SOCIAL COGNITION
Year:2016 | Volume:4 | Issue:2 (8)|Papers Count:10

Introduction: This study aimed at presenting a casual relationship model of goal orientations and cognitive engagement based on the mediating role of academic emotions and academic Self-Efficacy through path analysis.Method: To do so, a total number of 523 students from shiraz Payame Noor University were selected through cluster sampling, and were asked to answer the questionnaires of Cognitive Engagement (Wang & Eccles, 2013), Academic Self-Efficacy (Midgley & et al, 2000), Goal Orientations (Middleton & Midgley, 1997), and Academic Emotions (Pekrun, 2005) subscales.Results: Overall, the results indicated the indirect effects of goal orientations components on cognitive engagement.Conclusions: According to the results, goal orientations and their components influence cognitive engagement through academic emotions dimensions. This is in a way that the mastery goals, through positive emotions, have indirect and positive effect on cognitive engagement and the avoidance and functional goals have indirect and negative effect on cognitive engagement through the mediation of negative emotions and academic Self-Efficacy. The total variables in this study explain thirty one Percent of changes in the Cognitive Engagement.

Introduction: The aim of this study was comparing the social cognition of 5-7 years old girls of families with one child versus families with more than one child in Isfahan city.Method: The study was causal-comparative type and the statistical population included all the 5-7 years old girls in Isfahan city in 2014. For the purpose of the study, 80 girls (40 from families with one child and 40 from families with more than one child) were selected by using random cluster sampling method and were examined using the Scale of Social Cognitive Tasks. To analyze the data, SPSS statistics software was used. In addition to descriptive statistics, inferential statistics such as independent T-test and ANOVA were used.Results: The results indicated that social cognition in children from families with more than one child was more than families with one child (P<0.001). Also, social cognition in 7 years old children was more than 5 years old ones (P<0.05). Furthermore, there wasn' t any significant difference between the social cognition and the sequence of the birth of children (first, middle and last child).Conclusion: According to the results, it is essential to pay attention to the pattern of communication and interaction in family because it can influence the formation of social cognition.

Introduction: Compassion is an interpersonal construct that has important role in individuals' wellbeing.The main purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of The Compassion of Others' Lives Scale (COOL scale). Method: To this end, 281 students (170 women and 90 men with an average age of 23.4) from Payame Noor University of Guilan were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling.They answered The Compassion of Others’ Lives Scale (Chang et al., 2014), The Emotional Empathy Scale (Mehrabian and Epstein, 1972) and The Sadistic Personality Subscale of Millon Personality Inventory.Results: The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that two factors, empathy and alleviating suffering, predicted approximately 50 percent of the variance and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that these factors were well fitted to the data (CFI=0.91, NFI=0.88, GFI=0.94). The convergent and divergent validity of the scale were examined by correlating with Emotional Empathy Scale and Sadistic Personality Subscale and the results showed significant correlation (P<0.01). The internal consistency of the scale was calculated by Cronbach's alpha (0.87), and the correlation of items with the total score was obtained in the range of 0.41 to 0.60.Conclusion: According to the results, it can be concluded that the Compassion of Others' lives Scale has a good validity and reliability for Iranian samples and can be used in future studies.

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of subliminal emotional experiences in personal and impersonal moral judgment.Method: A total number of 35 students (20 females and 15 males) from Kharazmi University were selected using random sampling and were individually induced by subliminal neutral, positive, and negative emotional experiences. After each emotion induction stage, the subjects responded to two personal and impersonal moral stories. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance with repeated measures.Results: The results showed that the induction of subliminal positive and negative emotional experience lead to non-utilitarianism in personal moral judgment but have no effect on impersonal moral judgment.Conclusion: The results reflect the significant role of emotional experiences in moral judgment based cognitive processes.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the content validityratio as well as the construct validity of Educational Expectations Questionnaire. Furthermore, it investigated the role of Others' Expectations on the change of attitude towards using E-curriculum content.Method: The method was correlation and the population included the PNU students of Fars province. The sample was selected based on Krejcie and Morgan formula and cluster sampling. Two instruments including the Teo Questionnaires (2006) and a researcher made Questionnaire of Educational Expectations were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using second confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regressions.Results: The three factors of friends and peers, teachers, and parents explained 53.71% of the total variance of Educational Expectations Questionnaire. Although in Lawshe`s Content Validity Ratio method three questions had been removed, in this study none of the questions in the second confirmatory factor analysis were deleted. Also, there was a meaningful relationship between educational expectations of friends and peers (b=0.369), teachers (b=0.302) and parents (b=0.287) with changing attitudes towards electronic content. In addition, parents' (b=0.173) and teachers' (b=0.230) expectations influence friends' and peers' expectations from each other.Conclusion: In general, the Educational Expectations Scale has good content and construct validity and can be used to assess Others' Expectations from students. In addition, the model presented in this study is an appropriate model for investigating Others' Expectations of the change of attitude towards the Ecurriculum content.

Introduction: People’s perception about the world they live in is one of the abilities that can influence their decisions or actions in different situations. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the factors that could affect people’s perception.Method: To do so, 64 students of Payame Noor University were selected using random sampling method. After answering the Personality and Critical Thinking Questionnaires, the subjects watched a film which included a fixed dialogue performed in 4 different situations for 5 minutes. Then, based on the film, they responded to a questionnaire.Results: The findings showed that there is no significant relationship between personality traits and critical thinking. However, there were significant relationships between some personality traits and situation elements. In addition, three cognitive abilities including inductive thinking, evaluation and deduction were associated with the location shown in the film. Finally, the results indicated the significant correlation between thinking with location and people’s perception.Conclusion: This research showed that thinking is essential for perception. In addition, through transferring its elements as information units as well as interfering in the type of employed cognitive ability, situational context affects people's type of conception.

Introduction: The aim of this research was studying the most effective variables on materialism and explaining the relationships among them.Method: The study was conducted through structural equation modeling. The population included all high school students in Tehran and from among them 300 people were selected through cluster sampling. The instruments included Material Values Scale (MVS), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and Social Comparison Instruments.Results: The results showed that the obtained model has a suitable goodness of fit with the data. Parents' and peers' social support with the mediating role of social comparison have indirect and positive effect on materialism. Furthermore, the direct and positive effect of social comparison on materialism was significant and the highest total effect belonged to peers' support.Conclusion: The findings of this study matched the findings of some similar researches and provide a robust support for the hypothesized structural relationships.

Introduction: One of the behavioral disorders with extremely high prevalence is aggression. Children with aggressive behaviors expose the family, school and society to various problems that make them vulnerable against mental-social disturbances in their adolescence and even adulthood. The aim of this study was comparing self-efficacy in peer interaction and social competence of male students with aggressive and normal behaviors in 5 and 6th grades of elementary school in Ahvaz city (1393-94 academic year).Method: The sample included 250 male student (125 aggressive students and 125 normal students) that were selected through random multistage sampling method. The research design was causal-comparative. The instruments included: Children’s Self-efficacy for Peer Interaction Scale, Social Competence Scale, and Child Aggression in School Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) method.Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the groups in self-efficacy in peer interaction and social competence. In addition, the level of self-efficacy in peer interaction and social competence of the aggressive group were lower than the normal group.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, deficit in self-efficacy in peer interaction and social competence can be considered as one of the significant factors in emerging aggressive behaviors.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Emotional self-control training on the reduction of verbal aggression of Boukan Payame Noor university male Students.Method: For this purpose, 40 students who had referred to the advisory center of the university were randomly selected as the sample group. The sample group was randomly divided into two groups of experimental and control. The study was a quasi experimental research with a control group as well as pre-test and post-tests. The training was administered to the experimental group for 10 sessions of 60 minutes for two weeks (5 sessions per week); however, the control group did not receive any training. Using SPSS software, the data were analyzed with Covariance Analysis to determinate the effect of Emotional selfcontrol training.Results: The results of Analysis of Covariance (p<0.05) showed that applying the training program was an effective intervention and reduced the students' verbal aggression.Conclusion: Based on the findings, we can conclude that Emotional self-control training was effective on the reduction of verbal aggression of students. Therefore, based on the findings of the study, the use of Emotional self- control training to reduce verbal aggression of students can be suggested.

Introduction: Subjective Well-Being (SWB), which includes emotional and cognitive elements, is one of the most important factors related to psychological and physical health. This study aimed at comparing emotional competence in two groups of Iranian adolescent girls with high and low SWB.Method: Intensity sampling with regard to maximum variation was utilized to select the participants. The data were gathered using in depth interviews (10 girls), incomplete sentences (37 girls), and narrative writing (32 girls).Results: The results demonstrated seven sub-themes of emotional competence theme including: Recognition of emotions, Selfmanagement of emotions, Management of emotions in relationships, Caring for others’ emotions and Empathy, Expressing emotions, level of hope in thought, and Balance of passion.Conclusion: These sub-themes were discussed based on cultural and theoretical frameworks.