ADVANCES IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE
Year:2002 | Volume:3 | Issue:4|Papers Count:18

This study compares the locus of control between two outpatient groups of children and adolescents who have either Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or one or more of the internalizing disorders (ID), using the Multidimensional Measure of Children's Perception of Control (MMCPC). We found an overall high mean score for internal locus of control in both groups. Further, significantly higher mean scores in internal control, social and physical - success in ADHD groups were found. A positive correlation between the age of the ID group and unknown and powerful others control were seen as well. Our findings confirm the relationship between behavior disorders in children and self report ratings of locus of control.

Our century in psychology, is called the cognitive century. One of the cognitive processes which could cause problem for adolescents, is the learned helplessness. It was hypothesized that cognitive restructuring training could help adolescents to reduce learned helplessness. The purpose of this research was investigating the efficacy of cognitive restructuring training on reduction of learned helplessness in secondary school students in Hamedan. For this purpose 100 students were randomly selected and the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) was administered. Twenty subjects with the lowest scores were selected and randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The experimental group received 8 sessions of cognitive restructuring training. The group assignment was considered as the independent variable and the post-test scores as the dependent variables. Using the covariance analysis, results showed that the cognitive restructuring training, had a significant effect on reduction of learned helplessness.

Fourteen sexually abused girls aged 12-13, were randomly assigned to receive either EMDR or SIT. Participants and their parents completed Child Report of Post Traumatic Symptoms (CROPS), and Parent Report of Post Traumatic Symptoms (PROPS), pre and post treatment. Results indicated that there was significant influence only on the PROPS. But there was a significant impact on both these instrument (CROPS & PROPS), with EMDR. In evaluating CROPS and PROPS, factor analysis with SIT illustrated that, externalizing and internalizing symptoms in PROPS and avoidance thoughts and behaviors in CROPS were treated. Further the results gathered from factor analysis with EMDR, showed that internalizing and somatic symptoms in PROPS and self harm, depression feelings and also somatic symptoms in CROPS improved as well. Clinical findings also suggested that EMDR and SIT did not have any significant differences in treating posttraumatic symptoms. Factor analysis found that, EMDR was more effective than SIT in treating somatic symptoms of sexually abused girls.

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between educational achievement of students on one hand, and metacognitive perceptions of students as well as their parents on the other hand. The hypothesis of the study was that metacognitive perceptions of parents affect educational achievement of students through metacognitive perceptions of students. To test the hypothesis, 201 secondary school students (81 boys and 120 girls) filled a questionnaire that evaluates metacognitive perception of students, and their perception of those of their parents on metacognitive perception. Scores of students in final exams in mathematics and Farsi were used as criteria for these assessment of educational achievement. Results of this study confirmed the hypothesis and emphasized the important role of metacognition in educational achievement.

Riskfull decision making (RDM) is one of the most common cognitive processes involved in everyday social life. There are many instruments available for the assessment of RDM; the best known is the Gambling Task (GT). The authors have designed two Persian versions of GT (one computerized and the other combining computerized and manual use). These versions were tested in two groups of young people in Iran in two separate experiments; the first group included 34 university students and the second group was comprised of 83 high school students. Results of both experiments showed that subjects tend to avoid loss, more in terms of the number of losses. In the author's view, these results could reflect a unique cultural cognitive processing, that is characterized by avoidance from harm, regardless of its scale.

The main objective of this article was to determine the relationship between psychological sciences and culture. Firstly, the culture and it's elements were reviewed, which are the global approach to the universe and the values. Then, it was proposed that there are two stages in scientific work, the context of discovery, and the. context of justification. Lastly, I looked at the psychology in terms of its methodology to see how it has been influenced by the culture. With regards to the scientific methodology, which is used in psychology, the elements of culture can influence the context of discovery of hypothesis and suggest the materials of study. But in the context of justification of the hypothesis it can be evaluated just by experimental methods. We conclude that in each culture we can have psychological findings which have been influenced by culture but evaluated by experimental methodology.

The present paper discusses implicit memory (compared to explicit memory) as a new phenomenon in memory research. First, ideas about implicit memory are considered very briefly from historical point of view. Then, as in recent studies, two lines of research are discussed; i.e., subliminal stimuli and repetition priming studies. These studies, especially priming studies, show that explicit memory are affected differently by various variables. While explicit memory tests are affected by the levels-of-processing and the interval between encoding and retrieval stages (forgetting effect), implicit memory tests are not affected. On the other hand, while implicit memory tests are sensitive to modality and mood changes, manipulated both at encoding and at retrieval, memory tests are unaffected. The findings related to amnesic patients are impaired with respect to explicit memory and are intact with respect to implicit memory.There are two theoretical explanations for this double dissociation between explicit and implicit memory. The processing view suggests that there is a single and integrated memory system and the discrepancy between explicit and implicit memory are explained the different natures of relation between encoding and retrieval processes or procedures. The multiple memory systems view, which is more promising and supported by empirical evidence, claims that each of these two types of memory is supported by an independent and separate system(s). Although these systems interact with each other, they follow different rules, however.

Around 70 years have elapsed since psychology was first called "Elm-e-Rooh" in Iran. If the growth of this organism; had been normal, it would have been mature and therefore productive by now. However, the problematic history of psychology in Iran has been affected, partly by psychological characteristics of Iranian psychologists and their interactions, and partly by socio-cultural factors. The present papers aims to explore the different aspects involved in such dilemma, and to explain the obstacles to normal development of this branch of knowledge in Iran. Undoubtedly, the young generation of Iranian psychologists need to reshape and reaffirm the murky image of such essential scientific discipline.