Applied Psychology
Year:2010 | Volume:3 | Issue:4 (12)|Papers Count:11

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate any possible effect of skills training of emotions confronting on decrement of stress and test anxiety and in turn on improvement of academic performance of high school students. Method: The sample was consisted of 30 high school female students selected based on cluster randomized sampling. All participants suffered from test anxiety and lived in city of Fereydoonshahr. They were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. Research instruments were Markham Index of Feeling Mental Pressure, Philips Test Anxiety and Dortaj’s Educational Performance Test. Results: Post­-test covariance analyzes showed significant differences between the experimental and the control groups in terms of Markham Index of Feeling Mental Pressure, Philips Test Anxiety and Educational Performance Test, in post­ -test. Conclusion: Skills training of emotions confronting can be embedded use in schools curriculums to prevent test anxiety and to improve academic performance.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the main symptoms of psychotic disorders, especially schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar mood disorder. Method: Using a retrospective design, 204 inpatients diagnosed with psychotic disorder (84 schizophrenics, 52 major depressions and 68 bipolars) in Fatemi and Eisar hospitals in city of Ardabil were selected. They underwent Semi- Structured Interview of Rating Scale for Psychotic Symptoms (SSCI-RSPS). The data were analyzed using factor analyzes, and discriminate analyzes. Results: There were four major factors, including somatic hallucination, delusion of having ultra sensory powers, disturbed action due to thought and auditory hallucination explaining %11.8, %8.7, %5.5, and %5.3 of the variance respectively. Five factors were extracted in the schizophrenia group: perception disorder of the environment, somatic hallucination, religious ultra sensory delusion, disturbed action due to thought and auditory hallucination explaining %10.47, %7.72, %6.29, %6.28, and %6.26 of the variance respectively. Five factors were extracted in bipolar mood disorder, including omnipotence, auditory hallucination, illusion, vestibular motor hallucination and distractibility, explaining %25, %11.38, %8.2, %6.5, and %5.4 of the variance respectively. In the major depressive disorder group %27, %11.9, %8.9, %6.5, %5.8, %5.6, %5.2 of the variance were explained by seven mood non-congruent delusions: jealous delusion, nonverbal auditory hallucinations, illusion, somatic hallucination, distractibility, magic thought, and erotic delusion. Conclusion: In accordance of the findings 63.2% of disorders can be correctly classified by RSPS.

Aim: The present study was aimed to explore ant possible association between personality types and problem solving styles among Tehran University's employees. Method: 91 staff member of Tehran University was asked to fill in Myers Briggs Type Indicator (Briggs & Briggs, 1990), Kassidy & Long Problem Solving Style Questionnaire (1996), along with a researcher made demographic questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficient, t-tests for independent groups, one way ANOVA's with Scheffe post hoc tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The extraverted sensation with thinking judgment was the most prevalent type of personality in the group. Further analyzes confirmed some association between the type of personality and problem solving styles. Extraversion, thinking and judgment preferences was positively correlated with constructive problem solving style, but was negatively correlated with unconstructive problem solving style. On the other hand, preferences of introversion, feeling, and perceptual was negatively correlated with constructive problem solving but was positively correlated with unconstructive problem solving. Other finding indicated that men showed less unconstructive problem solving styles than women. Those participants aged between 33-44 years, tended to use more unconstructive problem solving styles than those with 21-33 years-old. Married participants showed more sensing, thinking and judgment preferences and subsequently a more constructive problem solving style than singles. Furthermore, as the level of education rises, the unconstructive problem solving style was less used. Conclusion: People with extraverted, thinking and judgmental tended to use are more constructive problem solving style.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of anger management training on aggression and social adjustment of 15-12 year old boys in the academic year 2008–9. Method: This semi experimental study was conducted on 34 students who scored high on an aggression questionnaire (Eysenck, 1975) and whose anger was confirmed by their school counselor and superintendent. The sample was selected through available sampling assignment and participants were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The Eysenck Aggression Questionnaire and the California Personality Test were administered at pre test to all participants. The experimental group was trained in anger management via eight group sessions of 1/2 hour duration each. During this period no intervention was given to the control group. Both questionnaires were administered again at post test. Data obtained from pretest and post test was analyzed using t-test for independent groups. Results: Statistical analyzed showed that compared to the control group, anger in the experimental group significantly decreased whereas social adjustment significantly increased in the experimental group as compared to the control group. Conclusion: Findings of this study revealed that anger management training can significantly and effectively reduce female anger and increase social adjustment.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify any possible association between sexual and marital satisfaction and general health in couples. Method: A multi factorial correlation design was used to analyze data taken from City of Yazd. The group were asked to fill in Enrich' s Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire (Olsen, 1989) and, General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg and Miller, 1979). The data was analyzed using Pearson correlation independent-sample t-test and one-way ANOVA with Scheffe test. Results: The results showed a positive significant association between sexual and marital satisfaction, But there were no significant relationship between the two mentioned variables and general health. Furthermore, the results showed no significant sex differences. There was a significant relationship between academic level and marital satisfaction, but no significant relationship between academic level and general health. Duration of marriage had also no significant relationship with general health, but it had a significant association with sexual satisfaction so that the participants who were newly married reported higher sexual satisfaction. Conclusion: Because the correlation between duration of marriage and sexual satisfaction was negative, it is possible that older couples may have less desire or ability to perform sexually.

Aim: The aim of the current study was to determine any possible association between emotional intelligence and shyness among university students. Method: Study population was consisting of all the students at Sharif University of Technology in the year 2009. A sample of 300 students was chosen using a multi-step sampling design. Two questionnaires were used on the sample: a questionnaire on emotional intelligence by Bar-On (1997), a questionnaire measuring shyness, by Zimbardo (1990) To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, were employed.Results: Finding showed that: 14.3 percent of students were below the mean for shyness while 70 percent scored around the average. 15.7 percent of them were labeled as shy. Emotional intelligence were negatively associated with shyness and it was possible to predict shyness from emotional intelligence scores. Interpersonal relationship, independence and self-regard were better predictors of shyness than problem solving, happiness, stress tolerance, self actualization, emotional self- awareness, reality testing, optimism, impulse control, flexibility, social responsibility, empathy, and assertiveness.Conclusion: Emotional intelligence seems to influence shyness so that students with high emotional intelligence experience less shyness.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the role of metacognitive state and its components on academic performance. Method: 150 high school students (64 male, 75 female) were selected based on cluster sampling from 2&6 educational borough of city of Tehran. They were completed o' neill and Abedi (1996) Metacognitive State Questionnaire. Their first semester mean of the educational year was used as an indicator of scholastic performance. Multiple regression analyzes and t test for two independent groups were applied to the data. Results: Findings reveled a positive association between metacognitive state and academic performance. Three metacognitive state components: metacognition awareness, self monitoring and cognitive strateg, predicted 69% of academic performance variance. Conclusion: according to the findings of this study, metacognitive state is associated with academic performance. So that the metacognitive state components training can influence academic performance.