Advances in Cognitive Sciences
Year:2008 | Volume:10 | Issue:2 (38)|Papers Count:8

Background: This study tested the hypothesis which holds that metacognitions are a general vulnerability factor for psychological disorders. It was predicted that patients with schizophrenia and patient with anxiety disorder would score higher than non-patients on measures of metacognition. Method: This research is an analytical study and was carried out using a cross sectional method. The two groups of patients participating in this study were selected from among patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals, and who were diagnosed with schizophrenia (n=32) and anxiety disorder (26 with social phobia, 28 with obsessive compulsive disorder), by psychiatrists and psychologists according to DSM-IV- TR criteria. To increase the validity of diagnoses, clinical interviews were carried out for the patients based on DSM-IV criteria. Then both the patient and non-patient (n=30) groups were evaluated using the metacognition questionnaire. Results: The results showed that patients with schizophrenia exhibit higher levels of dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs than the other groups. The group of patients with anxiety disorder scored lower than the patients with schizophrenia and higher than the non-patient group. Also, the non-patient group exhibited healthier and more functional metacognitive beliefs than the patient groups.Conclusion: Metacognitive beliefs are general vulnerability factors for psychological disorders in general and psychoses in particular.

Objective: The aim of this study is the assessment of knowledge and attitude of a group of Armenians residing in Tehran, toward addiction and illicit drugs. Method: The study was carried out on 47 Armenian participants selected from an addiction prevention workshop in May 2007 in Tehran. All Christians living in Tehran were systematically informed about the workshop. Results: Hopelessness, psychological problems, availability of drugs and relationship with drug users were considered by the participants to be major factors for the initiation of drug abuse. The majority believed craving, lack of sufficient family support, and an ongoing relationships with drug abusers to be the most important factors involved in relapse. They also regarded treatment follow-ups and counseling with rehab centers as the most important factors in the prevention of relapse in treated drug abusers. Most participants had adequate knowledge about the available drugs and their hazardous effects on the society. Conclusion: Regarding the prevalence of drug addiction in religious minorities, psychologists and school counselors ought to teach the adolescent students of those communities, the ways to deal with addiction and illicit drugs, so as to provide them with higher knowledge and more correct attitude towards addiction and drugs.

Introduction: Clinical and psychometric studies of personality have shown that in contrast to categorical classification of mental disorders, in pathological characteristics of personality, there is a behavioral continuity between the symptomatology of psychotic patients and non psychotic individuals in different dimensions. There are two major approaches for the evaluation of psychotic characteristics, which are reflected in questionnaires. The Schizotypal Trait Questionnaire (STQ) represents the clinical perspective, while Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) represents the psychometric perspective in the evaluation of psychotic characteristics in personality. The aim of the present study is to compare these two instruments on the basis of psychotic characteristics, with regard to the Iranian psychometric characteristics of these questionnaires. Method: The current research which was carried out in an ex-post facto research context, is a descriptive cross-sectional study. A group of 304 normal participants (164 females and 140 males) from different schools of Shiraz and Allameh Tabatabaie Universities took part in this research. Data were analyzed using multivariate regression analysis. Results: Neuroticism is a better predictor of psychotic characteristics than psychoticism. The relation between schyzotypal and borderline personality scales and their factors with the neuroticism scale of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, is stronger than their relation with the psychoticism scale. Conclusions: These findings are in line with previous research results which have shown that schizotypal and borderline traits are more related to N rather than P scale of EPQ; because typical symptoms of psychosis are not observed in these patients. In addition, since the P scale of EPQ is more indicative of antisocial behavior, a low correlation with this scale was predictable.

Background: Evaluation of mental functioning of individuals by a brief cognitive test before referring them for more detailed examination is a common practice in the diagnosis of dementia. Such tests are usually referred to as "screening tools". Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the most widely used screening tool of dementia which has been translated and standardized in many languages and cultures. The present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of MMSE and to provide its normative values in the elderly population of Tehran, and was implemented in two phases. Method: In phase 1, the MMSE scores of 101 patients with dementia (Mean age=76.3±6.6) diagnosed according to the dementia definition of 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and staged by Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) was compared with the scores of 104 cognitively intact elderly individuals (Mean age=71.5, SD= ±7.5), all with at least 4 years of formal education. In phase 2, MMSE was implemented on 370 community dwelling elderly individuals, and the results were categorized in two age and educational groups in both sexes. Results: Findings showed a satisfactory reliability and validity (0=0.78) of MMSE; and in the cut point of 21 it showed 90% sensitivity and 84% specificity. There was significant correlation between MMSE scores and the age and educational level of the controls (p=0.0001). Conclusion: MMSE is a valid and reliable test for using as a screening tool in the elderly population of Tehran. However, data must be interpreted regarding age and educational norms.

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare executive functions/attention of children with neuropsychological/developmental learning disabilities and normal children in the city of Isfahan. For this purpose, 20 four to six year old children with neuropsychological/developmental learning disabilities and 20 four to six year old normal children (with no neuropsychological disabilities) were selected using multistage random cluster sampling from among preschooler children in Isfahan, and their functions were compared using executive/attention test. Method: The method of study was causal comparative.The instruments of this research consisted of neuropsychological test of NEPSY, Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) and the checklist of neuropsychological/developmental learning disabilities for preschool aged children. Results: There was a significant difference between the executive functions/attention performance of preschool young children with neuropsychological/developmental learning disabilities and normal young children. Conclusion: Preschool children with neuropsychological/developmental learning disabilities have serious problems in their executive/attention functions.

Objective: The present study was carried out to examine the development of word and context fluency in bilingual children (Turkish-Persian and Kurdish-Persian). Method: In this study, which was a basic type examination, 1000 bilingual Kurdish-Persian and Turkish- Persian primary schoolchildren were selected from among schoolchildren of the cities of Sanandaj and Tabriz, using relative level sampling. The subjects participated in one perceptual cue task (initial letters) and one conceptual cue task (categories). Results: The findings showed that the number of Persian words had had an increasing trend from grades 1 to 5 in both cities, with a more regular increase for category cues than for perceptual cues (initial letters). Kurdish-Persian and Turkish-Persian students did not show any significant difference in different grades. However, the patterns of change and development of the number of words in category tests were different. Also, boys showed a better performance than girls in both tests in general. In addition, students from Tabriz generated more words than students from Sanandaj in perceptual cues. Discussion: The developmental pattern of the number of words in bilingual Turkish-Persian and Kurdish-Persian students is different in tests of category cues; however, such a difference is not present in tests of perceptual cues.

Objective: In the present study, the effect of bilateral intrahippocampal administration of histamine on anxiety-related behavior in rats was investigated. Method: The rats were first sensitized through 3 days of morphine administration and a 5 day drug-free period. The animals were then examined in a plus shaped maze. Results: Intra-VHC bilateral administration of histamine decreased %OAT (Open Arm Times) and %OAE(Open Arm Entries) but not locomotor activity, thus showing an anxiogenic response. However, the administration of histamine to morphine-sensitized rats increased OAT and OAE in comparison with saline administered groups, which is indicative of a decrease in anxiety in the sensitized animals. Conclusion: Bilateral administration of histamine in ventral hippocampus induces an anxiogenic effect, which decreases in morphine sensitized rats Naloxane antagonizes the effects of morphine on anxiety.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate standardization, reliability, validity and factor structure of "Danielson's Social Skills Assessment for Children" in normal and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder primary schoolchildren. Method: For this purpose, 271 schoolchildren in the city of Isfahan were selected using random cluster sampling, and 45 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were selected using simple random sampling from psychology and psychiatric clinics in Isfahan. Danielson's Social Skills Assessment for Children was administered to both groups. Results: The alpha coefficient was 0.74 for the normal group. Factor analysis using varimax rotation revealed 4 factors (Prosocial, Aggression, Peer relationship and Communication subscales) which comprised more than 41.68 of the total variance. The percentile rank and t-test were used as norms of Danielson's Social Skills Scale. The concurrent validity coefficient for the total scores and group memberships were 0.71. Analysis of differences showed the cut-off point of 65.69, sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 91.5%. Conclusion: Based on the results, it could be concluded that Danielson's Social Skills Scale is a reliable and highly valid scale for using in psychological studies and clinical activity.