Shahid Beheshti UniversityJournal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition2645-565X5120241201Improving Emotional Competence in Preschoolers12210519910.48308/jncog.2024.105199ENNeshatAhmadiInstitute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IranSorooshGolbabaeiInstitute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran0000-0003-4368-0264HamedEkhtiariLaureate Institute for Brain ResearchKhaterehBorhaniInstitute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran0000-0001-7936-2669Journal Article20240602Emotional competence is a combination of emotional knowledge and emotion regulation skills. A remarkable body of research revealed that emotional competence develops through childhood. This study aims to investigate the possible facilitatory role of an educational program named Preschoolers' Affect Recognition Training (PART) on emotional competence. With the help of culture-based illustrations, PART utilizes emotion coaching, group activities, and mindfulness techniques in plays. In a pretest-posttest design, 95 children (Girls = 48), aged 3-6 (<em>M</em> = 4.22, <em>SD</em> = 0.73) participated in this study. The experimental group received 10 one-hour sessions across five weeks with a random assignment. We used the Affect Knowledge Test and the Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment as behavioural measures. The experimental group showed an improvement in emotional knowledge,<em> F</em>(1<em>,</em> 90) = 444.43, <em>p</em> < <em>.</em>001, emotion regulation, <em>F</em>(1<em>,</em> 92) = 5715<em>.</em>08, <em>p</em> < <em>.</em>001, and inhibitory control,<em> F</em>(1<em>,</em> 92) = 16.06, <em>p</em> < <em>.</em>001, compared to the control group (<em>p</em> < .001). Results suggest that PART has facilitatory effects on children's emotional knowledge and emotion regulation.https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_105199_35560050663c7f3432701a4bb4db9cf3.pdfShahid Beheshti UniversityJournal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition2645-565X5120241223Smartphone Overuse Is Negatively Associated with Episodic Future Thinking and Mental Health in School-Aged Children233410523510.48308/jncog.2024.105235ENSajadAyoubiFaculty of Education and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran0000-0003-4155-8951SaeidSadeghiInstitute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran0000-0002-2922-6412Journal Article20240704This study examines the developmental impact of excessive smartphone use on cognitive functioning and externalizing behaviors in elementary school children. Specifically, it examines the relationship between smartphone overuse and cognitive skills related to future thinking, as well as related mental health outcomes. A descriptive cross-sectional design was utilized. Data were collected from 200 Iranian parent-child pairs (139 boys and 61 girls) aged between 6–13 years. Parents completed the Children’s Future Thinking Questionnaire (CFTQ) to assess related cognitive functions to future thinking and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to evaluate mental health outcomes. Additionally, Smartphone overuse was measured through Child Smartphone Addiction Questioner (CSAQ). The results revealed significant negative correlations between smartphone addiction and key cognitive functions such as episodic foresight, prospective memory, and planning. Notably, smartphone addiction was strongly correlated with increased externalizing behaviors, including aggression and rule-breaking, and other mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression. Regression analysis showed that smartphone addiction accounted for 25% of the variance in these negative outcomes, highlighting its significant impact on child development. These findings highlight the need for interventions that address smartphone addiction and focus on strengthening future-oriented cognitive skills, which are essential for the improvement or prevention of mental health and behavioral outcomes in children.https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_105235_b50bf538df6e94b3696879d1e5cfec54.pdfShahid Beheshti UniversityJournal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition2645-565X5120241201Effectiveness of Spiritual Therapy on Negative Automatic Thoughts and Life Satisfaction in Depressed Students354710519110.48308/jncog.2024.236041.1005ENHamidrezaDehghanDepartment of Psychology and Counselling, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran0000-0002-8232-9154MajidOmidikhankahdaniAssistant Professor, department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran0000-0001-7426-7240MortezaPourmolaeiAssistant Professor, department of Jurisprudence Fundamental of Islamic Law, Payame Noor University, Tehran, IranJournal Article20240719Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders and a mood disorder that manifests itself with symptoms such as low mood, loss of feeling, emptiness, mental and motor slowness, sadness, hopelessness, boredom, loneliness, they show guilt and inability to concentrate and thoughts related to death. The aim of the present study was the effectiveness of spiritual therapy on negative self-esteem thoughts and life satisfaction of university depressed students. The method of this research was semi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of this research included all depressed male and female students. The sample of this research included 36 depressed students (18 students in the experimental group and 18 students in the control group) who were selected by simple random. The process of selecting the sample was as follows: first, the Beck depression questionnaire was administered among students, and among the 66 students who scored above 20 (cut point) and based on the entry criteria, 36 were randomly selected into two experimental and control groups. (each group consist of 18 individuals). The experimental group was exposed to 10 sessions of spiritual training, and during this time, the control group did not receive any treatment. Beck depression questionnaire, negative spontaneous thoughts questionnaire and life satisfaction scale were used to collect data. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance (MANOVA) showed that spiritual therapy training was associated with a decrease in self-negative thoughts and an increase in life satisfaction of depressed students (p<0.001). Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that spiritual therapy actually reduces negative emotions such as depression through secret and need with God and solitude with the Almighty, and as a result improves life satisfaction in a person.https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_105191_799e53b5472455cf575d46b0b24ce684.pdfShahid Beheshti UniversityJournal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition2645-565X5120241201Psychological and Demographic Determinants of Social Media Influence: Developing Predictive Models to Identify Influencers485810519410.48308/jncog.2024.105194ENS. M MahdiFirouzabadiInstitute for Cognitive and Brain Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IranG. RezaJafariDepartment of Physics, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran0000-0003-4308-207XRezaKhosrowabadiInstitute for Cognitive and Brain Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran0000-0002-6282-9389Journal Article20241023This study explores psychological and demographic characteristics distinguishing social media influencers from non-influencers and investigates the predictive potential of psychological features for influence. Using a diverse dataset containing age, gender, NEO personality scores, and a revised active/passive engagement scale of 1,214 Iranian participants, we aim to uncover significant feature differences and construct a predictive model for influence classification. Our statistical analyses reveal significant differences between influencers and non-influencers in key variables, including age and active/passive engagement and Neuroticism. However, machine learning models indicate that while distinct psychological characteristics are associated with influence, their predictive power shows promise but may be limited without additional behavioral or content-based metrics. This study contributes to the understanding of psychological factors in social influence and the feasibility of machine learning models for influencer identification.https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_105194_ed132ddd1b26b9627ddb89940776e011.pdfShahid Beheshti UniversityJournal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition2645-565X5120241201Key Topics in Film Editing Related to Cognitive Processes597310519310.48308/jncog.2024.105193ENSomayehKhosravi KhorashadInstitute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University0009-0001-3712-1856RezaKhosrowabadiInstitute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran0000-0002-6282-9389Journal Article20240730A film engages the viewer’s brain to confront with a multitude of sensory stimuli. Therefore, it needs the mechanism of attention; that is necessary for perception. This research is a study of the key topics in film editing and its cognitive effects on the brain. Film editing shapes the reaction of the viewers. Most research shows that the viewer's perceptual continuity requires cinematic continuity. At the same time, the discontinuity of the film can create complex meanings, which, of course, imposes a greater cognitive load on the brain. This study first examined the definitions of film editing and related key words, and then categorized the results of cognitive research related to film editing. Finally, the cognitive effects of different types of editing, along with the related neural networks are considered. The results indicate that the ability to control the mind of the viewer is directly related to the way the film is directed. The level of identification with the film and brain activity of the viewer depends on how the director uses cinematic components to activate the viewer’s imagination.https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_105193_0a9133ebb3f628b27b609b47768548af.pdfShahid Beheshti UniversityJournal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition2645-565X5120241201Investigating the Effectiveness of “Executive Functions Educational” Package on Social Skill of Pre-school Children of the Age of 5-6 Years Old748710519010.48308/jncog.2024.236877.1006ENSaharShariatiPhD Student of Department of Educational Psychology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Ira0009-0006-0388-3904AlirezaKiamaneshProfessor of Psychology Department, Kharazmi University, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences.0000-0002-1727-9808ValialahFarzadAssociate Professor of Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Kharazmi University.0000-0002-4904-208xJournal Article20240912The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of the executive functions training package on the social skills of preschool children. The research was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group and a two-month follow-up period. The research community was the new students who enrolled in preschool in 1401-1402. Among the preschool centers in Tehran, two centers were randomly selected as experimental and control groups. Among these two centers, 38 subjects were randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The parents of the new students of both groups answered the Gresham and Elliot social skills questionnaire before the experimental intervention. After the experimental group underwent 20 sessions of training related to executive functions and response inhibition, the parents of both groups responded to the mentioned questionnaire. Two months after the completion of the training, a follow-up test was conducted on both experimental and control groups. The results of mixed variance analysis, taking into account the relevant presuppositions, showed that different results were obtained from the combination of test levels and group levels, and it can be said that training based on response inhibition can play an effective role in improving the social skills of new learners.https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_105190_59b0b3ba883cacd99cb8ed161fbd8cd1.pdf