Contemporary Psychology
Year:2006 | Volume:1 | Issue:1|Papers Count:8

The aim of this research was to study worry and emotional processing indicators in individuals with OCD and to compare the checking and washing subtypes of this disorder. Sixty individuals with OCD (30 checkers and 30 washers) and 60 individuals as control (30 anxious and 30 normal) were selected and were matched in demographic characteristics with the checker group. The OCD were interviewed using DSM-IV criteria for OCD and the group who responded to the Maudsley Obsessive- Compulsive Inventory were divided in two subgroups (checkers and washers). The level of subjects' worry was examined using the worry questionnaire, and the indicators of emotional processing were assessed through subjects' ratings of their own subjective distress and the changes in their heart rate in response to imaginary fearful scenes. The results showed that the checkers differed from washers and normal and control groups in the level of worry they had experienced. Also after exposure to imaginal fearful scenes, the checkers showed lower emotional processing indicators. The results showed that we can distinguish washing and checking subtypes of OCD based on their worry level and emotional processing indicators.

The aim of the present study is to examine the extent to which transparency of a word's spelling, affects reading and spelling performance of normal and dyslexic Persian beginner readers. The results have implications for cognitive models of reading and spelling. The phonologically transparent Persian orthography is normally transcribed with two distinct spellings, transparent and opaque. Three categories of Persian readers; namely 1) developmental dyslexics (n =29, mean age = 9.4, SD = 1.4) (ii) normal readers matched on age with the dyslexics (n = 49, mean age =9, SD =1.3), and (iii) normal readers matched on reading age with dyslexics (n =23, mean age =7.2, SD = 0.44) performed on tasks involving naming words and non-words and spelling. The results showed an expected overall pattern with dyslexics showing significant impairment compared to age matched normal readers on all measures. However, all 3 groups of participants had a significantly superior performance with transparent compared to opaque stimuli in naming words and non-words and spelling tests. These findings thus support a view that opaqueness of a word's spelling may be a contributing factor to the development of reading and spelling.

This study examined the role of self-efficacy, math attitude math anxiety, and previous math achievement in math achievement by using path analysis. The sample consisted of 366 third grade guidance school students.Fennema's Math Attitudes Scale, Shokrani's Math Anxiety, a combined test of two Scale of Pajares's Math Self efficacy, math scores of last year, and final math scores of students were used to measure variables. The results showed that previous math achievement and math self efficacy had the greatest effects on math achievement respectively. The study provided evidence for the mediator role of Math self-efficacy, that is, math attitude affected math achievement through its impact on the beliefs of math self-efficacy. The mediator role of math anxiety was also confirmed: math self-efficacy and math attitude affected math achievement through their impact on math anxiety. Apart from its large direct effect on math achievement, previous math achievement had an indirect effect on math achievement through its impact on math attitude, math self efficacy, and math anxiety. Math attitude also had a direct effect on math anxiety. By comparing different effects of math attitude on math achievement, it was indicated that math attitude affected math achievement indirectly through its impact on mediational variables such as math self efficacy, and math anxiety.

According to the continuum hypothesis, narcissism is a personality construct relevant to a dimension of psychological functioning that ranges from pathological narcissism, to healthy narcissism, and finally to self-esteem. This possibility first appeared in studies examining factors from the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) in American samples. Unpublished previous studies have revealed the NPI to have low internal consistency in Iranian samples. In this study, narcissism was investigated cross culturally in Iran and in the United States using the Marglois-Thomas (1980) Narcissism Scale. The results revealed that in both samples, all observed factors appeared d to be pathological. Pathological narcissism was defined by different specific factors in the two societies. In correlations with other variables, individualism predicted greater pathological narcissism in the US, and not in Iran. Collectivism was associated with lower narcissism in both cultures.Iranians scored higher on pathological narcissism with Americans being higher on individualism. Such contrasts must be interpreted cautiously because these scales may not be measuring exactly the same thing in the two societies. These findings suggest that different theories may need to be developed for explanting the nature and causes of narcissism in Iran in comparison to the West.

The aim of the present study was to verify the psychometric characteristics of ISALEM-97 and to compare different cognitive learning styles in students. The sample consisted of 759 subjects who were selected to take part in the study in two stages. In the first stage, 55 subjects were selected with equal proportion from eleven departments of Shahid Beheshti University. The purpose of the first stage was to measure indicators for ISALEM-97. The aim of the second stage of the study was to compare different cognitive learning styles in students. Hence, 704 subjects were selected in equal proportions using the random classification method from different departments. The ISALEM-97 and Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI) were then administered. Pearson's correlation coefficient, two way chi square and Cronbach's alpha coefficient were used to analyse the data. Results showed means of 6.05 to 6.75 out of 7.0 for face validity and correlation of 0.46 and 0.59 for congruent validity with LSI and 0.79 to 0.89 for reliability for modes of intuitive, pragmatic, reflective and methodical learning. This indicates that ISALEM-97 is an appropriate test for measuring cognitive learning styles in Iranian students. The results of the comparisons indicate lack of a significant difference between comparison groups and are congruent with findings of this kind on ISALEM-97 reported by previous research.

In order to investigate the efficacy of short-term life skills instruction, two classes of female students in Bent-ol-Hoda high school in region 18 of Tehran were selected randomly (n=63) and were divided into an experimental (n=33) and a control group (n=30). the experimental group received a 6-session course in social communication and interpersonal skills while the control group continued their normal courses. These two groups were tested by Matson's Scale of Social Skills before and after the instruction. The data were analyzed using mixed ANOVA. Results showed a significant decrease in impulsiveness of the experimental group compared with the control group. No significant difference was found in other variables. Although there is no particular evidence concerning the effect of short term instruction on social skills of Matson's scale and it is not possible to compare the findings of this study with other studies, regarding the nature of the other four skills, it seems that in order to change these factors, in addition to some modifications in the content of instruction, (for instance including some other life skills), the length of instruction should be increased. However, since impulsiveness is considered an important problem, the results of this study can be employed in promotion of students' mental health.

The aim of this study was to explain marital satisfaction and mental health according to coping styles in a sample of married students from the University of Tehran. An extensive analysis was performed to assess the kind of association among coping styles (problem-focused, positive emotional-focused, negative emotional-focused), marital satisfaction and mental health. Two hundred and seventy six students (138 couples) were included in this study. All participants were asked to complete the Coping Style Scale (CSS), Glombok-Rust Inventory of Marital State Questionnaire (GRIMS), and the Mental Health inventory (MHI). Analysis of the data involved both descriptive and inferential statistics including means, standard deviations, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and regression analyses. The results revealed that effective coping styles including problem focused and positive emotional-focused strategies were positively associated with marital satisfaction and psychological wellbeing, and negatively associated with psychological distress. It was found that negative emotional-focused coping style as an ineffective strategy was negatively associated with marital satisfaction and psychological well-being, and positively associated with psychological distress. The results suggested that couples' marital satisfaction and mental health could be explained by different coping styles. Effective coping styles increase levels of marital satisfaction and psychological well-being, while decreasing psychological distress. Ineffective coping style decreases marital satisfaction and mental health while increasing psychological distress.