مطالب

Executive functions and visual perception are variables that play important roles in learning and educational improvement. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of attention rehabilitation on executive functions and visual perception of students with learning disorder and the study was of quasi - experimental type with pre-test, post-test and control group. The statistical population included all elementary school students in Rafsanjan in the second semester of 2018. The sampling method was multi-stage cluster method and the statistical sample of research involved 20 students with specific learning disorders, selected and replaced by a simple random method in two groups of experiment and control groups (2 groups of ten). The research tools were the visual perception test of Frostig and the Wisconsin cards. After performing pre-test on both control and experimental groups, the experimental group was trained using Captain Log software for 12 session, and at the end, the post-test was performed on both groups. The data were analyzed using SPSS v.24 software and statistical analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The results of statistical analysis showed that attention facilitator rehabilitation is effective in improving students' ability in visual perception test. Also, the results revealed that rehabilitation of attention can significantly improve the performance of children with learning disorder in the executive functions.

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.