Further support for the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire

Alexithymia is defined as the lack of words to describe emotions and is associated with different psychopathologies. Various tools have been developed for measuring alexithymia; each has its limitations. A new questionnaire, Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ), was developed to simultaneously assess positive and negative dimensions. Validation of such a tool in different cultures allows cross-cultural health psychology studies and facilitates knowledge transfer in the field. We aimed to examine the psychometric features of the PAQ in the Farsi-speaking population in Iran. Four-hundred-twenty-nine university students were asked to complete the PAQ, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and emotion regulation questionnaire (ERQ). Concurrent validity, discriminant validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability and factor structure were investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a five-factor model identical to the original questionnaire. The questionnaire indicated good internal consistency (0.82 &lt; α &lt; 0.94). Test-retest reliability was acceptable for all subscales. The correlations between PAQ and its subscales with BDI-II, BAI, and TAS, and expression suppression subscale of ERQ were strong for concurrent validity. Concerning the discriminant validity, PAQ and its subscales were not correlated with reappraisal subscales of ERQ. The present findings suggest that the Farsi version of PAQ has strong psychometric properties and is appropriate for use in the Farsi-speaking population.</p

Cognitive Correlates of Maritime Pilots' Human Errors

peer reviewedHuman factors are one of the most important factors affecting safety performance in the changing maritime environment, yet maritime pilots’ human errors have not been sufficiently investigated from a psycho-cognitive perspective although they are central to the safe passage of vessels in challenging waterways. Since human error is associated with cognitive functioning, this study aimed to explore cognitive correlates of maritime pilots’ human error history through a causal-comparative design using ex post facto human error data. Thus, based on a sample size calculation, 72 Iranian male maritime pilots were recruited and their performance was assessed by six Vienna Test System tests (working memory [CORSI], focused attention [WAFF], divided attention [WAFG], situational awareness [MR], planning [TOL-F], and time and movement anticipation [ZBA]). Finally, pilots with and without a history of human error were compared based on their performance in cognitive tests using independent samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Findings showed that pilots without a history of human error scored significantly higher on working memory, situational awareness, and divided attention (sig = 0.003, 0.002, and 0.028 respectively; P ≤ 0.05). Therefore, as maritime pilots are required to retain and process different arrays of information from different sources, working memory and divided attention deficiency would negatively impact their performance. Situational awareness deficiency was also observed to be associated with pilots’ unsafe behaviors. Overall, these findings demonstrate the cognitive relevance of human error in pilotage and can be consulted for enhancing maritime safety and strategic decision-making on personnel recruitment and development

Impact of Train Drivers’ Cognitive Responses on Rail Accidents

Despite the innovations in automatic train control (ATC) systems to reduce the risk of driver error, many rail accidents still occur due to defects in these systems, emphasizing the essential role of the driver in preventing rail accidents and proper control of the train. This paper studies the influence of drivers’ cognitive performance, including attention and visual perception, on the occurrence of rail accidents. The research is conducted using so-called Ex-Post facto method on a random sample of 56 train drivers with a minimum of three years of experience. The research instruments included drivers’ cognition test system including WAFV (perception and attention function) sustained attention test, COG (cognitrone) selective attention test, LVT (visual pursuit) visual perception test, demographic questionnaire, and drivers’ safety history. Results of this research showed that there is no significant relationship between age and education level of train drivers, and rate of occurrence of rail accidents. A comparison on train drivers’ cognitive characteristics, between drivers with accident record(s) and those without, showed that the drivers who had experienced rail accident(s) had lower levels of sustained attention. However, no significant difference was found between the two groups in selective attention and visual perception. Investigating the association of drivers’ ages with their levels of sustained attention, the drivers with high levels of sustained attention were found to be significantly older than other drivers. According to practical implications of these findings, cognitive rehabilitation courses are recommended for train drivers to attenuate the risk of rail accidents

Investigation of cognitive-behavioral play therapy effectiveness on cognitive functions in aggressive children

AIMS: Several brain regions are known to be involved in aggressive behavioral including dysfunction in brain regions contributing to executive functions that lead to loss of some cognitive performance (CP). Play therapy (PT) as an effective treatment is used for a long time and it has a therapeutic effect on cognitive functions. Creativity, learning coping technique, social problem-solving ability, and self-controlling are some of main outcomes of this treatment. This study investigated the effect of cognitive-behavioral PT (CBPT) on working memory (WM), response inhibition (RI), and CP of aggressive children. METHODS: In a pre–post-design, 18 children with aggressive behavioral were randomized into two groups: experimental and control. Interventions were provided 12 sessions and progressed up to 1 h per session. Executive Function and Stop Signal Task of Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery tests were used in pre- and post-assessment. RESULTS: Findings demonstrated that the treatment improved in RI and CP of aggressive children in experimental group significantly (P 0.05). CONCLUSION: CBPT could be an effective intervention for children with aggression to improve their CP. However, despite this effectiveness, choosing the appropriate exercises to engage more cognitive functions is an important factor for optimizing of this treatment