected through available sampling. Participants completed the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), and the Thought-Action Fusion Scale (TAF). Result indicate that there were positive and significant associations between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and TAFS subscales. Also likelihood for the other was the strongest predictor of obsessive-compulsive disorder and the cluster of checking symptoms. Likelihood for self was the strongest predictor for the cluster of doubting and obsessional thoughts. This study indicates that there is an association between obsessional psychopathology and the subscales of TAF. Thus, it seems that cognitive bias such as Thought-action fusion increases individual vulnerability to obsessive-compulsive disorder. That is, patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder distort the relationship between negative and immoral thoughts and external events. Based on metacognitive theory, because patients try to control and neutralize their thoughts,  intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors increase.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between metcognitive belief and thought control strategies with trait anxiety. A sample of 226 students (105 males, 121 females) from Tarbiat Moallem University completed Metcognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), The Thought Control Questionnaire (TCQ) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The results showed that metcognitive beliefs and thought control strategies were positively correlated with trait anxiety.  Among the subscales of metcognitive beliefs, negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger, cognitive confidence and need to control of thoughts were significantly correlated with trait anxiety. There was a positive relationship between thought control strategies of distraction, punishment, reappraisal, and worry and trait anxiety. In regression analyses negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger, cognitive confidence, distraction and reappraisal emerged as the strongest predictors of trait anxiety and explained 51 percent of variance of it. Results of this study support the metcognitive model of anxiety. metcognitive variables of uncontrollability and danger and cognitive confidence and thought control through distraction and reappraisal are positively associated with trait anxiety. Therefore modification of negative metcognitive beliefs and maladaptive strategies to control of unwanted thoughts and emotions can be useful in treatment of anxiety.

This study investigated the role of teachers’ communication styles (controlling style vs. autonomy supportive style) on students’ cognitive creativity with regard to their cognition and motivational beliefs. Three hundred male students from elementary schools in the City of Shiraz participated in this study. Students completed Learning Climate Questionnaire (LCQ), the Student Perceptions of Control Questionnaire (SPOCQ), Academic Self Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) and the Consensual Assessment Technique for Creativity (CAT) measures. Results of path analysis revealed that autonomy supportive style by teachers had both direct and indirect association with creativity. Also autonomy regulation style was positively predicted by autonomy supportive style by teachers. Results also demonstrated that autonomy regulation style was a more significant positive predictor and control regulation style was a negative predictor of creativity. These results confirm the role playred by teacers on creativity through mediating variables of motivational beliefs and cognitions.

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare neuropsychological characteristics of students with mathematics learning disabilities and normal children in elementary schools. For this purpose, 30 fourth grade elementary students with mathemathics learning disabilities and 30 fourth grade elementary students normal (without mathematics learning disabilities) were selected. Instruments used in this research included the neuropsychological test NEPSY (NEPSY), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), Dycalculia Diagnostic Test and a clinical interview. Results showed that there was a significant difference between the neuropsychological characteristics (included executive functions, attention, language, visuospatial processing, memory and learning) of children with mathematics learning disabilities and normal children. Children with mathemathics learning disabilities had serious problems with their neuropsychological characteristics. These results can be helpful in the identification and planning of neuropsychological interventions for students with mathematics learning disabilities.

The investigation of temperament-based learning styles is significant as one important source of changeability and prediction of educational achievement and clarification of individual behavior in the social environment. Research on learning styles, for people with specific requirements is beneficial. By knowing and noticing temperament-based learning styles and their effects on the behavior and educational activities, those in charge become aware of the significance of essential supporting measures accordingly and will pave the ground for the advancement of people by providing the facilities, appropriate for individual learning styles. Hence, the present study has investigated and compared temperament-based learning styles of students with and without visual impairment in accordance with Oakland, Glutting and Horton’s (1996) theory. For this purpose, 196 male and female high school students with and without visual impairment (89 and 107 respectively) were chosen as participants. In this study, the student’s styles questionnaire (SSQ) was used. Results indicated that students with visual impairment tended to score higher on extraverted, practical, thinking and organized styles and students without visual impairment tended to score higher on introverted, intuitive, feeling and flexible styles. The origins of these differences could lie in differenes in physical state, the educational system and culture.

This research was administered with the aim of investigating the relationship between distributive and procedural justice and organizational identification with cooperation among teachers in the City of Esfahan 389 teachers (112 men and 277 women) were selected from the population. Research instruments were: Distributive Justice Questionnaire (DJQ), Procedural Justice Questionnaire (PJQ), Organizational Identification Questionnaire (OIQ) and Cooperation Questionnaire (CQ). Results showed that there were significant correlations between distributive justice with procedural justice, procedural justice with organizational identification, and cooperation with organizational idenfitication. Results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that in first step, out of the three variables, namely distributive justice, procedural justice and organizational identification, only organizational identification had a significant power to predict cooperation. In the second and third steps, in which two and three way interactions were added, none of the interactions had any significant power to predict cooperation. It can be concluded that organizational identification has a significant effect on cooperation.

This study reports the psychometric properties of Iranian Religious Coping Scale, considering the Iranian social and cultural context. Study 1: Through an interview with 50 college students, preliminary qualitative information was obtained about the coping strategies they use when faced with a severe stressful event. After this initial information was content analyzed, the items obtained along with the Standard Coping Responses Inventory and a revised version of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were administered to a new sample of students (N=365). Results from exploratory factor analysis yielded seven pure factors. Religious coping was obtained as an independent dimension of coping among Iranians. In Study 2 (N=176), evidence for the discriminative and convergent validity of the newly developed Religious Coping Scale was demonstrated. It is suggested that future research should consider the possible contamination of religious constructs with social desirability. Based on the results of the present research, it is concluded that the Religious Coping Scale has enough validity and reliability for use in research studies.