Chilling and Blurring Negative Memories: An Experimental Memory Training Study.

Introduction: The present study examined how broadening attentional scope (BAS) during acquisition and working memory interference (WMI) during reconsolidation could influence memory formation.

Methods: A total of 95 participants were randomly assigned to inactive control (n=30), BAS (n=33), and WMI (n=32) groups. While watching a traumatic film, the participants in the BAS group were instructed to allocate their attention to the peripheral details of the film, while participants in the WMI group performed a spatial working memory task.

Altered fronto-parietal alpha synchronization and coherence in paranormal believers.

Recent research has revealed a correlation between paranormal beliefs and distinct neural activity patterns. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these beliefs remain unclear. To address this issue, we recorded EEG resting state data from both paranormal believers and skeptics.

Mediating Role of Inhibition Control in the Relationship Between Age and Memory Changes Throughout Adulthood: An Aging Developmental Study in Iran.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the age trends in various types of memory, including priming, working memory (WM), episodic memory (EM), and semantic memory (SM) from adulthood to old age, as well as the mediating role of inhibition control (IC) in the relationship between age and memory.

Methods: A total of 796 healthy adults aged between 25 and 83 years participated in this cross-sectional study. They underwent assessment using a comprehensive battery of memory tests (adapted from the Betula battery), digit span tasks (to measure WM), and the Stroop color-word test (to measure IC).

Which intellectual activities are related to cognitive reserve? Introduction and testing a three-dimensional model.

Background: A common belief among people and some researchers is that keeping yourself mentally active may decrease the risk of dementia. Over the past years, despite widespread efforts to identify proxies for protecting cognitive reserve against age-related changes, it is still not clear what type of intellectual activity would be beneficial for cognitive reserve. To fill this gap, we propose a three-dimensional model of intellectual activity.

Differential Cortical Oscillatory Patterns in Amputees With and Without Phantom Limb Pain.

Introduction: Phantom limb pain (PLP) as neuropathic pain affects the life of amputees. It is believed an efficient PLP treatment should consider the underlying neurological mechanisms. Hereby, we investigated brain activity in PLP and its relationships to the psychological and cognitive dimensions of chronic pain.

The Role of Cognitive Control in Paranormal Beliefs: A Study Based on Performance in Go/No-go Task.

Introduction: Cognitive control plays a role in human behavior and mental processes and affects paranormal beliefs. This study aims to investigate the role of cognitive control in paranormal beliefs using the go/no-go task.

Methods: A total of 92 people were selected based on low, middle, and high scores in the revised paranormal belief scale (R-PBS) and assigned to 3 groups.

Conspiracy beliefs are associated with a reduction in frontal beta power and biases in categorizing ambiguous stimuli.

Prior beliefs, such as conspiracy beliefs, significantly influence our perception of the natural world. However, the brain activity associated with perceptual decision-making in conspiracy beliefs is not well understood. To shed light on this topic, we conducted a study examining the EEG activity of believers, and skeptics during resting state with perceptual decision-making task.

Aging decreases the precision of visual working memory.

Objectives: As individuals age, cognitive abilities such as working memory (WM), decline. In the current study, we investigated the effect of age on WM, and elucidated sources of errors.

Method: A total of 102 healthy individuals, aged 18 to 71, participated in this research.

Impact of negative links on the structural balance of brain functional network during emotion processing.

Activation of specific brain areas and synchrony between them has a major role in process of emotions. Nevertheless, impact of anti-synchrony (negative links) in this process still requires to be understood. In this study, we hypothesized that quantity and topology of negative links could influence a network stability by changing of quality of its triadic associations.

Paranormal believers show reduced resting EEG beta band oscillations and inhibitory control than skeptics.

Paranormal believers' thinking is frequently biased by intuitive beliefs. Lack of inhibition of these tempting beliefs is considered a key element in paranormal believers' thinking. However, the brain activity related to inhibitory control in paranormal believers is poorly understood.

Resting-State Electroencephalogram (EEG) Coherence Over Frontal Regions in Paranormal Beliefs.

Introduction: Paranormal beliefs are defined as the belief in extrasensory perception, precognition, witchcraft, and telekinesis, magical thinking, psychokinesis, superstitions. Previous studies corroborate that executive brain functions underpin paranormal beliefs. To test this hypotheses, neurophysiological studies of brain activity are required.

Prediction of delay discounting in intertemporal decisions by future thinking: Accounting for fluency, contents, and functions of future thoughts.

Purpose: To study the variations of delay discounting rates as a function of fluency, contents, and functions of future thoughts in healthy subjects.

Background: Delay discounting (DD) is a concept that can measure a frequent tendency toward smaller, yet immediate rewards, while a delayed reward is greater in value. DD describes people's choices in intertemporal decisions and is associated with self-control.

The Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties and Relationships With Memory Function in an Iranian Elderly Sample.

This study aimed to validate the Persian version of the Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire (LEQ) and examine the relationship between life experience and memory function. To this end, two studies were conducted. Study one examined the factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent and discriminant validity of the Persian version of LEQ with 247 healthy elderly individuals (M age = 70.

Situational factors shape moral judgements in the trolley dilemma in Eastern, Southern and Western countries in a culturally diverse sample.

The study of moral judgements often centres on moral dilemmas in which options consistent with deontological perspectives (that is, emphasizing rules, individual rights and duties) are in conflict with options consistent with utilitarian judgements (that is, following the greater good based on consequences). Greene et al. (2009) showed that psychological and situational factors (for example, the intent of the agent or the presence of physical contact between the agent and the victim) can play an important role in moral dilemma judgements (for example, the trolley problem).

Culture as an effective frame of reference in clinical decision-making: A comparison of Iranian, American, and Canadian psychotherapists.

The therapeutic communication between psychotherapist and client is highly dependent on their socio-cultural background. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of culture on decision-making style of psychotherapists in three dimensions of decision-making: expedience vs. realism, individualism vs.

How do cannabis users mentally travel in time? Evidence from an fMRI study of episodic future thinking.

Rationale: Episodic future thinking (EFT) is a cognitive function that allows individuals to imagine novel experiences that may happen in the future. Prior studies show that EFT is impaired in different groups of substance users. However, there is no evidence regarding the neurobiological mechanisms of EFT in cannabis users.

Citizens of the world: National stereotypes do not affect empathic response in the presence of individuating information.

Stereotyping is defined as generalising an attribute to a whole group and overlooking individual differences. In this study, we investigated whether Iranians' stereotypes of nations affected their empathy for the citizens of those nations. First, in a pilot study we explored common national stereotypes by using the stereotype content model (SCM) based on which six countries with different perceived warmth and competence scores were selected as nationalities of the protagonists of the vignettes in our experiment.

Baseline executive functions and receiving cognitive rehabilitation can predict treatment response in people with opioid use disorder.

Background: Impaired cognitive functions, particularly executive function, predicts poor treatment success in people with substance use disorders. The current study investigated the effect of receiving adjunct cognitive rehabilitation and baseline executive function (EF) measures on treatment response among people with opioid use disorder (OUD).

Method: The analysis sample consisted of 113 participants with OUD who were discharged from a compulsory court-mandated methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and followed for 3 months.

Preliminary Reliability and Validity of the Iranian Computerized Version of Memory Tasks of the Betula Study.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of an Iranian computerized memory battery modeled after the Betula study.

Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of an Iranian computerized memory battery modeled after the Betula study ( Nilsson et al., 1997).

To which world regions does the valence-dominance model of social perception apply?

Over the past 10 years, Oosterhof and Todorov's valence-dominance model has emerged as the most prominent account of how people evaluate faces on social dimensions. In this model, two dimensions (valence and dominance) underpin social judgements of faces. Because this model has primarily been developed and tested in Western regions, it is unclear whether these findings apply to other regions.

National Guidelines for Cognitive Assessment and Rehabilitation of Iranian Traumatic Brain Injury Patients.

Background: Individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) often have prolonged cognitive impairments, resulting in long-term problems with their real-life activities. Given the urgent need for evidence-based recommendations for neuropsychological management of Iranian TBI patients, the current work aimed to adapt eligible international guidelines for cognitive assessment and rehabilitation of the TBI patients in Iran.

Methods: The project was led by an executive committee, under the supervision of the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME).

How People Emotionally Respond to the News on COVID-19: An Online Survey.

Introduction: During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, news media has played an important role in informing people to satisfy their curiosity about this stressful condition. Regular exposure to such stressful news may elicit different emotions in people and engage them in using strategies to control their emotions. In the present study, we aimed at exploring the most common negative emotion(s) experienced by individuals, as well as the most frequent Emotion Regulation (ER) strategies used facing the COVID-19-related news.

Investigating the Role of Brain Lateralization and Gender in Paranormal Beliefs.

Introduction: Brain lateralization is associated with human behavior. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the effects of brain lateralization on the scores of paranormal beliefs.

Methods: The study population included 180 students of Sanandaj universities, Sanandaj City, Iran who were selected with convenience sampling method (100 left-brained males, 6 left-brained females, 56 both left- and right-brained males and 22 both left- and right-brained females).