SOCIAL COGNITION
Year:2015 | Volume:4 | Issue:1 (7)|Papers Count:11

Aims: The aim of the present study was investigating the mechanism of decision making process from the hot cognition view.Method: To do this, based on Klaczynski’s dual process model (2004), the emotion of happiness and the cognitive styles dimensions (need for cognition, need for structure, and need for decisiveness) as well as the metacognitive disposition were considered as variables. In this model, metacognitive disposition was the mediator variable and open-minded thinking was checked as an index of metacognitive disposition. The sample group included 228 bachelor male and female students of Shiraz University. Need for cognition (Cacioppo, et. al.1996), need for structure and need for decisiveness (Thompson et. al.1992), happiness (Lyubomirski & Lepper, 1999), actively open-minded thinking (Stanovich & West, 2007) and decision making (Klaczynski, 2001) scales were performed. Validity and reliability of the scales were confirmed by chron bak alfa and factor analysis.Results: the results showed negative direct and indirect (from openminded thinking) prediction of analytic decision making by happiness. This result was repeated only positively for need for cognition. Need for structure predicted decision making negatively and only through open-minded thinking variable. Need for decisiveness did not predict decision making.Conclusion: This study confirmed dual processes model of decision making and the role of emotion, motivation and metacognition disposition in decision making process.

Aim: The present study aimed to show the mediating role of Positive and Negative Affect in the relationship between Sensory processing sensitivity and Alexitimiya.Method: A sample comprising of 277 students (121 males and 156 famales) was selected from among Kharazmi University students through multistage cluster sampling method. The statistical instruments consisted of Sensory processing sensitivity (Aron & Aron) questionnaire, Positive and Negative Affect (PANAS) Inventory, and Alexithimiya Inventory. Data were analyzed using multiple regression by stepwise method Pearson correlation coenfficient tests with Spss18 software.Resuls: The results showed that ease of excitation and Low sensory threshold can predict Alexithymia positively. Besides, aesthetic sensitivity can perdict Alexithymia negatively, and positive affectplays mediating role betweenthe ease of excitation and aesthetic sensitivity. Also, alexithymia and negative affect mediate between the three dimensions of sensory processing sensitivity and alexithymia.Conclusion: The findings emphasize the need to recognize the role of Sensory Processing Sensitivity and the Positive and Negative Affect in Alexithymia.

Aims: In psychotherapy research, mindfulness has been conceptualized as an enhanced state of self-awareness thought to promote well-being. This research studied the efficacy of Mindfulness Cognitive Therapy on Social Anxiety and Dysfunctional attitude in Adolescent’s.Method: The research method was experimental with control group. The samples included 30 students in khoramabad city and the sampling method was head counting. At first, 357 participants passed the Social Anxiety and Dysfunctional Attitude tests. Then, 30 students with the highest scores were selected as sample group and were divided randomly to two experimental and control groups each with 15 members. The experimental group received group mindfulness training for 8 sessions (one 90 minutes session each week). At the end, the questionnaire was administrated again as the post-test.Results: Based on the results of covariance analysis, there was significant differences between the experimental and control groups' marks (p<0/01), meaning that social anxiety and dysfunctional attitude had decreased significantly for the experimental group.Conclusion: Mindfulness Cognitive Therapy can increase psychological health in Adolescents.

Aims: This study aimed to examine the psychometric features (validity and reliability) of the short form of Need for Cognition Scale (NFS) in high school students.Method: For this purpose, 392 students (168 male and 224 female) of Shiraz high schools were selected by multistage cluster sampling method. They responded to the self-report need for cognition scale developed by Cacciopo et al. To assess the construct validity of this scale, confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency were used. Moreover, Cronbach' s alpha coefficient was used to evaluate the reliability of the scale.Results: Generally, the goodness of fit characteristics of the confirmatory factor analysis model indicated a good fit of the data with factor structure of the need for cognition scale. Also, internal consistency method indicated the construct validity of the scale and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient indicated the stability of the measurement of the scale.Conclusion: Based on these results, one can use the need for cognition scale developed by Cacciopo et al. as an acceptable measurement tool to study high school students.

Aims: Recent research suggests that in some conditions people process others’ perspective without any necessity. Also, some studies indicate that we compute our perspective initially during mindreading. The automatic mindreading led to some dispute and the processes involved in mindreading are these days the focus of attention of researchers. This study aimed at determining the limitations of automatic mindreading with respect to others’ perspective.Method: For this purpose, a within subject project was performed. By accessible sampling method, 25 high school students were selected from Sahand City in 2013-2014 academic year. The Participants were tested by an instrument made by authors that measured the speed and accuracy of mind reading.Results: The results from repeated measure revealed that the main effects of perspective type (P=0.007), judgment type (P=0.001) and the interactive effect of these two (P=0.001) are significant.Furthermore, the results of pair wise comparisons showed that judgments in equal perspective situation are faster than similar (P=0.02) and incomplete (P=0.005) situations.Conclusion: According to the results, it seems that equal perspective is an optimized situation for mindreading. The results have some challenges for Apply’s theory.

Aims: People’s understanding of their social world has a significant impact on their behavior. Their perception of their role in society and social expectations of them are important parts of this understanding. This study investigated young -18 to 25 year old- women’s perception of femininity and the social expectations related to it.Method: The study used descriptive design and availability sampling. Forty-five female students from Fars, Turk, and Kurd ethnicities participated voluntarily in this explorative study. Seven focus groups, each consisting of 6-8 participants discussed femininity, social expectations from women, and their experiences in this regard.Results: Content analysis of focus groups discussions revealed 8 themes in young women’s perception of feminine norms.The most important of these themes were successdirectedness especially in education on one hand and chastity on the other hand.Conclusion: The findings revealed that there are notable similarities between young Iranian women’s perception of feminine norms with those of young women from other cultures. On the other hand, norms such as chastity, religiousness, and respect for elders are among themes that distinguish our findings from western studies’ results.

Aims: According to Extreme Male Brain (EMB) theory in autism, the strong and weak points of cognitive reactions of autistic people are milder in males. Joint attention, as a compromiser of subsequent opportunities for the development of social cognition, is disturbed in autistic people.This study aimed to investigate this cognitive function in male and females.Method: Fifty seven (32 female) students of Shahid Beheshti University, based on available sampling in year 2013-2014were recruited in the study. Using eye tracking, the behavior and fixation of eye movements as well as the results of computer tasks of joint attention were measured.Results: The results of one and two ways variance indicated that gaze patterns of males and females are different.Also, duration time for looking at the target and face in males was longer than females.Conclusion: In conclusion, our evidence supported the theory of extreme male brain theory indicating lower performance of joint attention in males than females.

Aims: Moral Foundations Theory is among the latest theories of moral judgement in social cognition. This theory has specified six foundations of care, fairness, loyalty, authority, sanctity, and liberty as underlying morality concerns. The present study aimed to examine the characteristics of these foundations in Iranian moral mentality and compared them against foreign findings and predictions, particularly the recent debate between two leading theorists in this field, i.e. Graham and Janoff-Bulman.Method: Participants were 172 Iranians who were questioned about ideal society and moral and immoral behaviors. Responses were examined and categorized based on belongingness to foundations.Accordingly, foundation exemplars and their motivational weight and relational context were determined. To determine the grouping of foundations, exploratory factor analysis; to compare foundations regarding motivational weight, analysis of variance; and to compare the frequency of foundation exemplars between relational contexts, chisquare test was used.Results: The number of extracted factors from the foundations was three in the contxt of each of the three questions. Foundations were found to differ regarding motivational weight; however, almost all of them had exemplars from both motivational orientations. Moreover, despite the focus of each foundation on one or two particular relational contexts, almost all foundations had exemplars referring to all three relational contexts.Conclusion: Findings provided support for the three-folded super-structure of morality.Results also indicated that Janoff-Bulman has drawn a narrow image of the motivational orientation of foundations, just as assumptions of moral foundation theorists underestimate the variability in relational contexts of foundations.

Aims: Theory of mind as a social cognitive ability and alexithymia as an inability to identify emotions of self and others are important components of social cognition that seem to be related to each other because of their common neural correlations and functional overlaps.The current study was a descriptive-correlational research which aimed to investigate the relationship between alexithymia and theory of mind in a nonclinical group.Method: The sample consisted of 233 students from Bonab universities selected by multistage-cluster sampling. They responded to tests of Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), and Alexithymia Questionnaire TAS-20. The data were analyzed by Pierson correlation, linear regression analysis, and simultaneous multiple regression analysis methods.Results: The findings confirmed the predictive role of alexithymia in connection with the theory of mind abilities. Among the components of alexithymia, objective thinking had a high predictive contribution to the theory of mind (P<0.001).Conclusion: It seems that for more effective and efficient treatment and psychological interventions, considering both variables of alexithymia and theory of mind ability in Planning for treatment is important.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to compare the theory of mind inunsupervised and normal children.Method: The study was casual comparative and the population consisted of 9 to 12 years old children with normal or irresponsible parents studyng in Isfahan in the academic year 92-93.The sampling method was Multistage random cluster of six districts of the city in boys school. The instrument included Hop theory of mind questionnaire (1994) and data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance.Results: The results showed that the two groups of children had significant differences both in the general and component level (level I, II, and III) of the theory of mind (P<0.01).Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be claimed that children with irresponsible parents, due to their parents' authoritarian and permissive style, have lower level of of evolution of theory of mind than normal children. Because parents with authoritarian and permissive parenting style have less social interaction with their children which leads to weaker development of theory of mind.

Introduction: The main aim of the Present study was to assess the effectiveness of a cognitive processing -Based social skills training on social, emotional, psychological well-being and reduce the symptoms of children with conduct disorder.Method: This research was an experimental study including pre-tests and post-tests with control group. The statistical Universe of the study included elementary school boys in Delfan city in the academic year 1392-93 (A.H). The subjects of the study included 40 male students from among the male students in Delfan city identified by the scales of CSI-4 (parent & teacher form), psychological well–being Personal and Structured clinical interview and chosen through simple random sampling Then They were assigned to two groups of control and experimental (20 students in each group).Results: The results of multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed that cognitive processing -Based social skills training on social, emotional, psychological well-being male students was effective (P<0.001) and led to the reduction of conduct disorder symptoms in the subjects (p<0.005).Conclusion: Based on the findings, we can say that training cognitive processing -Based social skills culminates in an increased mental health and plays an effective role in preventing conduct disorder.