Advances in Cognitive Sciences
Year:2023 | Volume:25 | Issue:3|Papers Count:12

Introduction: Depression is the most common mood disorder, the most critical symptoms of which are loss of interest and low mood, and women suffer from this disorder more than men. Many studies have shown multiple cognitive deficits in people with depression, such as overgeneralization and weakness of episodic future thinking. Autobiographical memories are complex structures of knowledge created during the process of recollection. These memories involve two types of knowledge. The first is experiential or episodic knowledge, the understanding of which is likely linked to objectives active during memory creation and reconstruction. The second is conceptual knowledge (e.g., scripts), which serves to provide context for the recalled episodic knowledge during the construction of the memory. Episodic future thinking involves mentally simulating possible future events, a crucial tool for adapting to our surroundings. Third-generation therapies focus on the thinking process, unlike traditional treatment methods that target symptoms and analyze behavior. These innovative approaches prioritize enhancing cognitive abilities as part of the intervention. An effective and proven intervention in the treatment of emotional disorders is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). On the other hand, in the conditions of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and to minimize leaving the house, it is essential to use online methods. In addition, due to the multidimensionally of major depressive disorder and the presence of several cognitive defects, such as weakness in autobiographical memory and episodic future thinking, it is important to investigate the effect of treatments on the improvement of those defects. Therefore, the present study aimed  to investigate the effectiveness of ACT in specifying autobiographical memory, episodic future thinking, and depression in patients with major depressive disorder using an online method. Methods: The current research is a randomized quasi-experimental design of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a three-month interval, carried out on two experimental and control groups. The statistical population included depressed patients who were referred to the Tehran Institute of Psychiatry, Iran. All participants were diagnosed with major depression by a psychiatrist. Besides, they  signed a written consent form after meeting the entry criteria and introducing the study. Based on this, 30 participants were selected as available and randomly replaced in two groups, experimental (15 people) and control (15 people). The inclusion criteria were suffering from major depressive disorder, the age range of 18 to 60 years, familiarity with the use of WhatsApp, and literacy at the level of reading and writing. The exclusion criteria were having a physical illness, neurological disorders, suffering from mental disorders other than major depressive disorder, participating in active therapeutic intervention (even depression), and participating in other research. A structured clinical interview and tests of autobiographical memory, episodic future thinking, and DASS-21 were taken from all participants. For the experimental group, treatment based on ACT was conducted in eight online sessions through the WhatsApp program, and the control group did not receive any training. After the completion of the sessions of the experimental group and three months after that, the tests were conducted again for both groups. Results: Data analysis in the current research was accomplished based on the scores obtained from different time stages, including pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up. Based on this, the mean scores of autobiographical memory and episodic future thinking and depression in these time stages in two groups of experimental and control were statistically analyzed using the method of mixed ANOVA. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the statistical tests' assumptions for the data distribution's normality for the data distribution's normality. Levene's test was used for the homogeneity of the variances, and Mauchly's sphericity test was used to check the compound symmetry. Correspondingly, partial Eta square (η2P) was presented to check the effect size, and the Pairwise comparison method was used to check the difference between the averages of time steps. Statistical methods in this study were done using SPSS version 26. An independent t-test was used to compare the average age of the experimental and control groups, and the results of this test showed an insignificant difference (P=0.13, t=1.58) between the ages of the experimental group (mean=39.73, standard deviation=10.55) and the control group (mean=33.73, standard deviation=10.22). The results of mixed ANOVA for autobiographical memory showed that significant values had been observed over time (η2P=0.47, P<0.0001, F(1, 28)=25.25). Furthermore, the interaction effect of time and group (P<0.0001, F(1, 28)=17.32) was significant and showed that considering the time factor, a significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups, and the effect size was large. In addition, pairwise comparisons for the time factor (difference between the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages) showed that there was a significant difference between the average autobiographical memory in the pre-test stage and the two stages of the post-test (P=0.002) and follow-up (P<0.0001). However, the two post-test and follow-up stages did not have a significant difference (P=0.299). The results of mixed ANOVA for episodic future thinking showed that significant values had been observed over time (η2P=0.50, P<0.0001, F(1, 28)=27.53). Similarly, the interaction effect of time and group (P<0.0001, F(1, 28)=17.91) was significant and showed that considering the time factor, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups, and the effect size was large. Moreover, pairwise comparisons for the time factor showed a significant difference between the averages of different assessment times in the pre-test stage with two post-test stages (P<0.0001) and follow-up (P<0.0001). Nevertheless, the two post-test and follow-up stages did not have significant differences (P=0.227). The results of mixed ANOVA for depression showed that significant values had been observed over time (η2P=0.13, P=0.047, F(1, 28)=4.32). Besides, the interaction effect of time and group (P=0.003, F(1, 28)=10.66) was significant and showed that considering the time factor, a significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups, and the effect size was moderate. Moreover, pairwise comparisons showed a significant difference between the pre-test stage and the two post-test stages (P=0.009), and follow-up (P=0.047). Nonetheless, the two post-test and follow-up stages did not have significant differences (P=0.844). Conclusion: The current research concluded that ACT effectively improves cognitive impairments like the overgeneralization of autobiographical memory and episodic future thinking while reducing symptoms of major depression. This research suggests that ACT can ameliorate overgeneralization, a deficit often observed in autobiographical memory. Essentially, ACT uses a strategy called cognitive defusion, which aids individuals struggling with depression in distancing themselves from negative thoughts and experiences. It also encourages them to commit to life-affirming behaviors aligning with their values. Furthermore, pay attention to the details of the events with mindfulness strategies, which makes the autobiographical memory more specific. The results of the present study also showed that treatment based on ACT with the strategy of strengthening the ability to accept and rely on individual values in life can help depressed people think positively and optimistically about the future. Likewise, with a committed action strategy, this change will reduce negative outlook and thinking towards future events and disappointment. Finally, the treatment based on ACT helps to reduce the symptoms of depression by creating psychological flexibility, which exerts this effect through six groups of therapeutic techniques. Among the limitations of this study, we should point out the problem of coordinating meetings, which was challenging to create a regular and continuous schedule due to the problem of depression and the low psychomotor energy level of the participants. Similarly, the present study was limited to the population of patients at the Tehran Institute of Psychiatry, Iran, so using a larger statistical population is suggested to achieve better results. It is also suggested to carry out more extended follow-up periods (one year) to determine the stability of the treatment and examine its relationship with the recurrence rate of depression symptoms. Ethical Considerations Compliance with ethical guidelines  The purpose and details of the study were explained to all participants, and written consent was obtained. In order to protect privacy, the names of the participants in the study process were recorded with a code, and they could freely withdraw from the study process at any time. This study has been registered with the Ethics Code IR.UT.IRICSS.REC.1400.015. Authors' contributions Hossein Saadati did the study, presentation of the initial plan, implementation of the research, collection, and analysis of information and data, and initial writing of the article. Alireza Moradi guided the implementation of the study, edited the article, and was the corresponding author. Mohammadreza Shalbafan and Vida Mirabolfathi were responsible for expert and research advice, supervision, and active participation in the research stages. All authors reviewed the study results and participated in editing and preparing the final version of the article. Funding This research has not received financial support from any organization or institution. Acknowledgments In the end, the authors are very grateful for the assistance and cooperation of the Tehran Institute of Psychiatry and their respected staff, and they also express gratitude to all the participants in the research who helped us. Conflicts of interest The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Introduction Resilience is the ability to adapt to challenging situations. It is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to complex or challenging life experiences, primarily through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility. Resilience can protect people from various mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. Nowadays, resilience has become essential to businesses, governments, and other organizations. Organizational resilience is the ability of an organization to quickly adapt to disruptions while maintaining continuous business operations and safeguarding people, assets and overall brand equity. Executive functions include high-order cognitive abilities such as cognitive flexibility, planning, working memory, problem-solving, inhibitory control, and reasoning. This study aimed to present a cognitive model of resilience and investigate the relationship between executive functions and resilience mediated by cognitive emotion regulation strategies. In this study, the correlation method of structural equation modeling was used. The statistical population of this study was all firefighters working in 131 fire stations in Tehran in the first half of 2018. Executive functions                        Cognitive emotion regulation strategies                      Resilience Methods The target population in the present study was all the firefighters working in 131 fire stations in Tehran, Iran, in the first half of 2018, who were working in the operational department of the fire department. In this study, a random sampling method was used so that eight fire stations in Tehran were randomly selected, and 207 firefighters answered the questionnaires and computer tests. In structural equation modeling methodology, the sample size can be determined between five and 15 people for each measured variable 5Q0. 05). Conclusion According to the findings of this research, resilience can be predicted through executive functions, and this model fits well. People's resilience will be strengthened by promoting cognitive emotion regulation strategies and executive functions. Therefore, the programs and training that improve people's cognitive functions increase a person resilience of through cognitive methods, considered as an indirect, fast, and less expensive intervention. Training classes and programs in order to strengthen the adaptive strategies of cognitive regulation of emotion and reduce the use of maladaptive strategies of cognitive regulation of emotion will improve the level of psychological resilience of people. Ethical Considerations Participants received essential guidelines at the start of the study. The researchers gathered informed consent from willing volunteers who agreed to participate. In addition, the researchers upheld the principle of confidentiality for information received from the firefighters of the operational department. The study participants were free to withdraw at any point if they chose not to continue. No one was compelled to persist with the testing and questionnaire process. Authors' contributions The authors contributed equally to the theoretical and empirical aspects of the study. Funding The authors have received no funding for this manuscript. Acknowledgments This research is extracted from the master's thesis of the first author in the Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran (Thesis code: 830620). The authors want to thank all who participated in this study. Conflicts of interest The authors reported no potential conflict of interest.

Introduction Studies emphasize the possibility of cognitive and emotional controlling of creativity. Various studies indicate that emotional and behavioral harassment could be implemented independent of conscious choice and guidance, which could be applied to influence creativity. These studies use external environmental stimuli and preparation techniques to activate mental representations, often based on the theory of embodied cognition, an approach that provides a basis for turning mental states into physical ones and vice versa. In other words, physical states can affect or even induce psychological states and thus affect behavioral outcomes. Over time, the concept that creativity also has a physical foundation has gradually evolved. Research evidence has shown that embodying common verbal metaphors in a specific language, both mentally and physically, can lead to the promotion of convergent and divergent thinking. Therefore, this research raises these questions for the first time: which symbol of embodiment can be attributed to creativity? Furthermore, can such an embodied symbol replace embodied verbal metaphors related to the concept of creativity and be used as a trigger or environmental stimulus to facilitate creativity? Therefore, this innovative research aims to extract the embodied symbol of creativity (based on the embodied cognition approach) and investigate its impact on creativity. Methods This mixed-method research was carried out in two stages: 1) Qualitative-extracting the embodied symbol of creativity and 2) Quantitative-examining this symbol on the level of creativity of industrial design students. First, during a call with the aim of extracting the physical symbol of creativity, the students of theater schools in the country were invited to imagine themselves in a state as if a creative idea came to their mind and then take pictures of their performance state (facial mimicry, shoulder and hand position). Then, the set of submitted images (80 images) was judged by five experts. Next, this symbol was reevaluated and voted on 30 volunteer art students at Tabriz Islamic Art University, so the image with the most affinity for inducing the concept of creativity was selected as an embodied symbol of creativity. In the second stage, to investigate this symbol's effectiveness on creativity, a semi-experimental method was used with a pretest-posttest design along with a control group. The target population included all students in the 4th to 6th semester of Bachelor of Industrial Design at Tabriz Islamic Art University. The sample group included 30 people who volunteered to participate in the research and were randomly divided into two groups of 15 people as experimental and control groups. Before the start of the intervention, both groups took Torrance's Figural test as a pretest (Form B) and were again tested with the same test as the posttest after two weeks. During the posttest, the experimental group, at the same time, was given the embodied symbol of creativity as an intervention, but the control group received no intervention. The data obtained were analyzed using the multivariate covariance methods on SPSS-23 software. Results In the first stage of the research, the images received from 80 theater students showed that 68% of the images are closely similar in terms of facial expressions, shoulder, and hand movements (indicating the "Aha moment"). In the meantime, after the final judging by five experts and voting by 30 art students, Figure No. 1 was chosen as the embodied symbol of creativity with the most votes (13 votes), which was 43% of the total votes. In the second stage, the average age (standard deviation) of the experimental and control groups were calculated as 21.53±0.834 and 21.80±0.941, respectively. In addition, the information about the participants' gender, separated into two experimental and control groups, showed that the gender of the majority of the experimental group members was female (60%), and the gender of the majority of the control group members was male (93.3%). This study examined the impact of tangible symbols of creativity on the creativity levels of industrial design students. The descriptive findings revealed an increase in the creativity post-test scores of the experimental group. This improvement was evident in key statistics like the mean and standard deviation. Meanwhile, the control group's scores remained essentially unchanged. The mean (standard deviation) in the pre-test and post-test of the experimental group was 159.20 (69.68) and 178.73 (59.45), respectively, and the mean (standard deviation) in the control group's pre-test and post-test were 181.13 (59.11) and 180.13 (60.67), respectively. Multivariate covariance analysis tests were used to determine the effect of the embodied symbol of creativity on the level of creativity and its sub-components (initiative, flexibility, fluency, and expansion). However, before the inferential analysis, parametric assumptions were also observed. Shapiro-Wilk test to measure the normality of the distribution of the research variables, Levine's test to check the equality of error variances, M-Box test to check the homogeneity of the variances of the dependent variables, and the assumption of homogeneity of the regression slope. In order to determine the effectiveness of the embodied symbol of creativity on the creativity sub-components, the multivariate covariance analysis test was used, indicating its significant effect on the fluency sub-component of creativity in the experimental group (F=18.54, P<0.01). Moreover, the effect size (Eta square) indicates that the changes in the scores of the groups in the fluency component, as much as 0.436, were caused by the implementation of the independent variable (an embodied symbol of creativity). Conclusion The findings indicate the extraction of the embodied symbol of creativity in the innovative way of this research and its ability as a trigger (effect size 0.436) of the cognitive dimension of the creativity process based on the promotion of the fluency component (F=18.54, P<0.01). However, using this symbol has not affected the other sub-components of creativity (originality, flexibility, and elaboration). The results indicate that it is possible to consider the extraction of an embodied symbol that gives the same visual direction and reference to the mental metaphors of different people about the concept of creativity. Due to its similarity with the representational mode of "Aha Moment", it could advance beyond the boundaries of the Persian language and its mental metaphors to find a cross-cultural application. However, conclusive results in this area require more extensive neurological evidence and experiments. Ethical Consideration Compliance with ethical guidelines This article is extracted from the master’s thesis of cognitive science (design and creativity) of the first author (Thesis Code: 20431050), in compliance with ethical principles, including obtaining consent in order to participate in the research, respecting the principle of confidentiality of participants, providing adequate information about how to research to all the participants and being free to withdraw the research process. Authors' contribution In this research, Susan Dadkhah contributed to developing the initial idea and choosing the title, designing the study method, defining concepts, literature review, research implementation, collecting, analyzing, interpreting the data, and writing the initial draft of the article. Seyed Ali Faregh, as the first supervisor, contributed in title approval, consultation, supervision of implementation, scientific discussions, statement of the problem and data interpretation. Kazem Pouralvar, the secondary, supervisor contributed to scientific discussion, translation, and source support. Babak Amraee, as the research consultant, provided the operational definition of the concepts, sample group coordination, and scientific discussion for data interpretations. All research team members were actively involved in the data interpretation and editing of the final draft. Funding The present research received no funding from any financing organization. Acknowledgments The authors would like to express their grate gratitude to all the theater students participating in this research. Besides, the authors appreciate Ebrahim Nabati, Hossein Nadalizade, Mahsa Dadbud, Hossein Baghban, Mohsen Sheidaiefar, Fakhri Sadat Hasani, Reza Hamedikhah, Narges Kamrava, Azar Mahmoudi, Arezou Belarak, Fatereh Yahyaee, and Setareh Hosseini. Conflict of interest The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Introduction Modern life's most significant stressor is divorce, drastically altering a person's lifestyle. Divorce lowers self-efficacy in women and single mothers. Bandura's social-cognitive theory defines self-efficacy as a person's perception of competence, sufficiency, and life-coping abilities. This study also assessed responsibility. Responsibility is meeting needs without denying others. Psychologists and counselors utilize many methods to boost self-efficacy and responsibility. This study uses acceptance and commitment, and reality therapy. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people alter their connection with their ideas and emotions via acceptance and value-based behavior. William Glasser calls reality therapy a choice-based evolutionary systemic psychotherapy. This theory views humans as an inwardly motivated system with purposeful activity and a perpetual pursuit of life balance. Research indicates that ACT can provide significant support and benefits to women who are going through or have completed the divorce process. In addition to prioritizing action and strategic planning, these two behavioral models concentrate on distinct aspects of human life, which forms the basis of their comparison. This study examines whether ACT and reality therapy, which view destructive relationships as the root of human problems, have the same effect on divorced women's self-efficacy and responsibility. Methods Quantitative and applied, this quasi-experimental study has a pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up with a control group. The statistical population includes all divorced women in Hamedan who were referred to family court-supervised therapy clinics between 2019 and 2021. Inclusion criteria: 1. Participants are assessed for mental health using the Symptoms Checklist-90-Revised questionnaire (Derogatis et al., 1973) and accepted if they are healthy. 2. 25-45-year-olds participate. 3. Divorced 1-3 years. 4. Participants are high school graduates. Exclusion criteria: 1. Psychologically treated participants. 2. Non-drug-treated participants. 3. Missed training sessions. 4. Study participants can quit. Following procurement of the ethical code (IR-IAU-REC.1401.076) from the university, the research team made visits to Rouzbeh, Farzaneh, and Mehravar counseling centers in Hamedan, Iran, to seek permission for conducting research. Eligible individuals signed informed consent papers, and a university staff member led two experimental groups via eight weekly 90-minute therapy sessions. The control group received no intervention. Professional ethics require that control group members receive individual therapies following the treatment period. After the intervention, all groups had a post-test and follow-up and thanked the participants. Collecting data: 1. Responsibility Acceptance Questionnaire (Gap, 1984). 2. GSEQ (Sherer et al., 1982). 3, Reality Therapy Procedure. 4. ACT Protocol. Results A total of 55 participants were divided among three groups: reality therapy (18 participants), ACT (17 participants), and a control group (20 participants). The average age of participants in the reality therapy group was 31.33 years, with a standard deviation (SD) of 4.17 years. Meanwhile, those in the ACT group had an average age of 30.18 years with a SD of 7.04 years. Lastly, the Control group's members had a mean age of 32.20 years and a SD of 4.34 years. Within the group of reality therapy participants, 12 were parents, while six were not. Conversely, in the ACT group, only four participants had children, whereas 13 did not. The control group consisted of seven parents and 13 individuals without children. As for educational background, six members of the reality therapy group and nine members of the control group had graduated high school, while three did not. In the ACT group, nine participants held a high school diploma, six had further education, and two did not complete high school. The control group comprised eight high school graduates, ten with further education, and two who did not finish high school. Regarding marriage longevity, marriages among reality therapy participants lasted between 22.5 and 42.2 years. Couples in the ACT group were married for either 53.5 or 38.2 years, while those in the control group had marriages lasting 15.6 or 18.2 years. Lastly, the average time post-divorce for the reality therapy group was 24.67 to 7.84 months. ACT group had 27.06 and 0.94 months since the divorce. The control group was 26.55 and 7.19 months divorced. Results demonstrate the three research groups' pre-test, post-test, and follow-up responsibility and self-efficacy components. Both experimental groups increased responsibility and self-efficacy post-test and follow-ups. Control remained unaltered. The Shapiro-Wilk values of the dependent variables for the three groups of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up were examined to assess data distribution normality. Both dependent variables were negligible in all three groups and stages. Group and three study stage dependent variables are normally distributed. Levene’s test examined group homogeneity assumption of responsibility and self-efficacy error variances. Levene's test demonstrates that groups and three stages had an equal variance in responsibility and self-efficacy measure error scores. This helps research variable error variance homogeneity. Mauchly's test confirmed the dependent variables' covariance matrices' sphericity. Repeated measures analysis of variance analyzed data after validating assumptions. Results demonstrate the reality and ACT therapy multivariate analysis on responsibility and self-efficacy. Results demonstrate that independent variables significantly affect responsibility and self-efficacy. Results illustrate repeated measures analysis of realism, ACT improving responsibility and self-efficacy. Responsibility and self-efficacy reveal solid group-time connections. Independent variables strongly affected responsibility and self-efficacy. Finally, Findings present responsibility and self-efficacy Bonferroni post-hoc test findings for the three groups and implementation stages. Results show that pre-test and post-test responsibility and mean self-efficacy scores differ statistically. Accordingly, post-test and follow-up differ. Responsibility and self-efficacy scores differ between reality therapy, ACT, and controls. Reality, acceptance, and commitment treatment increased pre-test, post-test, follow-up responsibility, and mean self-efficacy scores. Reality therapy, ACT differ significantly in responsibility and self-efficacy (P=0.015 and 0.042, respectively). This study found that reality therapy and ACT improved divorced women's accountability and self-efficacy. Reality therapy improves divorced women's responsibility more than ACT, which improves self-efficacy. Conclusion ACT increases divorced women's accountability. Afshari et al. (2022) (27), Barrett-Naylor et al. (2018) (28), and Flujas-Contreras and Gomez (2018) (29) found similar results. In the ACT model, participants learn to accept painful inner and exterior situations without fighting or coping. Acceptance lets people follow their values and give up control. This approach emphasizes goal formulation and values defined as the life route. Goals and values are personal. Divorced women have learned that obsessing over previous events and toxic relationships with their spouses does not help them have a worthwhile, rich, and entire life, and they must focus on the present to responsibly create their future. Reality therapy can also make divorced women more responsible. This matches Yadolahi Saber et al. (2019) (7). Reality therapy has proven beneficial in assisting divorced women to embrace self-acceptance, circumvent justifications, and desist from attributing blame to external circumstances or past events. It enables them to confront reality by focusing on aspects within their control—such as their thoughts, actions, and behaviors—while accepting those beyond their reach, such as divorce and external factors. Moreover, this therapeutic approach fosters optimism toward the future while helping them steer clear of common pitfalls. Divorced women may cope with their past and make better choices in the present by addressing their basic needs responsibly. Reality therapy outperformed ACT in enhancing divorced women's responsibility, and this matches Afshari et al study (2022) (27).  Since one of reality therapy's core principles is to increase human responsibility, and a large portion of therapy sessions aim to increase group members' responsibility, reality therapy was expected to be more effective at increasing responsibility. Reality therapy is an existential and experiential therapy that respects the right to choose and requires individual accountability and responsibility. Existential therapies hold people responsible for their actions and choices, not past events, parental behavior, genes, negative events, fate, or unconsciousness. Reality therapists accept these aspects' impact but do not consider them the key determinants. ACT increased divorced women's self-efficacy. Eskandari (2020) (19), Raeesi et al (2021) (33), and Asadi Khalili et al (2020) (34) found similar results. Individuals who doubt their ability to adapt to change or who question their self-worth often find themselves stuck in the initial stage of unawareness. This can lead to a pessimistic view of change. These individuals must build self-efficacy and self-confidence to take action and sustain it. Most therapies—including ACT—require client control. Self-efficacy determines my ability. ACT tasks and values enhance self-efficacy. Flexibility, clarifying beliefs, communicating change, and completing activities can boost self-efficacy and client responsibility in acceptance and commitment therapy. Divorced women gain self-confidence from reality therapy. Asadi Khalili et al (2020) (34), Li et al (2018) (36), and Low and Gue (2015) concur (37). Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to accomplish tasks or adapt to various circumstances successfully. However, crises can significantly hinder this confidence. For example, divorce can lead to mental health issues in women. World therapy offers a solution, aiding women in managing these challenges by facilitating the creation of a supportive environment. Reality therapy has taught participants to face problems, not blame others, use internal control instead of external control, take responsibility, and use all their abilities to handle divorce issues. This method helps women solve problems instead of arguing or fleeing, boosting their responsibility and self-efficacy. The results showed that reality therapy was less effective than acceptance and commitment therapy at increasing self-efficacy in divorced women. Asadi Khalili et al (2020) found similar results (34).  ACT could potentially surpass reality therapy in effectiveness, given its proven strategies. These techniques have demonstrated success in both laboratory and experimental studies involving diverse groups. Reality Therapy, being a more recent approach, is still in its evolving stages. Targeted ACT can give people quick and deep insight, giving them the courage and strong will to plan intelligently, start a program, and continue despite opposition from others or their negative self-concepts, which Steven Hayes says is an effective way to cope with failure. Divorced women agree with Steven Hayes that "the problem is not whether you have hardships and pain in your life, because life is always accompanied by pain and suffering of humans." Your life values these difficulties." High self-efficacy. Reality therapy increases self-efficacy, while ACT is better for some reasons. Reality therapy is more successful in increasing responsibility and self-efficacy in divorced women than ACT. Counselors and psychotherapists can use both methods to help divorced women. The COVID-19 pandemic limited class attendance, limiting this study. Divorced women's issues necessitated frequent follow-ups and encouragement to continue sessions. Social workers may help future studies focus on teaching and therapy. Given the effectiveness of ACT and Reality therapy, therapists and researchers should do a qualitative study combining both approaches to benefit divorced women. Ethical Considerations The Research Ethics Committee has approved this study under permission number (IR-IAU-REC.1401.076). The research method was explained to each participant, and they were assured that their information would be kept private and used solely for that reason. The informed consent form was filled out and signed by the participants, who knew they were not required to participate in the research procedure and might withdraw at any time. The Research Ethics Committee of the Islamic Azad University of Karaj branch also oversaw this study. Authors’ contributions Conceptualization, research design, and resource collection: Saba Hadian, Nahid Havasi Somar; Execution, writing, and drafting of the article: Saba Hadian; Data analysis and processing: Marjan Hoseinzadeh Taghvaee, Tahereh Ranjbaripour; Revised and edited by: Mohammad Ismail Ebrahimi. All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the article. Funding This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors. Acknowledgments This research derives from a doctoral thesis conducted at the Islamic Azad University, Karaj branch. Acknowledgment is extended to all the participants from the test and control groups, as well as those who provided assistance to the researchers throughout this study. Conflict of interest The authors stated that they have no conflict of interest in this study.

Introduction During puberty, menstruation is known as an essential phenomenon for most girls.  Menstrual cycle disorders are prevalent in teenage girls (1). Premenstrual syndrome is a common disorder that occurs during menstruation until menopause. It is characterized by physical, mental, and behavioral changes in the luteal phase of women's menstrual cycle. Premenstrual syndrome starts 6-12 days before menstruation and continues until two days after menstruation (3). If this syndrome causes disrupts a person's family, social, and work activities during her life, it is called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (4). Premenstrual dysphoric disorder affects approximately 5% of women of reproductive age. Its symptoms include emotional, psychological, behavioral, and physiological changes that occur at the end of the last luteal phase and improve within a week after a period (5). Premenstrual symptoms can cause transitory problems in women, such as impairment in physical function and mental health, as well as severe impairments in occupational functions and social aspects (6). The aim of treating premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoria is to reduce symptoms and improve the performance and quality of life of women suffering from these two disorders. Treatment is divided into drug and non-drug treatments, including diet, exercise, and behavioral therapy knowledge-based on cognition, emotion, and behavior. Therefore, negative and irrational thoughts can cause discomfort and problems in people (7, 9). Cognitive behavioral therapy emphasizes that thinking processes are as important as environmental influences. Therefore, negative and illogical thoughts can cause discomfort and problems in people. For this reason, this educational method aims to correct illogical ideas, ineffective beliefs, misinterpretations, and cognitive errors, provide a feeling of control over life, facilitate constructive self-talk, and strengthen coping skills. Since premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder can lead to long-term behavioral and psychiatric disorders such as mood swings, depression, and anxiety, and changes related to menstruation are considered an essential mediating factor in completed suicide (13, 14), this research aims to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in women in the city of Hamedan. Methods The method used in the present research was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a control group and follow-up phase. The study's statistical population included all women aged 18 to 45 in Hamedan, Iran who were referred to obstetrics and gynecology clinics in 2022. The sampling method was purposeful and convenient. Questionnaires were distributed in three large gynecology and obstetrics centers in Hamedan City. Three hundred eighty-four people were selected using Morgan's Sampling Table. After dropping volunteers, 216 participants were selected to complete the Premenstrual Symptom Screening Tool (PSST) questionnaire. Finally, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 40 people were randomly divided into four separate groups of ten people each for premenstrual syndrome (experimental group n=10 and control group n=10) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (experimental group n=10 and control group n=10). The inclusion criteria included being between the ages of 18 and 45, having regular periods, not taking any special medication, and obtaining the required score based on the cut-off point of the screening questionnaire. Premenstrual symptoms with a score of 19-28 were classified as premenstrual syndrome, and a score higher than 28 was classified as premenstrual dysphoria. Participants who scored between 19 and 28 were placed in the premenstrual syndrome group, and those who scored higher than 28 were assigned to the premenstrual dysphoric disorder group. Exclusion criteria included not wanting to cooperate at any stage of the research and not participating in more than two sessions in the study. The data obtained from statistical methods of univariate covariance analysis were analyzed using SPSS version 24 software. Results The results show that cognitive behavioral therapy is effective for women suffering from premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder between 18 and 45 years old in Hamedan city. This section consists of two parts. The first part shows a significant difference between the mean scores of the premenstrual syndrome post-test of the two experimental and control groups (F=8.33, P<0.01). Besides, a significant difference was found between the mean scores of premenstrual syndrome follow-up of the two experimental and control groups (F=28.05, P<0.0001), indicating the durability of the treatment. Therefore, the difference in mean values is significant, and indicatively, cognitive behavioral therapy reduced premenstrual syndrome symptoms. The second part indicates a significant difference between the mean scores of the premenstrual syndrome post-test of the two experimental and control groups (F=9.36, P<0.007). Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the premenstrual syndrome follow-up scores of the two experimental and control groups (F=21.97, P<0.0001), indicating the durability of the treatment. Hence, the difference in mean values is significant, and demonstratively, cognitive behavioral therapy reduced premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms. Conclusion The results indicate that cognitive behavioral therapy, using implemented strategies and techniques, is effective in reducing the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in women. Therefore, this treatment method can be considered a low-risk and safe approach without any side effects. Additionally, considering the duration of the follow-up phase in the present study, it can be said that cognitive behavioral therapy has long-lasting and stable effects over time, making it a promising treatment for women who suffer from future anxiety. Ethical Considerations Compliance with ethical guidelines All subjects received information about the research. They were assured that all information would remain confidential and only be used for research. This research has received the Code of Ethics from the Ethical Committee of the Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch, with the number IR.IAU.H.REC.1401.050. Author Contributions Azin Gilandoust: Designed the general framework, elaborated the content, performed content analysis, and edited the article. Mahnaz Mehrabizadeh Honarmand: Participated in the research design, ideation, and editing and is the corresponding author. Amirhossein Yavari: Text design. All the authors reviewed and approved the final version. This article is taken from Azin Gilandoust's master's thesis, supervised by Mahnaz Mehrabizadeh Honarmand and the counseling advisers of Amirhossein Yavari. Acknowledgments The authors would like to express their sincere thanks to all the participants who participated in the research. Conflict of Interest The authors declared no conflicts of interest in this article. Funding This article did not receive any financial support.

Introduction Family and employment are indispensable components of modern life (1) In this regard, in recent years, the employment of both partners has given rise to widespread changes in family structure and roles (2). Changes in the roles along with those in relationships and family structures in families, including employed couples, result in various issues that can affect not only family life but also working life (3). Marital satisfaction is among the most crucial aspects related to family life that a couple's employment can influence (4). A satisfactory life can lead to more flexibility in managing life burdens, lowering the risk of mental harm, better adaptation, longer life, and lowering emotional health problems (8). Executive functions are regarded as one of the most fundamental aspects of cognitive performance, which turns to control (regulatory) mechanisms mainly used to regulate human cognition and behaviors (47). Theory of mind can play a mediatory role between the variables of executive functions and marital satisfaction. Understanding the relationship between these variables can not only improve and enhance life satisfaction but can also help resolve marital problems and conflicts.  The current study aimed to design a marital satisfaction model based on executive functions with the mediatory role of the theory of mind among employed couples.  Methods The current study can be classified as primary research as far as the research purpose is concerned, and in terms of the data collection procedure, it can be regarded as descriptive-correlational research. The research sample of this study included all employed couples in Tehran, Iran, in 2022. The sampling procedure was clustering-stratified so that two regions were randomly selected from the twenty-two Tehran regions. Then, the intended qualified couples to participate in the research were chosen in each region. There were eleven noticeable variables for each of which twenty participants were considered. The number of two hundred and twenty participants is adequate for the research sample. Accordingly, given the burden involved, five hundred and ten participants were regarded so that the researcher could gain access to the desired sample in case of attrition based on the opinions of specialized figures. Among this group, data from five hundred individuals were suitable for analysis. The instruments applied in the current study were as follows: Barkly Executive Functions Scale: This eighty-nine-statement scale is a self-report instrument that applies for the age range of eighteen to eighty-one and includes five sub-scales which measure five actions including executive action of self-management of time, self-organization– problem-solving, self-control-inhibition, self-motivation, and self-discipline. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for sub-scales lay within the range of 0.80 and 0.92, whereas for the whole scale, the figure was 0.96. Visual Stories Assignment of Theory of Mind: Corcoran, Cahill, and Frith (1997) introduced visual stories to assess the theory of mind, including six visual story cartoons. in this assignment, the participants were asked to put a series of pictures correctly. In the case of failure, the participants were guided by the researcher, and later, they were asked to provide oral explanations for each picture and answer some incorrect beliefs. Correct ordering of the pictures received six points and correct answers to questions were assigned one score. Higher scores are indicative of a person's higher capability in theory of mind. This scale was administered in Iran by Mashhadi et al. (2015), and a reliability coefficient of 0.75 was reported using alpha Cronbach reliability (35). Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale: This scale consists of thirty-five items, which measure four sub-scales of idealistic distortion, marital satisfaction, communication, and conflict resolution. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.68 was attained in this study (39). Results The education of 11% of couples was post-graduate, 50.6% had a bachelor's degree, 33.4% post-graduate degree, and 5% had a PhD 33.4% of the couples were between 25 and 35 years old, 42.4% were between 35 and 45 years old, and 25.2% were 45 years old and older. Besides, 37.8% of couples had one child, 46% had two children, and 16.2% had three or more children.  The results indicated that none of the research variables had a considerable deviation from normal distribution, and skewness of score distribution lay within the range of +2 and -2, while the kurtosis lay within the range of +3 and -3. Hence, the conclusion can be drawn that data are normally distributed. Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) was drawn to analyze the linear relationship between predicting variables, which was lower than ten for all variables. Furthermore, statistics on tolerance were reported to be 0.2 in this study. The frequency table was used to pinpoint univariate outliers, reporting no outliers. Additionally, the results of the Pearson correlation indicated a negative significant correlation between executive functions and marital satisfaction, whereas a positive significant correlation exists between the theory of mind and marital satisfaction (P<0.001). Results showed that the direct paths between executive functions and theory of mind (β=-0.398) (P=0.001) and that of marital satisfaction (β=-0.511) (P=0.001) are significant. Moreover, the bootstrap test in macro program was used to investigate the effect of the mediator variable of the theory of mind in the relationship between executive functions and marital satisfaction, the results of which are indicative of an indirect correlational path. Express differently, the theory of mind as a mediator variable between executive functions and marital satisfaction can directly affect the relationship between these variables. Therefore, the conclusion can be drawn that the theory of mind plays a mediatory role in the association between executive functions and marital satisfaction among employed couples. Conclusion The attained findings from the intended model showed that the theory of mind exerts a mediatory role in creating a relationship between executive function and marital satisfaction. A point can be made to account for these findings regarding the common nervous origin between executive functions and the theory of mind. Imaging studies proved that activities of different frontal regions are involved in the theory of mind and executive functions (53). By affecting the frontal region of the brain, executive functions can strengthen planning during the cognitive processes in the brain and create more constructive social interactions and social behaviors, including theory of mind (52). In addition, in some executive functions, such as cognitive flexibility, it is considerably required that people understand how people feel and think (53). Therefore, any injury to the frontal region can result in a person’s inability to perceive emotional messages and respond to them. Moreover, research in developmental psychology approves the relationship between executive functions and social awareness, particularly the ability to perceive one’s psychological conditions and those of others (54). Ethical considerations All subjects who participated in the research were assured that all their information would remain confidential and only be used for research purposes. In order to respect the privacy of the subjects, the details were not recorded, and their information was analyzed based on the code. Before conducting the research, informed consent was obtained from all participants. Authors’ contribution Tahereh Fazaeli and Hasan Heydari were involved in choosing the topic, designing the study, and defining the concepts. All authors conducted a literature search. Tahereh Fazaeli analyzed the data. All authors discussed the results and participated in editing the final version of the article. Funding No financial aid was received from any organization to conduct this research. Acknowledgments The present study is taken from the PhD dissertation of the first author at the Islamic Azad University, Khomein Branch. The authors thank all the people who helped us implement of this research. Conflict of interest The authors have not reported any conflict of interest.

Introduction In December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the outbreak of a new viral infectious disease that originated in Wuhan, China (1). COVID-19 is highly contagious, causing acute respiratory syndrome (2). This disease has led to the death of more than six million people in the world (3). In 2022, the WHO identified this disease as a significant threat to both physical and mental health due to its impact on lifestyle changes. Adapting to pregnancy, childbirth, and taking care of babies is one of the most critical and stressful events in a woman's life, increasing the likelihood of psychological disorders in women (4, 5). During the COVID-19 pandemic, with the increase in mortality rate and social isolation, the prevalence of many psychological disorders increased (6). It is necessary to identify people prone to these disorders in order to improve the mental health of society with appropriate psychological methods and techniques (7). All of the people, specifically healthcare staff, are at the highest risk of mental disorders (8). Depression, stress, fear, and frustration can make people susceptible to diseases such as Coronavirus (9). Anxiety seems to be primarily due to the lack of information about unknown diseases among people (10). During the pandemic of this disease, stress and fear of the disease and death cause people to be involved with the anxiety of the disease (11). The anxiety of this disease, being quarantined at home, and the closing of many recreational and educational centers has threatened all members of society, exclusively mothers, and have made them susceptible to anxiety disorders, depression, and fear (13). Fear and anxiety among people due to the unknown nature of this disease cause irreparable damage to people's health. Among these injuries, we can mention significant mental disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, panic disorders, and behavioral disorders. Factors that cause these disorders include being away from family, loneliness, receiving false information from social media, financial insecurity, and loss of loved ones. Furthermore, the obligation to observe quarantine and stay away from others can cause people to suffer from depression (14). The importance of the physical and mental health of mothers in society is evident; considering the increasing growth of mental disorders, it is necessary to identify and provide medical services for them (15). Positive psychology emphasizes the increase of mental health and scientific study on the role of personal strengths and positive social systems in promoting optimal health. The goal of this approach is to improve people's living standards. Positive psychology deals with the positive issues of life, such as emotional regulation, well-being, positive thinking, and the like. Besides, it has an effect on improving compliance with treatment and reducing the anxiety of corona in patients (16, 17). Positive thinking refers to the process of focusing on positive emotions and positive behavioral habits. One study on positive thinking shows that it helps in coping with stress, anxiety, and other psychological disorders as well (18). Therefore, in this research, the effectiveness of cognitive therapy based on positive thinking on depression, stress, and anxiety of mothers with a history of COVID-19 has been studied. Methods This study was semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design. The population of the research was all mothers with a history of being infected with COVID-19 in Hamedan city, Iran, in 2021-2022. First, two healthcare centers were randomly selected. Forty mothers, aged 20-55 years, with at least a primary school education and who attended the training sessions, were chosen based on specific criteria. Those with a history of positive thinking courses, psychological disorders, or incomplete questionnaires were excluded. The selected participants were then randomly divided into two groups: An intervention group and a control group. The experimental group participated in the sessions. Over the course of four weeks, participants engaged in cognitive therapy focused on positive thinking, attending two 1.5-hour sessions each week for a total of eight sessions. These sessions introduced participants to key concepts and techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy centered on positive thinking. Additionally, participants were instructed to practice exercises related to these concepts on the same day they were introduced. The educational material was based on Susan Quilliam's book "Positive Thinking and Applied Positivism" (18). In this research, socio-demographics, Beck's anxiety and depression questionnaire, and perceived stress scale were used. Beck's anxiety questionnaire: The internal consistency (alpha coefficient) is 0.92, its reliability is 0.75 with the retest method after one week, and the correlation of its items varies from 0.30 to 0.76 (20). Beck's depression questionnaire: The internal consistency of this questionnaire is reported as 0.72-0.92 with an average of 0.86. Correspondingly, the alpha coefficient is 0.86 for psychiatric populations and 0.81 for non-psychiatric populations. The reliability of Beck's test with the test-retest method is reported as 0.48 to 0.86 according to the distance between the two tests and the studied population (21). Perceived Stress Scale: Cohen et al. reported that the retest reliability of the PSS was 0.85, and the internal consistency of this test was calculated from 0.84 to 0.86 (32). The construct validity of this questionnaire was acceptable P<0.5 (24). SPSS-24 software was used in order to analyze the data. Results Based on the obtained results, 42.5% were between 30 and 40 years old, and 65% had a diploma. The mean of depression, stress, and anxiety in the pre-test and post-test stages is 29.42, 36.07, and 38.72, respectively, with a standard deviation of 6.05, 6.88 and 7.72. The post-test average is 26.42, 34.9, and 33.5, respectively, with a standard deviation of 11.56, 8.54, and 7.35. There was a significant relationship between stress (P=0.000) and anxiety (P=0.024) with mothers' age. The difference between depression before and after positive thinking cognitive therapy was not significant (P=0.310, F=1.244), but this treatment was effective on stress (P=0.038, F=2.486), and mothers' anxiety (P=0.000, F=11.96), with a history of COVID-19, had an effect. The results of checking the assumptions of one-way covariance analysis test are as follows: The groups are independent of each other, the distribution of the dependent variables (depression, stress, and anxiety) is normal, and Levene's test was run to check the homogeneity of the variances of the dependent variables. The test results showed that the variance of the groups is homogenous, and between the pre-test of depression, stress, and anxiety, and the independent variable is a linear correlation. The assumption of correlation between the associated variable and the independent variable has been met (P<0.05) Conclusion Positive thinking intervention reduces the psychological problems of the patients, including depression, stress, and anxiety, which ultimately results in increased life expectancy, adaptation to the conditions of the disease, and better relationships with relatives. In addition, the reduction of problems related to psychological disorders, generally, led to an increase in better mental conditions concerning the Coronavirus disease. According to the results of the present study, it is recommended to use cognitive therapy based on positive thinking psychological clinics and enter as an effective intervention method.  Ethical considerations This article is taken from the master's thesis of the first author. The present research was conducted after obtaining written consent to participate in the research, observing the principle of confidentiality of the participants' information and their freedom to withdraw from the research process. This research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Islamic University of Hamedan branch with the Ethics Code IR.IAU.H.REC.1401.014. The research was designed in such a way that its implementation does not involve any physical or mental harm to the subjects. Moreover, the subjects of the cognitive therapy group based on positive thinking received the relevant training for free. Authors' contributions Somaye Younesi Bahar: This article results from her master's thesis, which was responsible for collecting data, conducting intervention sessions, and analyzing the results. Nasrin Matinnia: The corresponding author and supervisor in conducting the research and editing of the article. Saeid Yazdi-Ravandi: The co-supervisor of the research method and wrote the article. All authors read and approved the final version. Funding The first author paid all costs of this research. Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to everyone who participated in this study during the Coronavirus quarantine conditions and to the respected professors who advised and gave hints in this study Conflict of interest All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Introduction Digital marketing encompasses the entirety of online marketing activities. Organizations utilize various digital platforms, including search engines like Google, social media platforms, email communication, and websites, to engage with both their existing and potential customers. This paradigm shift has firmly positioned online sales as a dominant force, surpassing traditional sales methods. Consequently, the effectiveness of conventional business practices has waned, giving way to the ascendancy of digital strategies that resonate more with contemporary audiences. Enterprises that focus on web-based advertising are often referred to as internet businesses. They center their operations on creating content and analyzing interactions with their customers. Within this context, the evaluation and mastery of content marketing, as well as the production of relevant and engaging content, stand out as pivotal in conquering the digital marketplace. Insights into customer preferences and satisfaction are frequently expressed through online interactions, most notably in the form of comments and feedback. This trove of customer sentiment is paramount significance for marketing and sales of a diverse array of products. These insights catalyze sales growth and facilitate the unhindered exchange of information between consumers, a dynamic not readily achievable through conventional methods. The unfettered dissemination of customer viewpoints and experiences assumes a critical role in influencing purchasing decisions and guiding consumers toward or away from confidentchoices. Hence, it is imperative to establish a robust framework that can seamlessly facilitate the interactive exchange of products and services between businesses and their customers. The practical implementation of such a strategic framework mandates resource investment in terms of time, finances, and access to a comprehensive customer database a resource readily available in the digital age through the ubiquity of social networks. Methods This study employed fuzzy logic for content marketing analysis within the realm of prominent TV brands in Tehran, Iran. Fuzzy logic, a mathematical modeling technique, proved indispensable for addressing the intricacies of ambiguity and inaccuracies inherent in the face of a myriad of uncertainties. The implementation of the model was executed in MATLAB and structured across three pivotal phases: fuzzification, intelligent inference analysis, and difuzzification. The formulation of rule functions typically correlates directly with the number of research variables, as well as the inputs and outputs of the model. This study's research variables encompass the leading TV brands, each assessed under the lenses of cost, dimensions, usage, panel type, quality, level, and resolution. Accordingly, the study encompasses 126 rules classified into high, medium, and low-impact categories within a triangular classification scheme. The model's outputs, aligned with the same triangular format, are divided into these three impact groups. The Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) utilized Mamdani's inference core for the intelligent inference analysis stage. The model's execution entailed processing input data gathered through field surveys and questionnaires conducted within Tehran, with subsequent validation by experts. The data compilation and evaluation variable definition process, incorporating well-known TV brands and customer-centric characteristic attributes, was initiated through an initial database curated on the Telegram platform. Information collection emphasized core keywords acquired over three months from sales channels, internet advertisements, and groups within Telegram. This data corpus encompasses over 550 diverse opinions, functioning as parameters such as cost, dimensions, usage, panel type, quality, level, and resolution concerning various TV brands. These evaluation indicators are spotlighted as pivotal variables, particularly relevant for the major brands under investigation: Samsung, LG, TSL, X-Vision, MGS, and SNOWA products. All brands and indicators scrutinized in the analysis were central to the discussions and interactions among Telegram users. Results This study segment delves into investigating the actions and modeling executed within the research framework. These activities are categorized into three distinct domains: Internet businesses in Tehran, the Telegram network, and the implementation of the fuzzy model. The examination of Tehran's urban landscape through field surveys unveiled the presence of approximately 30 active Internet enterprises. Notably, the primary endeavors of these web entrepreneurs are intricately linked to digital marketing. Within this context, one notable facet of these business operations pertains to the marketing and promoting of diverse TV brands, a pivotal focus of this research endeavor. Collectively, this industry sustains direct employment for an estimated 900 to 1200 individuals, significantly elevating efficiency levels, particularly in the TV sector after mobile phones. Iran, holding Telegram in high regard, acknowledges its prominence as a leading platform for sales and advertising, following the heels of Instagram. The distinctive capabilities of Telegram have garnered pronounced attention within the realm of social network marketing, positioning it as a primary business focus within the Iranian context. This prominence designates Telegram as this study’s the foundational and evaluative framework, as delineated within the methodology. The fuzzy model adopted in this study originates from MATLAB software's fuzzy toolbox. In light of the evaluation outcomes, X-Vision and Samsung have attained the highest content assessment and customer satisfaction ranks. In contrast, SNOWA registers the lowest rank among customers in Tehran, suggesting a general inclination toward foreign product purchases. Thus, a potential deduction is that companies adopting sales strategies akin to X-Vision and Samsung could secure more favorable market positions. On the opposite spectrum, domestic brands, whether due to limited recognition or lack of customer interest, manifest a lower rank than their foreign counterparts, consequently impacting their sales performance. The salient indicators that customers have underscored and accorded special significance to include cost, dimensions, usage, panel type, quality, surface attributes, and resolution. This constellation of considerations significantly influences the selection of TV brands. Notably, cost and quality elements emerge as pivotal considerations among customers, potentially serving as foundational pillars in product provisioning. Therefore, the strategic pursuit of providing high-quality products at competitive prices could translate into market capture, potentially outperforming domestic or lesser-known brand counterparts. Conclusion The current investigation explores the potential prowess of content marketing on the digital landscape, a widely recognized facet of digital marketing. This exploration is steered through applying artificial intelligence underpinned by fuzzy logic. The backdrop for this exploration is set within Tehran's community of evaluators, coupled with the influential Telegram platform serving as the structural foundation. Through comprehensive fieldwork, it was ascertained that within Tehran's online landscape, there exist around 30 active internet ventures. Among these, the digital sale of phones and televisions has emerged as the foremost performer, with content generation forming a robust sector. Pertinent data was collated from Telegram's social networks categorized into TV brands such as Samsung, LG, TSL, X-Vision, MGS, and SNOWA. Attributes defining these brands, including cost, dimensions, usage, panel type, quality, surface characteristics, and resolution, were systematically collected and subsequently integrated into the fuzzy model as inputs. The evaluation process within the fuzzy model hinged upon Mamdani's inference system and triangular functions, generating an output denoting the objective function or the potency of content marketing, a component realized through the MATLAB software platform. Evaluative outcomes unveiled X-Vision and Samsung as frontrunners, having achieved the highest echelons in terms of content appraisal and customer contentment. In contrast, SNOWA lagged behind, holding the lowest rank among these metrics. Concurrently, the pivotal cost and quality considerations emerged as cornerstones among Tehran's clientele, an audience inclined toward economically oriented television pursuits. These considerations echo their practical priorities, underscoring the economic dimensions of their choices. Ethical Considerations Compliance with ethical guidelines There is no involving human participants and/or animals; all data was provided within the article. Authors' contributions Amirhosein Taheri: writing original draft preparation, modeling, validation, investigation, and resources; Mohamad Bashekouh Ajirlo: supervision. Funding This research received no external funding. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for providing invaluable review comments and recommendations to improve the scientific level of the article. Conflicts of interest There is no conflict of interest.

Introduction The issue of justice is a cognitive and complex issue, including many dimensions. Observance of justice in the health system has resulted in individuals in a community receiving fair medical care, which in turn prevents an increase in morbidity and mortality. Healthcare justice encompasses various aspects, including the equitable distribution of resources and facilities, ensuring access to diverse care services, providing care responsive to patient needs, fair financing and allocation of healthcare costs based on financial capacity, efficient management, and the implementation of impartial decision-making processes in resource allocation (6, 7). Notably, one of the basic aspects in the evaluation of healthcare services is the issue of justice, which has become more important during the COVID-19 pandemic (8). This research tried to measure patients' assessment of justice in the health system during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is an essential challenge in Iran and involves all parts of the health system, by designing an intelligent model using Hopfield's neural network. An intelligent model means that the data is stored with minimal user intervention and automatically processing and extracting patterns and connections between a subset of data from these hidden, valuable, valid, novel, and understandable patterns for system learning (similar to experience human learning). Moreover, it can be used to predict the future (9). The design of an intelligent model during the COVID-19 pandemic can be used as a model for future research to design and improve models in other pandemics. Methods This research is applied research based on the method of data collection, which is descriptive-analytical. First, by studying the literature of the previous studies and using the experts' opinions, factors affecting justice in the health system were extracted. Then, a questionnaire was designed, and the data of 109 patients with COVID-19 who visited the medical centers of Isfahan city, Iran, were collected. After confirming the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, data obtained from the questionnaire was used in the intelligent model based on the Hopfield network, and the status of justice in the health system was measured. In order to design an intelligent model, Python programming language was used in the Anaconda environment and CRISP-DM methodology. CRISP-DM methodology consists of six phases: In the problem recognition phase, the problem and the purpose of the problem are explained first. The present research aims to design an intelligent model of a health system based on justice. In the data recognition stage, the data from the questionnaires were collected in an Excel file. This data had 25 columns and 109 rows. The questionnaire of the current research was published online on social networks such as LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Telegram and the like to the people who were infected with the COVID-19 disease and referred to the medical centers of Isfahan city, and some of the questionnaires were also given in person by referring to Al-Zahra hospital. In the data preparation stage, irrelevant and redundant fields were first removed in order to clean the data. Excess spaces and words have been eliminated from the text. Additionally, a 5-point Likert scale was utilized to respond to the survey questions. For this purpose, in order to create uniformity and convert qualitative propositions into quantitative ones, a number was assigned to each of the answers. For example, the word "Very good" was assigned the number 5, "Good" the number 4, "Average" the number 3, "Weak" the number 2, and "Very weak" the number 1. Then, the names of the columns were changed and replaced with English names. In the modeling phase, we modeled the data using the Hopfield neural network, and in the evaluation phase, the accuracy of the model was evaluated using the confusion matrix method. Moreover, according to the requirements, the development and deployment phase can be as simple as producing reports and as complex as the development of repeatable data mining processes. Results Hopfield's recurrent neural network was trained and subsequently, it successfully identified the desired label corresponding to each spike within the dataset. For this purpose, the data was saved in a new CSV file called dataset_with_result.csv. In this file, a column called predicted label was created, which was created according to the specified patterns for each row. The labels "Very unfair", "Quite unfair", "Slightly fair", "Quite fair," "Very fair," or "Very fair" are divided. Then, this study divided the dataset based on the last prediction column of the CSV file and counted the number of data in each of the prediction labels using the count method. The number of labels predicted in table 1 is as follows: Table 1. Number of data in each label Label number Label name Number of data in each label 1 Very unfair 10 2 Quite unfair 2 3 Slightly Fair 28 4 Quite fair 54 5 Very fair 14 The prediction results of the Hopfield neural network for different records show that the highest amount of labels assigned by the network is related to "Quite fair" and "Slightly fair" labels, indicating that the level of satisfaction with justice is not at a favorable level. Moreover, in order to evaluate the results related to the accuracy of the model, the confusion matrix was used. The elements of the main diameter of the matrix represent the prediction of the Hopfield neural network in each of the classes, and the network has determined all the data to be the most similar pattern from the set of training patterns. Conclusion The study employed an intelligent model to examine the state of justice throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for greater focus on equitable parameters within the healthcare system. Considering that most of the labels detected by the Hopfield network were related to "Quite fair" and then "Slightly fair", more and better attention is paid to the discussion of justice during the COVID-19 epidemic. Undeniably, the largest number of predicted labels indicates that the state of justice in the health system is not at an optimal level. More attention should be paid to the components affecting justice in the health system used in the smart model, such as the appropriate distribution of resources and facilities such as medicine, equipment medicine, access to medical centers, sufficient human resources in medical centers, access to COVID-19 diagnostic tests, and the like. The improvement of the disease is effective, the treatment process is faster, and the death rate and cases of this virus are reduced. The topic of justice within the health system emerged prominently during the coronavirus pandemic, highlighting a critical social crisis. However, this concern is not unique to COVID-19; it surfaces with each pandemic or epidemic that strikes. Evaluating the degree of justice in our health system is both important and necessary. Thus, this study lays the groundwork for future research aimed at assessing justice through innovative methods. Ethical Considerations Compliance with ethical guidelines This study was conducted following ethical principles, such as the consent of participants, respect for the confidentiality of patient information, and freedom to leave the research process. Authors' contributions Saeed Setayeshi: Involved in research design. Fatemeh Chelongar: Involved in collecting and analyzing data. All the authors were involved in writing and editing the manuscript. Funding No financial assistance has been received from any organization. Acknowledgments This article is the result of the first author's Master's thesis in Information Technology Management at Allameh Tabataba'i University. The authors would like to thank all the people who contributed to this research. Conflict of interest The authors reported no potential conflict of interest

Introduction Language has long served as a tool for thought and communication, fulfilling our social needs. Understanding its role in cognitive functions presents significant implications, particularly in the realms of education and research.  In the meantime, the Thinking Aloud Protocol is one of the methods used for a long time to collect data and find complete information in social science research, such as reading, writing, decision-making, and tracking activities. In its simplest form, the Think-Aloud Protocol reveals a person's thoughts while executing a task. This verbal reporting method is extensively employed in psychology and cognitive science to understand cognitive processes. Therefore, using this method and applying it in research and training of people, it is possible to find a better and more comprehensive understanding of the level of capability in doing cognitive, learning, and behavioral tasks. The Think-Aloud Protocol method is applicable to a wide range of people, and its application and use can be effective in decision-making and policy-making in the field of education and research by teachers, researchers, policymakers, and relevant officials. Methods This research is based on a qualitative approach conducted through a systematic review. The statistical population of the research is all the articles that have dealt with this issue in information sources. The data collection tool is also a checklist. The research involved a systematic review of peer-reviewed, published articles across both Persian and English databases, including ISC, Web of Science, Eric, Sid, Irandoc, and Magiran. This process was conducted in multiple phases, utilizing specific keywords. The study meticulously extracted and reported relevant findings and significant data, and then the Think-Aloud Protocol will be explained.. The second step is search for information sources. In this regard, the English keywords "Thinking-Aloud Protocol, verbal thinking, thinking aloud, verbalizing thinking TAP", and "Education and Research" using Boolean expressions and combinations and in foreign databases including Emerald, Google Scholar Science Direct, ProQuest, Web of Science, Eric, Scopus, were used. The third step is theselection of studies. Research articles, reviews, conferences, and parts of the book were selected regarding the educational and research aspects of thinking aloud. The fourth step isdata analysis. Data were combined using classification schemes. The fifth step isthe presentation of findings. The findings were presented in the form of tables. The sixth step is the interpretation of findings and conclusions. Results Seventeen themes emerged regarding the use of the Think-Aloud Protocol in education. These include: Enhancing multitasking in writing, such as managing planning, drafting, and revising concurrently. Influencing one's knowledge base.   Fostering the generation of novel ideas. Promoting deeper individual reflection and critical thinking. Supporting lesson planning and pedagogical strategies. Facilitating idea generation, review, and comprehension processes among learners. Assisting in information processing and decision-making for research participants. Improving material understanding and cognitive engagement. Increasing social interaction and promoting communicative exchanges among subjects. Demonstrating flexible and intentional cognitive processing by participants. Enriching classroom discussions Guiding problem-solving behaviors, leading to more effective solutions. Enhancing teaching methods.  Monitoring student progress.  Proving significance in educational outcomes. Encouraging participants to become reflective, metacognitive, and autonomous learners. Enabling participants to articulate what they find beneficial or not and to share their experiences with tried activities. The Think-Aloud Protocol has 13 applications in research, which include: Supporting studies on cognitive processes and immediate participant reactions. Offering insights into decision-making and foundational reasoning in complex cognition. Creating frameworks for coding and analyzing cognitive and emotional processes. Enriching content analysis with detailed information. Providing a deeper understanding of cognitive processes, authorial reflections, and thoughts. Monitoring individual perspectives on specific subjects. Revealing participant cognitive processes during research progression. Serving as an effective method for precise and trustworthy data extraction in metacognitive studies of reading and mental strategies. Facilitating objective data analysis in research. Ensuring intermediate reliability in coding. Offering a glimpse into concealed activities and aiding inferences about subconscious events (e.g., prediction, visualization, connecting text to prior knowledge, comprehension monitoring, and addressing word recognition or understanding challenges). Supplying immediate, unfiltered data in research. Simplifying the application of the Think-Aloud Protocol and utilizing summarization to demonstrate text comprehension and semi-structured interviews to corroborate protocol findings and assist in retrospective analysis. Also, the concepts of diagnostic tools to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of students in reading, showing rich information about how to perform mental activities that are not visible (activities such as how learners solve problems, the problems they face, and to what extent and in what contexts do they use specific strategies in a learning task) are concepts that point to the use of the think-aloud protocol in both teaching and research. Conclusion The Thinking-Aloud Protocol has features and applications that educational and research administrators can use to provide data about people's mental state and make the necessary planning and decisions based on it. Furthermore, since people in the world today are faced with a lot of information, transferring and organizing this information requires sufficient training and skill, which is an effective and efficient way to think aloud as a method of simultaneous verbal production in the processes of psychology and cognitive sciences. This approach has numerous applications in education and research. It fosters innovation and strategic thinking in students, laying the groundwork for academic advancement. Moreover, this method offers direct access to data. Since it does not interfere with an individual's mental processes, it yields a truthful account of their mental states and thoughts. This enables genuine and practical research, which is invaluable when researchers seek authentic and unfiltered data. The information gathered is a precise mirror of the subject's account, allowing for clear observation by the researcher. The Think-Aloud Protocol helps to increase the learners' capacity to solve problems, and they learn to be patient in their learning process and find solutions to their problems. In addition, one of the uses of the Think-Aloud Protocol in education, and a large number of researchers have pointed out this point, is that it enriches the classroom discourse. Read-aloud protocols are used as a data source for analysis, as well as a research tool. As a result, this method can be considered as one of the best methods for extracting sufficient and reliable data to study the invisible metacognitive awareness of readers and the use of mental strategy. Ethical Considerations Compliance with ethical guidelines This research has fully observed ethical issues such as plagiarism, publication, or double submission. Ethics Committee Code: IR.UMSHA.REC.1402.035. Authors' contributions Athara Naghdinejad: Introduction and statement of the problem and theoretical foundations. Ahmadreza Varnaseri: Review the final project report, edit the text, and present the project report. Hadis Bagharian: Analysis and extraction of data and implementation of the plan. Seyed Abedin Hosseini Ahangari: Design idea, preliminary study, and initial design presentation. Mohammad Reza Amiri: Revision of the article. Funding This article is extracted from a research project approved by Hamadan University of Medical Sciences with code 140205244064. Acknowledgments The researchers of this article would like to thank the research group of the Journal of Advances in Cognitive Sciences, the reviewers, and others who sincerely helped us. Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Introduction In complex systems, various activities lack coordination, making their identification challenging—a persistent issue over time. A particular cell is active in response to stimuli with specific properties so that the cell may contain information about those properties. All cells provide potent signals but cannot tell where information processing occurs in a particular brain region. The hypothesis underlying the imaging technique claims that a cell contains information about the stimulus, causing it to fire mechanically, so the cell can be interpreted as detecting that feature. Recently, this hypothesis has been challenged by researchers who have noted that most cells respond and process information at different speeds. The present study aims to answer this question: Are the results obtained from fMRI reliable or not? The history of fMRI development has two distinct paths for research and development: the first path of physics led to the discovery of nuclear magnetism and its subsequent application in the development of magnetic resonance imaging, and the second path in physiology was to discover changes in cerebral blood flow using MRI and describe the response by blood oxygen levels. The primary goal of these experiments was not to generate new knowledge about brain activity but to replicate well-known neuroscience theories. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they used it to discover further information about the brain. Methods This research assesses the reliability of outcomes by consulting the perspectives of philosophers of science specializing in neuroimaging techniques. It employs philosophical argumentation and conceptual analysis, practices typical in cognitive science philosophy.   Results BOLD in each brain region is tested by testing the null hypothesis of a statistically significant difference between the conditions desired by the researcher. In fMRI studies, the null hypothesis asserts that an experimental condition does not inherently influence the observed MR signal. In this way, the neural activity in the target area remains unchanged during the cognitive test. The P-value indicates the probability of observing the data under the null hypothesis. The second step compares the P-value with the predetermined significance level (α). Suppose the P-value is less than this level of significance. In that case, the data is statistically significant, and the active region of the brain is functionally substantial, allowing the researcher to reject the null hypothesis. Deborah Mayo argues that if the inferential method has very little chance of providing evidence against hypothesis H, even if H is false, then one can intuitively deny that the data are evidence for H. The stricter condition is known as the full severity principle, indicating that if Hypothesis H passes the t-test, the data provide good evidence for Hypothesis H. Mayo further states that conclusions and theories can be based on local evidence. One way to counter Mayo's emphasis on empirical knowledge is to point out the key roles that theory plays in science, which she ignores. Theories may be criticized not by empirical tests but by showing that they are incompatible with other theories. Chalmers argues that theories are fundamental components of scientific knowledge. Therefore, they cannot be interpreted merely as heuristic guides to actual empirical knowledge developed independently of them. Likewise, Empirical knowledge cannot be justified without appealing to some theory. Similarly, Klein criticizes the testing of statistical hypotheses, such as the t-test in fMRI research. As explained, if the P-value is lower than the predetermined significant threshold, the null hypothesis is rejected, and it can be concluded that there is a statistically significant difference between the control and experimental conditions. He believes meaningful results can be obtained even when no natural effect exists. Various factors can make this happen. For example, when significant activity is observed in a brain region as a result of performing a cognitive test, this activity is likely interpreted as significant because the significance threshold was chosen freely and permissively. According to Klein, freely choosing the significance threshold harms the reliability of inferences drawn from fMRI data. The statistical nature of the inference in fMRI makes the inferences drawn from its data unreliable, as no agreement exists between the views of probability and their reliability. On the other hand, if all parts of the brain are essential for a function, the null hypothesis is always false, and the severe test of Mayo's statistical significance cannot be used. Conclusion The present study shows that cognitive theories do not explicitly predict brain function. How these predictions follow from their plausible theories and how psychological theories about the brain can be justified is still underdetermined at this stage. If fMRI data disproves or confirms a theory, they can be consistent with the data because these theories do not make precise predictions about brain functions. As mentioned, there are different theories about the neural circuits of fear. Each scientist makes fMRI data consistent with his mutually exclusive theory, and this, as Klein calls it, is an impasse. Additionally, it is impossible to reach a reliable conclusion by making the test conditions difficult and passing the success of the hypothesis from the severe test conditions because these features and statistical tools are full of statistical hypotheses. The problems of the theory-ladenness nature of neural images and the reliability of conclusions cannot be solved by using the science of statistics. Ethical Considerations Compliance with ethical guidelines There are no ethical considerations in the research relevant                   to this study. Authors' contributions This article is excerpted from the lead author's master's thesis in Psychology Department at Isfahan University. All three contributors collaborated in selecting the subject and refining the final manuscript. Funding No financial support has been received from any organization for this study. Acknowledgments This article is the result of a study conducted for a master's thesis at the University of Isfahan, which was not possible without the support of two respected professors. Words cannot express my gratitude towards them. Conflict of interest The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Introduction Education is a practical field, similar to medicine, where the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, and sociology have played significant roles in its evolution (1, 2). However, the rapid development of neuroscience during the past decades has encouraged some educators to view neuroscience as an additional interesting and valuable source of information and seek to translate the neural mechanisms of learning and development into educational applications. Such works marked the emergence of a new learning science, known under different titles such as "educational neurosciences" or "mind, brain, and education science", more known among other labels. This new science of learning is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to integrate the concepts, methods, and findings of neuroscience, education, and psychology to better understand the nature of learning and development and, accordingly, to improve educational policies and practices (3-11). The field is advancing quickly, with a wealth of information purportedly based on the neuroscience of learning. Therefore, evaluating this body of knowledge is essential to diffuse what can be trusted and used in real educational environments and what should be debunked (12-24). The main focus of this article is the widely known discovery of mirror neurons that have been invoked to explain some educational phenomena, including imitation and learning by observing, which have long been used as powerful strategies for learning. Methods The first part of the article describes the continuum of information in educational neuroscience, ranging from what is fact and what is myth (4, 6, 14). From this continuum, it is possible to categorize information in the field into four categories, as shown in Figure 1. “Well established”                               “Probably so”                  “Intelligent speculation”                                 “Neuromyths”   “The best applications”                                                                                                                 “The misapplications” Figure 1. The continuum of information in educational neuroscience in terms of scientific validity and educational relevance Accordingly, the information in educational neuroscience can be grouped into four categories: well-established (information with strong evidence of effectiveness, such as neuroplasticity), probably so (information with moderate evidence of effectiveness, such as sensitive periods), intelligent speculation (information with limited evidence of effectiveness such as gender differences and learning) and neuromyths (information with insufficient evidence of effectiveness such as right brain/left brain learning (4, 6). Following a brief description of four categories of information about the learning brain and its application to education, the current research was reviewed to identify mirror neurons' position on the information continuum in educational neuroscience. Results In 1992, a team of neuroscientists led by Giacomo Rizzolatti discovered a new network of neurons in the premotor cortex of macaques that was activated both when the monkey performed a specific motor function such as grasping and when the animal observed the same action performed by someone else (25-30). Such neurons were known as mirror neurons, and it was proposed that they provide the basis for many of humans’ social abilities, including imitation, empathy, action understanding, theory of mind, and language acquisition (31-33). In such a context, it did not take long for efforts to translate findings about mirror neurons into clinical and educational applications. In the field of education, in particular, it was thought that the discovery of mirror neurons has helped us understand the neurobiological bases of observational learning, imitation, and mind reading, and such an understanding contains clear messages for learning and education (34-36). In 2009, seventeen years after the discovery of mirror neurons, scientists reported for the first time that they had observed neurons in the human brain (37), and education researchers continued to describe the function of mirror neurons in the learning process. They recommend that teachers get to know the nature and function of mirror neurons so that they can communicate more effectively with students (38-40). At the same time, educational neuroscientists argued that educators are required to be very cautious with interpreting mirror neuron findings (41-43). However, subsequent research suggested that mirror neuron data sometimes is misinterpreted (44-47). For instance, Gregory Hickok reexamined the mirror neuron story and concluded that it had been built on a tenuous foundation (44-46). Rizzolatti and colleagues responded to Hickock’s criticisms (48, 49), and the research of mirror neurons continues to generate intense debate (50). Despite this constructive criticism, some scientists have shown that mirror neurons are sometimes misinterpreted, but they have also made significant advances, which should encourage further, more systematic research (30). Taken together, mirror neuron findings and their interpretation have been highly controversial, and controversy over such studies' educational implications is also being followed. As previously noted, educational applications of brain research can be viewed as a continuum that ranges from "the best applications" to "misapplications". Therefore, the idea of mirror neurons and its application to education and learning may be included in the category of intelligent speculations. The concepts in this category have not yet been approved and supported, and in the future, they may be added to the first category (i.e., scientific facts), or they may join the fourth category (i.e., neuromyths) (4, 6). Therefore, the educational implications of mirror neurons are not applicable in the classroom because still no solid evidence and logic was observed to support their scientific validity and educational relevance (17). However, this does not mean that research in the field of mirror neurons should be stopped. On the contrary, it indicates that studies about mirror neurons should be designed more carefully, and the results should be interpreted cautiously (51). Thus, as Heyes and Catmur (30) have concluded, mirror neurons should not be tarnished. They still have the potential to be explored as an essential structure in the human brain. Conclusion While mirror neurons have been a topic of interest among neuroscientists and educators alike, this review suggests that much of the existing data on mirror neurons do not support the conclusions. Thus, at this point, much research remains to be done, and educators should view mirror neurons as an intelligent speculation. That means they must be careful in interpreting educational applications of mirror neuron literature. A need to open a constructive dialogue existed between educational and social neuroscientists to formulate research proposals focusing on understanding the socio-emotional aspects of learning. Such collaboration can significantly improve our understanding of the nature and function of mirror neurons as well. For instance, it is suggested to investigate whether mirror neurons play a role in forming implicit curriculum (52), what is learned but not explicitly intended to be taught to students such as the behaviors and attitudes conveyed through schools' social structure and interactions between teachers and students. Ethical Considerations Compliance with ethical guidelines Ethical approval is not required since the data synthesized in this review are the results extracted from already published studies. Authors' contributions The author of this paper has not received any contribution to the writing process. Funding The author received no financial support for the present research, authorship, and publication. Acknowledgments The author thanks the reviewers for their guidance and constructive feedback on the article. Conflict of interest The author declared no conflict of interest.