Cognitive reactivity: cultural adaptation and psychometric testing of the Persian version of the Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity Revised (LEIDS-R) in an Iranian sample

Cognitive reactivity (CR) to the experimental induction of sad mood has been found to predict relapse in recovered depressed patients. The Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity Revised (LEIDS-R) is a self-report measure of CR. The aim of the present study was to establish the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the LEIDS-R. The participants were recovered depressed and non-depressed Iranian individuals (n = 833). The analyses included content validation, factor analysis, construct validity, and reliability testing. Preliminary construct validation analysis confirmed that factor analysis was appropriate for the Persian version of the LEIDS-R. Factor analysis displayed similar factor loadings to the original English version. The total internal consistency of the translated version, which was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, was equal to 0.90. The test-retest reliability of the total score was equal to that of the test-retest conducted after a two-week interval at 0.94. Content validity, face validity, and construct validity, as well as reliability analysis were all found to be satisfactory for the Persian version of the LEIDS-R. The Persian version of the LEIDS-R appears to be valid and reliable for use in future studies, and has properties comparable to the original version and to that obtained in previous studies

Cannabis and creativity: highly potent cannabis impairs divergent thinking in regular cannabis users

Stress-related psychiatric disorders across the life spa

Increasing self–other integration through divergent thinking

Increasing evidence suggests that people may cognitively represent themselves and others just like any other, nonsocial event. Here, we provide evidence that the degree of self-other integration (as reflected by the joint Simon effect; JSE) is systematically affected by the control characteristics of temporally overlapping but unrelated and nonsocial creativity tasks. In particular, the JSE was found to be larger in the context of a divergent-thinking task (alternate uses task) than in the context of a convergent-thinking task (remote association task). This suggests that self-other integration and action corepresentation are controlled by domain-general cognitive-control parameters that regulate the integrativeness (strong vs. weak top-down control and a resulting narrow vs. broad attentional focus) of information processing irrespective of its social implications

Color vision predicts processing modes of goal activation during action cascading

One of the most important functions of cognitive control is action cascading: the ability to cope with multiple response options when confronted with various task goals. A recent study implicates a key role for dopamine (DA) in this process, suggesting higher D1 efficiency shifts the action cascading strategy toward a more serial processing mode, whereas higher D2 efficiency promotes a shift in the opposite direction by inducing a more parallel processing mode (Stock, Arning, Epplen, & Beste, 2014). Given that DA is found in high concentration in the retina and modulation of retinal DA release displays characteristics of D2-receptors (Peters, Schweibold, Przuntek, & Müller, 2000), color vision discrimination might serve as an index of D2 efficiency. We used color discrimination, assessed with the Lanthony Desaturated Panel D-15 test, to predict individual differences (N = 85) in a stop-change paradigm that provides a well-established measure of action cascading. In this task it is possible to calculate an individual slope value for each participant that estimates the degree of overlap in task goal activation. When the stopping process of a previous task goal has not finished at the time the change process towards a new task goal is initiated (parallel processing), the slope value becomes steeper. In case of less overlap (more serial processing), the slope value becomes flatter. As expected, participants showing better color vision were more prone to activate goals in a parallel manner as indicated by a steeper slope. Our findings suggest that color vision might represent a predictor of D2 efficiency and the predisposed processing mode of goal activation during action cascading

Spontaneous eye blink rate as predictor of dopamine-related cognitive function—A review

Action Contro

Flow in Creativity: A Review of Potential Theoretical Conflict

This chapter reviews both qualitative and experimental research, arguing that some theories surrounding flow are potentially contradictory to theories of crea-tivity. Dual-process thought systems and hypofrontality theories are discussed in relation to creativity and flow, highlighting omissions in research to date, and the need for further empirical investigation of creativity in flow. Four specific areas for future research are proposed: 1) a more in-depth understanding of self-evaluative mechanisms during flow, and the relevance of clear goals and feed-back within creative domains; 2) whether flow during deliberate forms of creativi-ty is possible and whether this contradicts hypofrontality theories; 3) the complex relationship between creativity, affect, and flow; and 4) whether and how flow re-lates to creative achievement