Applied Psychology
Year:2018 | Volume:12 | Issue:3 (47) |Papers Count:9

Aim: The present study’ s aim was to examine the effect of reversibility of choice on attitude change in "free choice paradigm" of cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957). Methods: Method was a quasi-experimental study conducted in a between-subject pretest-posttest with control group design. In accordance with Delavar’ s (2016) suggestion, in order to place 15 participants in each group, sixty students (from among 650) at the Faculty of Psychology of Shahid Beheshti University in the academic year 2014-2015 were selected. These were then divided into groups of easy (N=30) and difficult (N=30) choice which were divided into groups of reversible (N=15) and irreversible (N=15) choice. Groups were matched on age and gender. They were given eight psychological tests that were selected based on the degree of complexity to evaluate them before and after choice. Reversible group could change their choice after they made it. Attitude change was assessed using a researchermade questionnaire, which was used at pretest and posttest. After removing six subjects because of incomplete questionnaires, data for 54 subjects was analyzed using ANOVA. Results: Analysis showed that in difficult choices groups, the attitude of irreversible choice group was significantly more positive about the selected choice compared to the attitude reported by the reversible group. (F= 29. 48, P= 0. 001). Conclusion: These results support the idea that positive attitude change in free choice paradigm only occurs in irreversible situations. Therefore, it is better for sellers and service providers not to facilitate replacement very much.

Aim: The aim of this study was to design a model to nurture enthusiastic employees in the Iranian public sector. Methods: The research method included meta-synthesis, survey and fuzzy expert system. Corpus of the study in meta-synthesis was 158 academic papers. In the survey, the statistical population was 1039 employees from West Azerbaijan province's three general directorates and in mathematical modeling, the population included 20 employees. Sampling in meta-synthesis was conducted by selecting 65 articles from among 158 papers published in prestigious Iranian and foreign English journals between years 2010 and 2016; in survey method selecting 60 subjects from among all employees and in mathematical modeling selecting 20 employees to complement the research tool. To determine the scale validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted and the convergent validity was calculated via computing correlations through a 56-item questionnaire approved by experts in the spring of 2017. In order to determine internal reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and retest reliability coefficient were calculated and after eliminating six incomplete questionnaires and three missing data, 281 subjects were analyzed. Findings: Results revealed that total path coefficient between Iranian-Islamic culture and psychological moods (β =0. 375, P=0. 001), and the indirect path coefficient between components of job conditions (β =0. 125, P=0. 001), personal (β =0. 134, P=0. 01) and organizational conditions (β =0. 231, P=0. 002) were positive and significant with employees' enthusiasm variable. Conclusion: Since the target population, confirmed the dimensions, components and indices extracted from metasynthesis, considering indices with higher factor weight in employees’ enthusiasm, could expand their psychological capacities.

Aim: The research purpose was to determine the contribution of individual agency, school culture and family support in predicting psychological wellbeing variance in high school students. Method: The research design is descriptive and correlational, and the statistical population included all high school students in the cities of Ramsar and Tonekabon in northern Iran (N= 7500). By random cluster sampling, 707 persons were selected from six areas, 15 girls’ high schools and 12 boys’ high schools were thus selected. The following questionnaires were used for data collection: The Agency Scale (Jaaskela, Poikkeus, Vasalampi, Valleala & Rasku-Puttonen, 2016); The Psychological Well-being Scale (Ryff, 1989); The School Culture Scale (Higgins & Sadh, 1997) and the Family Support Scale (Sands & Plunkett, 2005). Multi-Level Modeling was used for statistical analysis. Results: The results of analysis showed that personal agency (β =0. 32, P=0. 003), school culture (β =0. 60, p=0. 001) and family support (β =0. 43, p=0. 004), were able to predict a part of psychological well-being variance in students. Conclusion: It is argued that agency is the best predictor of psychological well-being in high school students and that social support, having proper relationships with teachers and friends, appropriate school facilities and parents' support also play an important role in students’ psychological well-being. Hence, it is necessary to develop psychological well-being in students by upgrading these factors.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of academic emotions in the relationship between metacognitive knowledge and school well-being in a causal model. Method: The method of the study was a descriptive-correlation and statistical population consisted of all girl and boy students from Second high school in the city of Lordegan in the 2016-17 academic year (3008 participants), from which 456 students were selected through multistage cluster sampling. For collecting data, used Metacognitive Awareness Questionnaire Shraw & Dennison (1994), Guilt and Shame Scale Thompson, Sharp, & Alexander (2008), hope subscale of Academic Emotions Questionnaire Pekrun (2005), and School Well-Being Scale Kaplan & Maehr (1999), from which 42 questionnaires were removed from the analysis as being had outliers and missing data. Research hypothetical model was tested through path analysis and AMOS software. Results: Data analysis showed that metacognitive knowledge had direct effect on school well-being )β = 0. 19, P= 0. 001). It also showed that guilt emotion had direct and positive effect on school well-being )β = 0. 21, P= 0. 001). The Bootstrap results showed the mediating role of academic emotions in relationship between metacognitive knowledge and school well-being (β = 0. 51, P= 0. 001). In a way that metacognitive knowledge led to increasing school well-being through increasing hope and guilt emotions and reducing shame emotion. Conclusion It is suggested that metacognitive knowledge be taught to students to upgrade school well-being through increasing hope and guilt emotions and reducing shame emotion.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the mediating role of selfconcept in the relation between attachment to parents and peers with prosocial behaviors. Method: The research method was descriptive-correlational and the statistical population of the study included all the first grade female students of the seven to ninth grades of the schools in one and two regions of Hamedan to 21690, among them two-step random sampling according to recommendation of Mishel 1993, the ratio of 10 to 20 subjects per observed variable and Guadagnoli & Velicer (1998), a minimum of 450 people and considering the probability of a sample loss, 570 people among the schools in Shahed 1, Shahed 2, Forough School and Fatemeh Al-Zahra School, two schools from each district and from each school 4 classes were selected. The study tool was the inventory of parent and peer attachment by Armsden & Greenberg (1987), selfconcept questionnaire by Sarswat 1984 and prosocial personality battery by Penner, Fritzsche, Craiger, & Freifeld (1995). After exclusion of 48 distortion questionnaires and 2 outlier data, data were analyzed using structural equation modeling method. Results: In this study, the indirect path coefficient of attachment to the peers with prosocial behaviors (β = 0. 064, P= 0. 001), attachment to the father with prosocial behaviors (β = 0. 033, P= 0. 018) and attachment to the mother with prosocial behaviors (β = 0. 022, P= 0. 073) were positive and significant. Conclusion: It is suggested to reducing the antisocial behaviors in schools and increasing prosocial behaviors on improving the selfconcept of adolescents and restoring their attachment to parents and peers be focused.

Aim: This study purpose was to determine the mediating role of academic motivations component in the relationship between perceived social support and educational justice with students’ academic burnout. Method: Method was correlational and statistic population included all students of Islamic Azad University Tehran center and Tehran east branches and Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch in 2016-2017 first semester with the quantity of 83834 people which through them in a multi-stage random sampling method, in the first stage, 3 universities, from each university 3 colleges and 3 class from each of college, were randomly selected, and finally from departments of Accounting, Psychology, Microbiology, Social Sciences, and genetic engineering, 410 people were selected based on Guadagnoli & Velicer's offer (1998) and the number of parameters. The study tool included Academic Burnout Questionnaire by Berso 1997; Academic Motivation Scale by Vallerand, Pelletier, Blais, Briere, Senecal, et al. (1992); Educational Justice Questionnaire by Golparvar (2010); and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support by Zimet, Dahlen, Zimet, & Farley (1998). After removal of 40 distortion questionnaires and four outliers, the data were analyzed by structural equation modeling. Results: The result showed that the indirect path between educational justice with academic burnout (β =-0. 121, P= 0. 002) and perceived social support with academic burnout (β =-0. 253, P= 0. 001) is negative and significant. Conclusion: It is imperative that all students have enough facilities and support in the educational environment to provide their potential for the growth and prosperity of talent to find the motive for their efforts in order to achieve their goals.

Aim: The present study purpose was to determine the mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between personality features neuroticism, openness, extroversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness with marital adjustment in university students. Method: The research method was descriptive-correlational and the statistical population included all married female students of Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, in the first semester of 2017-2018 with the quantity of 33000 people, among them 300 subjects Based on Kline's (2011) proposal from faculty of psychology classes were selected through sampling. The study tools included Dyadic Adjustment Scale by Spanier (1976), NEO-Five Factor Inventory by McCrae & Costa 1985 and Psychological Capital Questionnaire by Luthans, Avolio, Avey & Norman (2007). After exclusion of 3 distortion questionnaires and removal of 1 outlier subject, the data of were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling Method. Results: The results of this study showed that the indirect path coefficient between openness and marital adjustment (β = 0. 066, P= 0. 016, ), indirect path coefficient between extraversion and marital adjustment (β = 0. 083, P= 0. 012), and indirect path coefficient between neuroticism and marital adjustment (β =-0. 117, P= 0. 001) were significant. Conclusion: Personality traits, as the preconditions that individuals enter into marital relationships, are likely to affect individuals' equity including optimism, self-efficacy, hope, and resilience in dealing with marital problems, may be leading to reduce or increase marital adjustment. Therefore, it is suggested that workshops aimed at promoting the psychological capital for married female students in universities should be held.