PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Year:2007 | Volume:9 | Issue:3-4|Papers Count:7

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between persons with high and low emotions in cognitive processes i.e. selective abstraction, personalization, and over generalization. For this purpose by administering the Larsen and Diener Affect Intensity Scale (1985), sixty participants showing high affect (n=30) and low affect (n=30), were selected from 310 college students. Members of the two groups were paired and each two-person team watched two blocks of slides (each block consisting of 40 slides, of which 15 had a neutral affective load and the remaining 25 had either positive or negative affective load). Following the presentation of each positive or negative affective load slide group, a 37 item questionnaire was administered to the participants. Nine items of this questionnaire were related to the three cognitive processes mentioned above. Results showed that persons with high affect intensity used relatively stronger such cognitive processes, compared to persons with low affect intensity (P<0/05). The results of this research showed that in addition to depressed persons, normal persons with diverse emotional levels (especially persons with high intensity affect) also use the three cognitive processes.

In this study the relationship between attributional styles, stressful life events, and general health was examined. 120 subjects were selected using the multi-stage random sampling method. Subjects were given the ASQ, SRRS & GHQ-28 questionnaires. Based on the subject's scores in the ASQ test, they were divided into two groups of optimists (n= 49) and pessimists (n= 42). Comparison of the means of optimists and pessimists showed that they were not significantly different in the number of stressful life events (P>0.05) but they were significantly different both in terms of necessary readjustment resulting from these events (P<0.05) and general health (P<0.01). In addition, simultaneous multiple regression analysis showed that stressful life events and attributional styles could predict the general health of subjects (P<0.001) and attributional style was found to be the best predictor of changes in general health at 99% of confidence.

Little research has been done about the psychology of religion in Muslims, even though Islamic ideology, due to pervasive commands in almost every aspect of life, has really wide effects on its followers. The relationship between religious attitudes and locus of control has been of controversy, rendering paradoxical results. Observation of gender differences in religion and locus of control has not been congruent either. The aim of this research was to assess the relationship between religious attitudes and locus of control and the role of gender in these variables in a sample of Muslim university students. 179 undergraduate university students (96 male and 85 female) from three disciplines (humanistic, basic sciences, and engineering) were assessed for locus of control and religiousness through questionnaires. A relationship between religion and internal locus of control was found in female participants. There were significant gender differences in religion, in favor of females and in locus of control, in favor of males. These findings have some important implications for professionals and others; the association between religiousness and internal locus of control can result the disproval of this common stereotype that religious attitudes necessarily bring about an external locus of control. Females are more religious than males and males have more internal Locus of Control probably because of their different biopsychosocial conditions.

The aim of this research was to examine the role of personality traits and learning approaches on university students' academic achievement. On a sample of 419 subjects (214 male and 205 female), the abbreviated version of the Big Five factor Inventory and the Study Process Questionnaire were applied. Using path analysis, the direct and indirect effects of personality traits on learning approaches (deep learning and surface learning) and, academic achievement were tested. Results showed that openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness have a significant positive effect on the deep learning approach, while openness and conscientiousness have a significant negative effect and neuroticism and extraversion have a significant positive effect on the surface learning approach. The indirect effect of openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness on academic achievement through the deep learning approach was significant and positive while, the indirect effect of conscientiousness and openness on academic achievement through the surface learning approach was significant and negative. However, the indirect effect of neuroticism on academic achievement through the surface learning approach was significant and positive. In general, the results of this research demonstrate that attention to the role of personality traits and learning approaches on university students' academic achievement is crucial. Implications of these findings are delineated for teachers.

This study aimed to assess the mediating effect of phenomenal or perceptual field on the relationship between self-concept and nutrition behavior based on Rogers ' client centered personality theory. Previous studies have failed to take into account the mediating role of perceptual field in the study of such relationship. As Rogers suggested self-concept is not a direct determinant and organizer of behavior (in this case nutrition behavior), but it is determined by the perceptual field involved in such behavior (in this instance health perception and knowledge). The hygienic lifestyle of 505 (347 male and 158 female) undergraduate students selected through random cluster sampling was measured using a self report questionnaire adapted from Smith and Maurere (2000). This questionnaire consists of 50 questions on a Likert scale. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Results showed that the path coefficients of self-concept over perception of health was 0.37 and perception of health over nutrition behavior was 0.90 (p< 0.01) respectively. However, the same value for a direct elation ship between self-concept and nutrition behavior was -0.03, thus being statistically insignificant. Results showed the importance of perception about health as a mediating variable in relationship between self-concept and nutrition behavior.

To investigate the efficacy of "eye movement desensitization and reprocessing" (EMDR) in reducing earthquake anxiety and negative feelings resulting from earthquake experience, 41 persons who underwent the stress of the earthquake in Barn, were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and waiting-list control conditions. Participants in the experimental condition participated in 4 sessions of EMDR using a software program, and were multiply assessed before, after and at a one month follow up. Results of the comparison between the experimental and control group and the comparison of pretreatment and post treatment measures indicated that, EMDR is effective in reducing earthquake anxiety and negative emotions (e.g. PTSD, grief, fear, intrusive thoughts, depression, etc) resulting from earthquake experience. Furthermore, results show that, improvement due to EMDR was maintained at a one month follow up. Also, the use of EMDR in the waiting-list control group indicated that this technique is effective in reducing earthquake anxiety and negative emotions resulting from earthquake experience. These findings are consistent with the findings from many other studies on efficiency and efficacy of EMDR in treatment of anxiety, phobia, PTSD, grief, and other unpleasant feelings resulting from traumatic experience. Furthermore, the findings show that, clinical practitioners can successfully use software, such as the one employed in this study, for the EMDR treatment, even in a group format.