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Cognitive narratology has been recognised as one of the most important ways of understanding human nature as expressed in the stories and narrations. In the present preliminary study, we aimed to use Turner and Fauconnier’s concepts of mental spaces and conceptual blending to explain the peculiarities of three stories belonging to three different cultural and geo-climate regions in Iran. In the present study, after collecting data from a set of texts, which included written, oral or visual, the content analysis method was used. We found some similarities among the mental spaces of different geographic regions in these three stories. They are, however, not solely influenced by environmental and cultural factors. The paper recommends that studies and investigations similar to the present one can be considered a basic but crucial step in demonstrating the extent to which a person's cognition and cognitive processing in general and the creation of meaning in particular are a continuation and representation of embodied experiences. Keywords: Cognitive, conceptual blending, geo-environmental, narratology, storytelling

The modality of apprehension and processing of metaphorical expressions in comparison with non-metaphorical ones has hitherto captivated numerous researchers in manifold fields of study, such as linguistics, psychology, and cognitive sciences. More specially, metaphors used in a one-sentence paragraph have been the subjects of many studies. However, cognitive functions of structural metaphors haven’t been entirely noteworthy in contrast with non-metaphorical expressions employed in textual context. In this study, the interrelationship between memory and conceptual metaphor in significant cognitive processes has been examined in a textual context. In this respect, the hypothesis, that conceptual metaphor as a value can assist with the recognition and recollection process and incorporate the quintessence of our cerebrations, has been put to test. To evaluate this assumption, the reaction time task is used. Each testable case has been subjected to analysis within two analogous contexts, in a metaphorical and non-metaphorical manner. Afterwards, terms were displayed, and the subjects needed to determine as swiftly as possible whether these vocabularies were exemplified or not. The results indicated that the terms pertaining to the schema and other terms included in metaphorical context would be processed faster than the one with non-metaphorical context. With regard to the obtained data, it seems that the conceptual metaphor generates semantic networks in the mind which will be more accessible to memory upon information retrieval.

Stories mirror the essential function of human cognitive activity. In the present preliminary study, we hypothesized that the mental spaces that make up the stories can be influenced by the environmental conditions of their creators. For this purpose, three stories from three different climatic zones in Iran were selected and a content analysis method was used to analyze their components. Results showed significant differences between the mental spaces of different geographic regions in these three stories. This finding could be considered as a step taken to show the extent to which an individual’s cognition and cognitive processing in general and the creation of meaning in particular, is an extension and representation of embodied experience. We have discussed the subject in the framework of narrative analysis as well as cognitive semantics.

Endomyocardial fi brosis is a rare cause of restrictive cardiomyopathy which predominates in lowincome population living in tropical areas. It´s characterized by endomyocardial fi brous tissue deposition causing restrictive physiology with poor prognosis without proper management.

Aim: Modified versions of the Stroop task have been used in various kinds of clinical conditions. The aim of this study was to develop a Sexual Stroop Task.Method: This study consists of two phases. First phase included designing the sexual Stroop task after searching and selecting Persian sexual and neutral words, and the second phase was related to the pilot study. For finding Persian sexual words, we used four different methods but for neutral words we used the words used in other Stroop studies. Then, we came up with 2 general categories as neutral and sexual words which were randomly specified as green and red colors. The developed computerized version of the Sexual Stroop Task was run on 69 participants as a pilot study. Results: Participants (N=69) had longer response times for words related to sex in comparison to neutral words. And the total time which was spent on sexual words was more than the total time for neutral words. The percentage of the correct neutral words was also higher than correct neutral words.Conclusion: This preliminary study presented a new version of emotional Stoop test that seems to be a promising instrument to study the neuropsychological aspects of sexuality.

The Vancouver Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory (VOCI) is a self-report inventory developed to assess a wide range of Obsessive-Compulsive symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate psychometric properties of the Persian version of the VOCI in non-clinical samples. A questionnaire package including the VOCI, BDI-II, BAI, MOCI, OCI-R and PSWQ was administered to volunteer undergraduate students (n = 233, 139 females, 94 males) from two Iran universities (Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Allameh Tabatabaei University). All the assessments were repeated in the same sample after 2 weeks. Psychometric analyses were run to assess reliability and validity of the Persian version of the VOCI. We converged an exploratory factor analysis to test the factor structure. The VOCI-Persian had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent and divergent validity. The present study showed that the factor structure of the questionnaire consisted of five main factors: VOCI Contamination, Checking, Obsessions, Hoarding and Perfectionism/Indecisiveness. Further studies are needed to develop psychometric tools with stronger diagnostic performance for OCD assessment.

The concept of meaning has undergone many changes in the course of scientific study of language, thought and behavior. At first, it was explained as something which happens in the mind and then is changed to a product of association of ideas. Today, however, new meaning of meaning has emerged with the emphasis on the experiential basis as has been formulated in the concept of metaphoric expression. In this paper, we report a preliminary study on meaning as measured by a semantic-associative test in four different cultures (Iranian, German, Arabic and American). The findings have been explained in the framework of the primary metaphors and embodiment theory.

Past research has found a high prevalence of neuropsychological deficits and neurological soft signs in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A close relationship between OCD and depression has also been indicated in the literature. However, many aspects of this association remain unclear. In this study we compared neuropsychological functioning and neurological soft signs of 46 OCD patients who were off psychotropic medication (21 with significant depressive symptoms and 25 without) with 25 non-patient comparison subjects. The patients were matched to the comparison group with regard to age, sex, education, marital status and handedness. There were significant differences between OCD patients and the non-patient comparison group on neuropsychological functioning but not on neurological soft signs. As far as working memory concerns there was a significant difference between the OCD depressed and nondepressed groups. But we found no evidence that the neuropsychological functions such as cognitive flexibility, problem solving and spatial perception in OCD to be attributable to comorbid depression. The pattern of neuropsychological deficits in this sample of OCD patients is suggestive of orbito-frontal as well as dorso-lateral prefrontal cortical dysfunction.

The psychometric properties of the Persian-language version of Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory- Revised (OCI-R) were studied in a sample of Iranian college students (N = 450). The total and each of the subscales of OCI-R-Persian demonstrated very high internal consistency as well as high test-retest reliability. Convergent and divergent validity of the OCI-R-Persian total scale and subscales were satisfactory. In general, the OCI-R-Persian appears to be a reliable and valid measure of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in this non-clinical sample of Iranian college students.

One of the main interpretations of life as a poetic metaphorical concept is a stream or a river . In this article we analyze a well-known verse by Hafiz of Shiraz in which life has been conceptualized as a stream, utilizing domain mapping as well as blending theories of metaphor. It is concluded that metaphors, in general, are multi-dimensional structures which involve many cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes, and poetic metaphors, in particular, act as heuristic device for a world view. Their main function is to provide a shift from one frame to another, based on an emergent structure. The reader, in this shifting process, is drawn into the poem not as an observer, but as an active and dynamic participant. Hafiz’ verse provides us with an excellent example of such a shift on the one hand, and the active role of the reader, on the other.

Hebb and Vygotsky are two of the most influential figures of psychology in the first half of the twentieth century. They represent cultural and biological approaches to explaining human development, and thus a number of their ideas remain relevant to current psychology and cognitive neuroscience. In this article, we examine similarities and differences between these two important figures, exploring possibilities for a theoretical synthesis between their two literatures, which have had little contact with each other. To pursue these goals, the following topics are discussed: (a) Hebb and Vygotsky's lives and training; (b) their innovations in theory building relating to an "objective psychology" and objective science of mind; (c) their developmental approach; (d) their treatment of mediation and neuropsychology; and (e) their current relevance and possible integration of their views. We argue that considering the two together improves prospects for a more complete and integrated approach to mind and brain in society.

Background: Although sexual dysfunction is a common problem in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), there are sparse clinical research on the study of the correlation between OCD subtypes and different phases of sexual response cycle. This study was undertaken to assess sexual function and its different phases in a group of Iranian patients with OCD. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The subjects consisted of 56 married OCD patients (36 female, 20 male) who suffered from OCD according to a psychiatric interview and DSM-IV questionnaire based on structured clinical interview for DSM (SCID). Patients were between 18 to 50 year age that had been referred to the outpatient clinic of Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital and three private psychiatric clinics in Tehran (from September 2011 to February 2013). Five Questionnaires were used in this study: Iranian validated form of Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) and a questionnaire which has provided demographic data and other relevant information regarding sexual function and OCD. Results: The prevalence of sexual dysfunction among female was 80.6% and the frequency of disorders in different subscales of FSFI including sexual desire, sexual arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and sexual pain were 50%, 58.3%, 36.1%, 44.4%, 41.7% and 52.8% respectively. Sexual disorder is reported in 25% of male OCD patients which subscales' evaluation of IIEF shows low sexual desire in 10%, erectile disorder in 20%, orgasmic disorder in 25%, sexual dissatisfaction in 40% and 50% decreased in the total sore of IIEF. Moreover, the correlation coefficients between the total score of OCI-R with erectile and satisfaction subscales of IIEF were statistically significant. The score of washing subscale in OCI-R and sexual satisfaction was significantly correlated. Conclusion: High prevalence of sexual dysfunction in OCD women and significant correlation between male sexual dysfunction and OCD (r= -481.0 between total score of OCI-R with erectile dysfunction and r= -458.0 between total score of OCI-R and sexual satisfaction) could confirm a relation between OCD and sexual disorders. So, evaluation of sexual function in all patients with OCD is recommended.