Journal of

---

The goal of this research was an investigation into the implicit and explicit memory bias against negative emotional information processing in adolescents with high and low trait anxiety. To do so, 2 adolescent groups of twenty with high trait (n=20) and low trait (n=20) were selected from a large pole of adolescents using Spielbergr’s State-Trait Anxiety inventory for Children (STAI-C). Following the two groups were matched in terms of variables including age, sex,and education level, Explicit Memory Test(EMT) and Implicit Memory Test(IMT),completing word stems, were used to assess the subjects. The stimulants, emotional items, included two series of threatening and neutral words in EXP and a set of ambiguous words. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between high trait and low trait anxiety groups in terms of subject sensitivity and bias against threatening and neutral stimulants. However, high trait group had completed words stems more than low trait group in implicit memory test. These results indicated the presence of implicit memory bias in high trait group. Generally, the results of the present research are in accord with other researches and support the principles governing memory bias and trait anxiety. 

---

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of therapeutic touch and muscle relaxation on trait and state anxiety in Tarbiat Moallem University’s students, Tehran. Population of the study included all the students of this university in the academic year 2007-2008.A sample of 40students was selected through simple random sampling. Based on Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI),the subjects were put into four groups of ten: Therapeutic touch group, muscle relaxation group, anxious control group and normal group control. In this study which was a quasi-experimental research, pretest-posttest, control group design was used. To analyze and to test the hypotheses of the study, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used. The findings revealed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of state and trait anxiety. Therefore, muscle relaxation can be used to decrease the anxiety, since the results of the study indicated that muscle relaxation method can have an effective role in decreasing state and trait anxiety.  

---

This study investigated the degree of cortical arousal of the forehead during working memory performance in personality dimension of anxiety. Based on Gray’s definition of personality dimension of anxiety, in a pseudo-empirical study a sample of female students (n=793) aged from 18 to 28 years old completed Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and Carver and White’s Approach/Avoidance scale. 15 subjects whose scores were simultaneously in the upper distribution of Neuroticism and lower distribution of Extraversion (N+E-) were selected as high trait anxiety group (Anx+), and low trait anxiety group (Anx-) consisted of 15 subjects with higher scores of Extraversion and lower scores of Neuroticism (N-E+). Then their EEG was taken in baseline mode and while performing working memory task. Total scores in 1-back working memory task were taken as the indicator of working memory performance and EEG alpha oscillation during 1-back task was taken as cortical arousal index. Data were analyzed using T-test for independent samples. Results revealed that high trait anxious subjects showed more arousability in their right and left cortex of forehead during working memory performance, while their performance in working memory tasks was impaired in comparison with low trait anxious group. These Results supported Processing Efficiency Theory, which means although high trait anxious individuals employed higher mental effort during executive functions, their processing efficiency was impaired.