ADVANCES IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE
Year:2013 | Volume:15 | Issue:3 (59)|Papers Count:12

Introduction: Some evidence suggest that poor reading is partially related to basic visual function deficiencies, including: distance visual acuity (DVA), near visual acuity (NVA), accommodative facility (AF) and saccadic eye movements (SEM).There are few controversial studies investigating the efficacy of vision therapy on reading abilities (i.e. reading accuracy, type and frequency of reading errors and reading comprehension). The aim of this study was to explore any possible effect of basic visual function therapeutic interventions on reading and phonological abilities in monolingual Persian speaking students.Method: This quasi-experimental study assessed the basic visual functions of 10 poor readers from primary schools in Tehran (mean age=10.2 years, female=3, male=7) and a sex-age-matched control group (mean age=10.5) using the Snellen chart, ±2.00 D lenses and a fixation-refixation technique. Each participant was enrolled in the study following basic assessments of his/her general cognitive functions, reading skills and basic visual functions. The Assessment of the Persian Reading Abilities (APRA), Spoonerisms and Raven's Progressive Matrices were also used in both groups. Poor readers received 5 weeks interventions for AF, SEM, only. Both groups were retested in 5 weeks and then one month later.Results: At baseline, poor readers performed significantly worse than controls in reading accuracy (p<0.01), reading comprehension (p<0.01), SEM (p<0.01) and AF (both near & distance p<0.01) with no significant differences on DVA, NVA. After vision therapy, the poor reader group showed a remarkable improvement in reading accuracy (p<0.01) and reading comprehension (p<0.01) associated with the enhancement of both AF (both near and distant, p<0.01) and SEM (p<0.01).Conclusion: Visual therapy appears to improve basic visual functions, reading skills and phonological abilities. The latter improvement may be due to the saccadic intervention that may improve magnocellular function and in turn enhancement of the higher cognitive performance such as attention.

Introduction: Autism as a developmental disorder of the brain is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and stereotyped or repetitive behaviors and in some cases, cognitive delays. Despite prevalent speech problems in almost one fourth of autistic children, there are few reliable interventions to improve their speech output. This study investigated the effects of the Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) (Albert et al.'s model, 1973) on speech output in Persian-speaking autistic children. Although the positive effects of MIT on autistic children's speech are vastly reported in other languages, no report on its effects based on the characteristics of Persian language has ever been published.Method: An easy version of MIT, adapted for Persian language was designed by researchers. Then, after a successful pilot study on a 10 year-old boy for one month, 13 subjects were selected for the main study. The subjects were all autistic, male, right-handed 7-10- year old Persian children who underwent MIT for 48 sessions each 20-30 minute during 16 weeks. Background information was gathered from their parents using related questionnaire.Children’s speech sounds were recorded in a natural linguistic context. As pretest and post-test, some assessments were accomplished, such as NEWSHA, the Persian developmental scale which was used to assessing the speech and expressive language skills. Similarly, to investigate the quality of speech, MLU (Mean Length of Utterance), speech rate, number of verbs and echolalia were assessed after phonetic transcription. Finally, data analysis was done using the SPSS software.Results: Our findings indicated a significant increase in MLU, speech rate, number of verbs in sentence (P=0.001) as well as a significant decrease in the percentage of echolalia (P=0.007) following MIT. Furthermore, in NEWSHA, Persian developmental scale, there was an apparent post-MIT improvement in speech and expressive language skills in our subjects.Conclusion: There seem to be convincing evidence for the positive effects of melodic intonation therapy on the Persian autistic children's linguistic features. It is therefore recommended as a supplementary method in speech rehabilitation of the autistic children.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of Wells Meta cognition therapy on controlling of obsessive thoughts of a particular case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.Method: Maudsley obsessive-compulsive inventory, Meta cognition questionnaire, Bell adjustment inventory and Dass-21 were completed in first and last session of the therapy by the case. The case received 13 sessions of Meta cognition therapy. Data was analyzed before and after of therapy by charts and percentages differentiation.Result: The analyzed show that Meta cognition therapy was effective in decreasing both positive Meta cognition beliefs and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In addition this therapy indirectly caused increasing of adjustment, specially home and emotional adjustment.Conclusion: MCT was remarkably effective for reducing obsessive thoughts which were resulted by positive beliefs about obsessions, also it caused improving adjustment.

Introduction: The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of psycho-motor skills training on executive functions of pre-school children with non-verbal learning disabilities in the city of Isfahan.Method: In this quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test controlled-study we used the sequential random sampling method from the city of Isfahan (2011-2012) during which twenty preschoolers aged 5 to 6.5 years who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited and assigned to either experimental or control group. To obtain basic neuropsychological data, the valid and reliable CONNERS’ questionnaire was employed. Findings were tested with analysis of covariance using the SPSS.16 software.Results: Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in mean executive function subscales of the questionnaire between the two examined groups upon post-test (p<0.05).Conclusion: As our findings pointed out, psycho-motor skills training appear to improve performance (executive function subscales) thus helping to overcome some neuropsychological difficulties in young children with nonverbal learning disabilities.

Introduction: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between metacognitive beliefs with saving behavior/hoarding in a non-clinical population.Method: This descriptive-correlation recruited a statistical population of graduate students of Isfahan universities. Within the study population (the 370 students who were selected via multi-stage cluster sampling), 355 students (198 female and 157 male) completed the Saving Inventory consisting of three subscales i.e. cluttering, saving and acquisition and the Metacognition Questionnaire-30comprising five subscales i.e. positive beliefs about worry, lack of control and danger, cognitive confidence, thought control and cognitive self-awareness. Data were analyzed through Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis.Results: There was a significant positive correlation between saving behavior/ hoarding and metacognitive beliefs (p<0.01).The multiple regression analysis indicated that positive beliefs about worry and cognitive self-awareness could predict 20.5 percent of the cluttering variance. Meanwhile, the positive beliefs about worry, lack of control, danger and cognitive confidence could predict 25.8 percent of the saving variance. Positive beliefs about worry, lack of control and danger, thought control and cognitive self-awareness could predict 20.9 percent of the acquisition variance.Conclusion: Our findings propose that three metacognitive beliefs including positive beliefs about worry, lack of control and danger, and cognitive self-awareness have a potential role in prediction of the saving behavior/hoarding which need to be considered by researchers and therapists.

Introduction: the Kantian schema is described as being disembodied and a basis for pure reason, while in the embodied model of mind in Cognitive Science schemas are the results of neural activities in the brain, however, some neurocognitive studies propose a correspondence between some parts of the Kantian model of cognition and some recent neurocognitive findings, e.g. the innateness of neural strata contributing partial perceptions of space is compared to the Kantian a priori space, but how perceptions nested in the neural strata, hence empirical, could be a priori.Method: this treatise tries to elaborate on the notion that the dual character of schema in the Kantian model of cognition, which maintains a relation between the pure reason and experience, could be applicable to the neurocognitive model of cognition and the rational and empirical views on image-schemas. The present paper is developed through an inductive method which is based on the empirical and experimental results reported from authenticated sources.Results: by redescribing the Kantian “a priori intuition” of space and time as “implicit, automatic, and necessary” perceptions of space and time, a correspondence between the Kantian and the neurocognitive models of cognition could be confirmed. Based on the distinction proposed between “schemas” of objects and primitive “image schemas” grounding abstract reason, schemas could correspond to the Kantian “concepts of objects” and image schemas to the Kantian “categories”.Conclusion: The present discussion puts the neurocognitive model of “embodied reason” in line with the Kantian “pure reason”.

Introduction: In the present study, the effectiveness of interpersonal problem solving training to improve social skills and problem solving ability amongst preschool children and first- grade students was evaluated.Method: This study was conducted using a quasi-experimental method using a pretest/post-test without a control group. The population sample comprised 32 preschool students (9 girls and 23 boys) and 20 first-grade students (9 girls and 11 boys) who were enrolled in the study as unavailable sample. The Shure's cognitive problem-solving program known as “I can problem solve” was taught in each class for four months by the teachers.The intervention was evaluated using the Alternative Solution Skills and Social Skills Rating System-parent and teacher forms.Results: Our results from the repeated measure analysis comparing the pre-test and post-test scores indicated that intervention program was significantly effective in increasing total scores of social skills (parent and teacher forms), cooperative skills (teacher form), responsibility (parent form), assertiveness (teacher and parent forms) and self-control (teacher form). Moreover, the intervention program was shown to significantly increase the scores on “relevant solutions” and “relevant category”. Meanwhile, changes in the means of the sub-factors “cooperation”, “self-control” in the parents form and “relevant solutions” were not statistically significant.Discussion: In line with earlier body of evidence, our findings confirmed the effectiveness of interventions based on cognitive problem solving in social relationships. This survey discusses the importance of problem solving skill training, as part of school's curriculum, and effectiveness of problem solving training on child behaviors and academic performance.