سعید قربانی

Mental fatigue is a factor that may influence performance of chess players. However, effects of mental fatigue on performance of chess players are rarely investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the effects of exposure to a mental fatigue protocol on memory function (pattern recall performance) of expert chess players. Thirty expert chess players (55-65 years-old) were randomly assigned into mental fatigue and control groups. Participants in the mental fatigue group were asked to (re-)place observed ordinary and random chess positions on a blank chessboard before and after exposing to a 30-minutes’ mental fatigue protocol. The control group followed the same procedure but they read a text about history of chess instead of exposing to mental fatigue protocol. Two ordinary and two random chess positions were used to measure pattern recall performances in pre- and post-tests. Visual Analogue Scale was used to measure the subjective rating of mental fatigue and motivation for upcoming pattern recall task. Results showed that exposing to mental fatigue protocol increased the subjective rating of mental fatigue significantly in the mental fatigue group. Moreover, motivation was not different between the groups before performing pattern recall task in posttest. Also, results revealed that exposing to mental fatigue protocol impaired pattern recall performance of expert chess players. Finally, expert chess players performed significantly better in recalling ordinary positions than random positions. Findings of the study can add to the existing knowledge on effects of mental fatigue on a variety of sporting context and also provide support for Chunking Theory of Memory and Template Theory.

Background: Housewives build a significant part of society. They play a key role in strengthening the foundation of the family and nurturing the next generation of any country, so it is very important to pay attention to mental health of this population.   Aim: This study investigated effects of a period of Hatha yoga-based mindfulness practice on distress tolerance and subjective wellbeing of housewives. Materials and Methods: Participants were 38 housewives between 31 to 52 years who were randomly divided into two experimental groups including face-to-face (i.e., presence on the grass, n=17) and online (via Sky room, n=21). A 6-week Hatha Yoga-based mindfulness training was held simultaneously in twelve sessions for both groups. Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) and Keyes and Magyar-Moe’s Subjective Well-being Scale were used. Results: The results of analysis of covariance showed that all subscales of distress tolerance and subjective well-being of housewives in the face-to-face group were significantly higher than the online group. Moreover, the results of paired t-test showed that the means of post-test of all subscales of distress tolerance and subjective well-being of housewives were significantly higher than the means of pre-test. But in the online group, the means of pre-test and post-test did not differ significantly in all variables. Conclusion: Our findings emphasize that, in order to improve metacognitive processes, yoga-based mindfulness training in online method cannot replace face-to-face method.