Advances in Cognitive Sciences
Year:2020 | Volume:22 | Issue:1|Papers Count:12

Introduction: The purpose of this research was to study the relationship between visual search, some individual characteristics, and violations of vehicle drivers. Methods: In this correlational study, 548 subjects aged 18 to 90 years, were selected by cluster sampling method. We used a questionnaire to assess the rate of driving violations and individual characteristics and CogLab software to measure visual search. Also, hyperactivity disorder in individuals was investigated through the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, partial correlation and multivariate regression at a significance level of 0. 05 and SPSS-20 software. Results: The results showed that there was no significant relationship between age some accidents and ADHD. There was a negative and significant relationship between age and self-reporting violations. Furthermore, a high index of ADHD positively related to self-reporting violations. In the following the results of correlation among the number of driving violations with visual search showed a negative and significant relationship among most of the variables. The results of linear regression showed that age negatively and number of accidents, ADHD, lack of conjunctive absent (number of distractors=4), and feature absent (number of distractors=64) positively can predict about 28% of driving violations variance. Conclusion: As age increases, the amount of self-reported violations is reduced. The positive relationship between ADHD and the total number of accidents and self-reported violations indicates an inadequate ability to attention and focus, low control to conditions, and impulsive behaviors that could lead to this relationship. Also, with decreasing age, as well as the increasing people's visual search ability, the rate of self-reported violations increases.

Introduction: Hearing impairment affects all aspects of an individual's life, while applying cognitive rehabilitation program based on memory has been associated with practical outcomes. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation programs based on memory on the behavioral problems and working memory in students with hearing impairment. Methods: The present research was a semi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test design, and control group. The participants were 26 girl children with hearing impairment from schools in Isfahan city using a convenient sampling method. Subjects were divided into experimental and control groups, each group consisting of 13 children. The experimental group received ten cognitive rehabilitation sessions based on memory, while the control group did not. The instruments were the Child Behavior Checklist (2001) and Working Memory Test Battery for Children (2017). Data were analyzed using MANCOVA. Results: The results showed that cognitive rehabilitation program based on memory had a significant effect on the behavioral problems and working memory of subjects (P<0. 0001). Conclusion: According to the findings, cognitive rehabilitation program based on memory improved behavioral problems and working memory in students with hearing impairment. So, this program can be used to improve behavioral problems and working memory of these students and planning for providing a cognitive rehabilitation program based on memory for them is of particular importance.

Introduction: Reduced specificity of memories is one of the significant cognitive processes in depression. This study aimed to examine the impact of autobiographical memory specificity training on depression and co-rumination in depressed female students of Isfahan University in 2018. Methods: The research was semi-experimental and designed using the pre-test and post-test for both experimental and control groups with a two-month follow-up period. Twenty depressed female students were selected as purposive sampling, and they were randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and control. The research tools were the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Co-Rumination Questionnaire (CQ). The experimental group underwent autobiographical memory specificity training for five sessions per week, and the control group received no intervention. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance. Results: According to the results of the research, the autobiographical Memory Specificity Training led to improved depression in the experimental group in the post-test (P>0. 05) and follow-up (P<0. 05). Consequently, the results showed that the autobiographical memory specificity training had no significant effect on the experimental group’ s co-rumination scores in the post-test and follow-up. Conclusion: Generally, it can be concluded that autobiographical Memory Specificity Training is an effective way to reduce depression. Due to the ease and a low number of sessions, this training can be used along with other treatments to reduce the vulnerability to depression.

Introduction: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is considered as a chronic mental disorder accompanied by emotion dysregulation, dysfunctional interpersonal relationships, and self-injury. Despite a wealth of research on the neurocognitive process in BPD, there is no studies provide evidence for associations between BPD, RS, ARS, attention bias, and working memory (WM) functions. The present study aimed to investigate relationships between emotional WM operations, attention bias, rejection sensitivity, rumination, and BPD symptomatology; and compare BPD individuals with and without NSSI on these mentioned variables. Methods: A sample of 39 participants with BPD + NSSI, 47 with BPD-NSSI, and 46 healthy participants were selected. The research tools included the Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDIII), Anger Rumination Scale (ARS). All participants performed an emotional two-back task, and the dot-probe task. Results: The more significant levels of borderline pathology, anger rumination, and rejection sensitivity were related to slower discarding angry and pain stimuli from WM and a higher level of attention bias to anger and pain. The obtained results revealed that people with BPD symptoms with and without NSSI show attention bias to anger and pain stimuli and are notably slower at discarding angry and pain stimuli from WM. BPD patients with NSSI were also slower at entering happy stimuli into WM compared to the other groups. Conclusion: This study’ s findings could point to a deficit in AB and WM operations to anger and pain cues that can help clinicians and researchers, make interventions for improving these cognitive dysfunctions in people with BPD with and without NSSI.

Introduction: People with post-traumatic stress disorder suffer from different cognitive and emotional problems. Meta-analyses studies investigating PTSD cognitive functions have been revealed that working memory and speed processing are two vital components that can explain PTSD's cognitive dysfunctions. This study aims to investigate emotional working memory capacity and speed of processing via an emotional working memory capacity task. Methods: A total number of 50 participants (20 PTSD, 15 Non-PTSD, 15 healthy control) from road traffic accident recruited via social media advertisements. All participants screened based on SCID and then invited for the working memory and speed processing assessment session. In this study, The Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Hopkins Symptom Checklist, and emotional working memory capacity task has been used. Results: Mixed ANOVA repeated measure has revealed that speed processing in the PTSD group is significantly lower than the Non-PTSD group. Also person correlation has revealed that in the PTSD group reaction time in the adequate correct response trials with trauma-related distractors has a negative correlation with avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms and also there is a significant negative correlation between reaction time in the correct responses in trials with white noise distractor and intrusion-related symptoms in PTSD group. Conclusion: It seems that exposure with vague distractors (white noise) can result from more intrusion and less cognitive efficacy, requiring more investigation in future studies.

Introduction: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of the most abundant neurotrophic factors in the adult brain associated with synaptic plasticity, learning, memory and cognitive processes reinforcement. The advent of val66met polymorphism in codon 66 of the BDNF gene, disrupted this protein's secretion. The purpose of the study is to investigate of the effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor single nucleotide polymorphism on memory score and memory quotient. Methods: One hundred native male students from Kashan University, Iran (mean age 21. 60 ± 2. 20) were randomly selected. After extraction of Genomic DNA, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was implemented by forwarding primer 5-ACTCTGGAGAGCGTGAAT-3 and reverse primer 5-ATACTGTCACACACGCTG-3, analyzing PCR by 1. 5 percent Electrophoresis Gel. In the end, sequencing by ABI PRISM 7000 Sequencing Analyzer, some participants were identified without val66met polymorphism while the others were affected by the polymorphism (met-carrier). We used Wechsler memory tested assess memory score and memory quotient of participants. Also, we used from SPSS software for data analysis and test the research hypothesis. Results: Results revealed that people without the polymorphism were significantly better than met-carriers in memory score and memory quotient (P<0. 001). The study of Wechsler's subscales showed that this superiority was more affected by logical memory subscales and associative learning. Conclusion: In general, the results represent the effect of val66met polymorphism on memory and memory quotient, so that the existence of this polymorphism in some people may weaken their ability in compression with people without polymorphism, due to disruption of BDNF secretion.

Introduction: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder includes three subtypes predominantly inattentive (ADHD-I), predominantly impulsive/hyperactive (ADHD-H), and predominantly combined (ADHD-C) that has formed a heterogeneity disorder due to differences in pathology and syndrome. This study aimed to evaluate the Electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics of ADHD subtypes. Methods: Subjects included 61 boys (7-12 years old, normal intelligence) with ADHD (ADHD-I, N=25; ADHD-H, N=14 and ADHD-C, N=22) and 43 typically developing children (TDC). The groups were matched for IQ-and age. Children were investigated regarding Child Behavior Checklist and brain electrical activity during eyes-closed resting state (i. e. EEG power in delta (1-4 Hz), Theta (4-8 Hz), Alpha (8-12 Hz) and Beta (12-30Hz) frequency bands. Statistical analysis included a 2x2 factorial design by the additive model. Results: Theta/Beta ratio was higher in all ADHD subtypes, especially the ADHD-I subtypes, compared to normal children. Besides, in the ADHD-I subtype, theta activity was higher and beta activity was lower than Theta. No significant difference found between the groups in delta and alpha activity. Conclusion: According to these results, EEG markers can better distinguish the ADHD-I subtype, which can be explained within the framework of the maturational lag model of the central nervous system.

Introduction: The attention is a gateway for learning and a limited resource. Attention cognitive model helps to perceive and use it efficiently. This research aimed to find an intelligent model for a different level of attention. Methods: Developing a cognitive model based on the attention network task and brain signals. The model builds on machine learning techniques. The initial research population consists of 92 adult volunteers who completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales test (DASS-21). Based on the test results, 31 subjects selected and invited to take Attention Network test and during the test, brain signals were captured for this purpose, Brain-computer Interface (BCI) was used and a model constructed based on different levels which used subject's brain signal, reaction time and test result. Results: Data were classified based on different machine learning methods such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and Adaboost. The correct classification rate for these classifiers is 68, 90, and 87 percent. Conclusion: The final model is selected based on the accuracy. So the KNN classifier has better generalization and it estimates test data better than other classifers. The desired Nero-cognitive model is based on the results and KNN classifiers are the best option for these types of cognitive models which is difficult to gather data and the dataset's size are small.

Every human being always tried to define death to reach a solution to life, maybe forever. He always faced with such questions: what is death? When can we say somebody died? We have two main approaches in medicine to define death: Cardiopulmonary death, which means the irreversible cessation of the cardiopulmonary system (heart and lungs), and brain death which means the irreversible cessation of brain functions. The second approach promoted by way of using ventilators, which could revive brain death Patients. So brain functions became the most important criterion to define death. Now the question is: if the irreversible cessation of cognitive activities in the brain is the criterion to define death or the irreversible cessation of the cardiopulmonary system? Moreover, if we choose the first, which property or function can be the criterion to define cognitive activity? According to this study's findings, it is concluded that the irreversible cessation of cognitive activities in the brain is the criterion to define death. Accordingly, human beings are trying to find a reason why awareness is the right criterion to define cognitive activity.

Introduction: The present study aimed to examine the spatial-temporal mapping in Persian based on Lakoff and Johnson's conceptual metaphors theory to find the temporal frame reference its adoption sources. The metaphor of "time as space" is based on the hypothesis that we adopt an abstract concept such as time from an objective concept such as space and conceptualize it in our minds and languages. Methods: The required data were analyzed by designing five experimental linguistic and non-linguistic experiments to achieve the research objectives. Experiments include temporal word arrangement, the arrangement of temporal stickers/tokens, and language elicitation with Wednesday meeting, picture arrangement, and co-speech gesture. One hundred fifty-five male and female students aged 18 to 54 from Islamic Azad University of Khorramshahr Branch and Abadan University of Medical Sciences participated in these experimental experiments. Results: Samples’ percentage and frequency of occurrence illustrated that lateral axis from right to left adopted from Persian writing direction; sagittal axis back to front adopted from walking direction, looking direction, linguistic metaphors; lateral axis from left to right adopted from mathematics writing direction are the main sources of adoption of abstract temporal concepts in Persian. Conclusion: This research implied that the adopted frame of reference and the sagittal or lateral axes are strongly influenced by the type of task, pattern and design of the experiment, the given concepts, language and linguistic metaphors, and cultural artifacts.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the cognitive skill rehabilitation program on improper badge marking of primary school students. Methods: In this research, the participants included elementary students in Khorasan Razavi province in the academic year of 2017-2018 and a descriptive research method of a semi-experimental type. Using purposeful sampling, firstly, elementary students at the third grade in the School of Mashhad were studied by a researched logbook in terms of handwriting problems. After identifying students with poorly-labeled badges, ten of them were randomly selected to receive instruction and trained for 12 sessions (45 minutes) each session lasted one hour. The data gathering tool was a review of the research problems of the research line, which was used as a record sheet for behaviors that have a lasting effect. The student's line of problems is examined in this notebook and the teacher identified and introduced students with line problems through observing and reviewing the student's line and responding to the checklist. Results: The results revealed that the program's reconstruction of perceptual skills had an impact on reducing primary school students' poblems. Conclusion: In addition to the physical and educational dimensions affecting the reduction of linguistic problems, it should be noted that other factors such as personality traits of the student education, should be considered. According to the observations made during the training and evaluation, has a significant role, so education should not only focus on one dimension and ignore other dimensions.

Introduction: Computer programs are crucial as a tool for rehabilitating and enhancing executive functions in children as an innovative approach. However, there are conflicting results on the effectiveness of these results. The purpose of the present study is to conduct a systematic review of experimental studies. Methods: This research is a systematic review study in which all articles published in the period were investigated from April 2011 to the end of March 2012. The present study was conducted at the internal databases SID, Magiran, and other databases, such as Google Scholar and PubMed, with the Persian and English keywords to find articles on the Internet. One hundred forty-five published articles were retrieved in Persian and English. Finally, reviewed were obtained only 23 related Persian articles because Latin article is lesser in period time. Results: In most articles, research without considering limits have been used in cognitive rehabilitation software without standardization and adaptability of language. Also, the articles' lack of longitudinal such as follow-up, this study is focusing on a partial cognitive function. Besides, the impact of cognitive rehabilitation has been neglected in daily activities and verbal learning. Conclusion: Computerized rehabilitation is used as an appropriate treatment for psychology. The computerized cognitive tasks in environmental education can be a good treatment, as well as other psychological interventions, and an approach to positively affect the performance of children. Actually, that more effective method is computer cognitive training with direct and individual education so that this issue needs to develop and design a Persian program.