INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Year:2010 | Volume:3 | Issue:4|Papers Count:15

Introduction: This research studied the efficacy of group logotherapy on life expectation in patients suffering from cancer at Shafa hospital in Ahvaz. Method: This is a semi-experimental with control group study. Samples included 40 patients bellow 45 years that were under treatment in June 2007 at Shafa hospital of Ahvaz. Samopling method was head counting. At first, all the patients passed the Miller life expectation test. Then, 40 patients with the least scores were selected as sample group and were divided randomly to two 20 member experimental and control groups. The experimental group received group logotherapy in 10 sessions each lasted 45 minutes (one session each week). After that, Miller inventory life expectation was administrated again as the post-test to all samples. Data was analyzed using analysis of variance. The significance level was p<0.05. Results: There was significant differences between increasing life expectation in both experimental and control groups (p<0.001). Conclusion: Group logotherapy increases life expectation in patients suffering from cancer.

Introduction: Since human resources are one of the most important wealth in any organization, studying and identifying related factors to these resources that influence on organizational performance, is from most important worries. On this basis the purpose of this study is Examining Interaction between Personality and Metamotivational Styles of one of government centers personnel on their Job Performance.Method: for this purpose 327 male personnel selected by on available sampling method. Data was collected via 5factor personality inventory, Apter metamotivational styles profile and 360 degree feedback. Data was analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis.Results: the results showed metamotivational styles based on personality, and personality based on metamotivational styles have mediating role in prediction of job performance. So result supported the interaction between metamotivational styles and personality on job performance. Conclusion: the results of this study were supported by few studies that have done in this field. Based on the results can use from personality characteristics as a factor for employment of human force and use of motivational programs appreciated to personnel,s styles as a factor for improvement of job performance in organization.

Introduction: This research was to investigate the relationship between dimensions of organizational culture and job stress among oil refining company staffs. Method: A sample of 248 staffs randomly selected from oil refining company and filled two questionnaires; namely organizational culture and symptom of stress & sources of stress. Results: The overall results showed significant negative correlation between dimensions of organizational culture and job stress dimensions (p<0.01). 21% of variances of job stress were predicted by cooperative organizational culture subscale and 32% of variances of organizational culture were predicted by job stress subscale (symptom of stress, under load role, conflict between coworkers, loneliness, over load role, work environment, lack of control). There was an interaction between organizational culture and symptom of stress. Conclusion: However, the job stress scores are low, but on the long run, it is better to increase the cooperative organizational culture in order to reduce job stress.

Introduction: The effectiveness of child-centered play therapy on decreasing the symptoms of externalizing disorders in preschool children was investigated in this study. Method: Out of 120 preschool children, 10 children who had received the highest scores in externalizing scale in child behavior checklist (CBCL) were selected as the sample group. Teachers filled out the teacher report form (TRF) for each child. Members of sample group received 16 play therapy sessions in two member groups for eight weeks. Mothers completed CBCL forms after forth, eighth, twelfth and sixteenth sessions. At the end, teachers completed the TRF again. Results: Repeated measures analysis revealed a significant decrease in overall externalizing and aggressive behaviors scores. Comparing means of TRF scores in pre-test and post-test indicated a significant decrease in externalizing behaviors in the kindergarten. Means differences of first and second post-test as well as third and forth post-test scores were significant in externalizing scale and both aggressive behaviors and breaking rules subscales. Conclusion: Child-centered play therapy is an effective therapy for externalizing problems and this effect is more obvious for aggressive behaviors. Additionally, most remedy is occurred between first sessions and last sessions and the process was not salient in middle sessions.

Introduction: Application of psychophysical tasks in evaluation of selective attention at secondary mental performance among patients and normal subjects is a widely accepted technique especially in the field of neuropsychology. Dot-probe task is one of the measures of selective attention both in depression and anxiety disorders. This task originally used words as stimuli, which has limitations due to linguistic and cultural restrains. The current study carried out to develop a modified version of this task, replacing words with emotional faces and examine the validity and reliability of the task. Method: A modified version of dot-probe validity and reliability was examined in a sample consisted from 40 adult healthy subjects. Results: Acquired data revealed the validity of pictorial stimuli and reliability of subjects' answers to pictorial stimuli. In addition, selective attention scores were not found correlated with the educational level and subjects' gender that indicates the independency of the task evaluation of selective attention from demographic characteristics. Conclusion: The designed task is valid enough for initiating cross-cultural studies and is suggested to researchers for this type of research.

Introduction: This study investigated the role of working memory components (central executive, phonological loop, visual-spatial sketchpad) in mental addition of preschool female children. Method: 30 randomly selected preschool female students of elementary schools of Zanjan city with IQ ranges from 100 to 115 were tested by backward, forward and Corsi span tasks and mental addition problems (standard and nonstandard) that presented with verbal and non-verbal forms. Results: Statistics analysis by pearson correlation and regression methods showed a significant relation between backward span and performance in non-standard verbal problems and also between forward span and performance in standard verbal problems. There were no significant correlation between any of working memory components and non-verbal problems. Conclusion: Central executive is a good predictor of performance in mental addition specifically in non-standard verbal problems. In these problems, there are irrelevant information and annoying stimulus that must be inhibited. Central executive role in controlling attention and maximizing function is significant. However, in standard problems, there is no such request and only problems number and requests must be hold. In these problems, involvement of phonological loop is evident.

Introduction: The first aim of this study was to verify Sternberg's claim that the theory of mental self-government is applicable to academic settings in Iranian publication. The second was to future explore the utility of measuring intellectual styles (a general term encompassing such style constructs as cognitive, learning and thinking styles) in addition to measuring personality. Method: The thinking styles inventory and the big five traits inventory were administered to 419 students (214 male and 205 female) in Iran. Data was analyzed using correlation and hierarchical regression. Results: The results supported Sternberg assertion regarding the validity of the theory of mental self-government in academic settings in Iranian college students. Moreover, findings suggested that it was meaningful to investigate intellectual styles in addition to examining personality. Conclusion: Although there is some systematic overlap between personality and thinking styles, it certainly makes sense to mention thinking styles and personality separately in different setting such as educational ones.

Introduction: The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between effect of university as a mezzo-contextual factor on identity formation in young females. Method: Two groups of 96 female freshman (18 and 19 years) and senior (23 and 24 years) students were selected using cluster sampling method, as well as two control groups (same range of age) with no higher education (n=51 and n=60) using available sampling method. Participants were completed the EOM-EIS2. Pair wise comparisons were made using chi-square analysis. Results: Significant differences were evident between senior students and their control groups in interpersonal level and between freshman and senior students in both ideational and interpersonal levels; whereas no significant difference was observed between freshmen and their control group. A higher level of frequency was evident in all groups for moratorium status than diffusion, foreclosure and achievement statuses. Conclusion: Results indicate a positive relationship effect between the university contexture and the ideational and interpersonal identity formation. However, this effect relationship was more dominant in interpersonal level than ideational. People in the range of 18 to 24 tend to be in moratorium status and progress of identity achievement is very slow.

Introduction: This research was to evaluate the effect of progressive muscle relaxation training on life quality of PTSD war veterans' wives. Method: This clinical trial quasi-experimental study was carried out on 28 war veterans' wives in Tehran city. They were divided into interventional and control groups, randomly. The educational program was performed for intervention group at 3 sessions each lasted 2 hours during a week. However, no training was performed on the control group. The quality of life in both groups was determined before, 6 weeks after (follow up stage) and 12 weeks after training (final test) by SF36 questionnaire. Data was analyzed by SPSS 11 program and statistical tests. Results: According to independent t-test results, there was no significant difference in quality of life mean score before training between two groups (p>0.05) but after intervention, the same test indicated a significant difference between two groups (p<0.001). Paired t-test revealed a significant difference between the quality of life mean score before and after in intervention group (p<0.001). Also, the ANOVA test showed that there was a significant difference in total mean score of quality of life in intervention group before, after and in final test (p<0.001). Conclusion: Relaxation program training to war veterans' wives promotes their life quality.

Introduction: This study was carried out in order to evaluate the relationship between psychological constructs of DASS scale and coping strategies. Method: 251 college’s student of psychology department of Shiraz University (194 female; 57 male) were selected, randomly. Carver’s coping strategies questionnaire and DASS scale were used for data collection. Data was analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, step-by-step regression and one-way ANOVA. Results: problem-focused coping strategy was found to correlate negatively with the stress, anxiety and depression. Negative emotion-focused coping strategy was found to correlate positively with the stress, anxiety and depression. Conclusion: Problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping are effective in the reduction of stress, anxiety and depression in long term.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to prepare norm scores and determine the validity and reliability of skills confidence inventory (SCI) in Isfahan University students. Method: 420 students were selected by cluster random sampling method and SCI was administered to them. Applied method was descriptive statistic including correlation coefficient and computing T scores and percentile rank. Standard norm table was developed for students. Results: Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the six scales were ranged from 0.75 to 0.82 and test -retest reliability was 0.71 to 0.84. Validity coefficients or correlation between SCI and Strong interest inventory ranged from 0.46 to 0.72 and were significant at 0.01. Conclusion: SCI is valuable instrument for evaluation of skills confidence and has satisfactory reliability and validity for university students.

Introduction: The main aim of this study was to investigate the working memory capacity in high depressive symptoms and non-depressed female students. Method: By using screening sampling method, 41 students with high depressive symptoms in Tarbait-e-Moallem University were selected. 41 non-depressed students were selected as control group, randomly. The instruments were Beck depression inventory (BDI) and clinical interview and working memory index (WMI). It was utilized the MANOVA for analyzing the data. Results: Depression was negatively related to working memory capacity. Students with high depressive symptoms and non-depressed group were significantly different in all working memory subscales. Conclusion: Slow response and sensitivity to task complexity are the main problems of depressed student in working memory tasks.