-Topic: Investigating Feeling of Knowing Paradigm and Encoding Type Effects on Metacognitive Judgment Accuracy
In the classic paradigm of the feeling of knowing (FOK), participants make FOK judgments only for items they cannot remember, but there are some studies which preferred to make FOK judgments for all items. Based on this difference, the classical FOK paradigm and the whole-items paradigm were compared for both episodic and semantic memory tasks. For both memory types, the consistency of FOK judgments increase when all items were used. This result showed that higher FOK judgments can be due to the method which is used, not because of the difference in manipulation. For the second experiment, influence of coding strategy on accuracy of FOK judgments and their consistency was investigated while FOK judgments were taken for all items. For episodic memory, coding strategy was manipulated with given instructions. By checking the concreteness of the words, instructions were given as forming sentences to one group and visual imagery to other group during learning stage. The group that learned by forming sentences gave more consistent FOK judgments. Concreteness condition has also shown that concrete word pairs were better remembered in all recall, recognition and FOK phases.
Project team: Yiğit Onur Şen, Mustafa Yavuz, Metehan Irak
-Topic: The Relationships between Delusion-Like Experiences (DLE), Lack of Control, Pattern Perception, Memory Errors and Decision Making
Previous research has provided evidence for a relationship between illusory pattern perception and irrational beliefs. A common assumption is illusory pattern perception increases with an increasing feeling of lack of control. Delusion-like experiences include some of the behaviors related to irrational beliefs. Since no direct association between DLE and illusory pattern perception has been established, in this study we investigated the relationship between delusion-like experiences and illusory pattern perception for images with visual noise in a condition which the participants were manipulated to lack control while controlling for another assumption which is jumping to conclusions bias on a bead task is predicted by delusion-like experiences.
Project team: Görkem Çetin, Gizem Merve Tüzel, Metehan Irak
-Topic: Investigation of The Relationship Between Encoding Differences and Feeling of Knowing Performance of Individuals with OCD
In this study which was conducted to better investigate memory processes of individuals with OCD, it was aimed to examine memory processes and recognition performances during learning and coding, and to compare the possible differences with feeling of knowing (FOK) judgment performances. The interaction between coding or learning with remembering process in memory is already known. We compared three different episodic memory performances along with judgment of learning and feeling of knowing performances in patient with OCD and compared to healthy individuals.
Project team: Can Soylu, Sena Yüksel, Ozan Akbaş, Sevcan Öztoraman, Metehan Irak (BAU), Volkan Topçuoğlu (Marmara Psychiatry)
-Topic: Relationship between Executive Functions, Feeling of Knowing and Confidence Judgments in Semantic Memory: An ERP Study
The aim of the study was to investigate the feeling of knowing paradigm in semantic memory based on neural mechanisms of the feeling of knowing. Based on this purpose, 93 general knowledge questions were formed by norming study for classical recall, judgment, recognition paradigms (Hart, 1965) and used for semantic memory. The neural mechanisms of feeling of knowing and confidence judgments in a semantic memory task were investigated with the event-related brain potentials while considering accuracy of the feeling of knowing judgments. Additionally, set shifting ability and cognitive flexibility were evaluated in order to measure the sub-mechanisms of the feeling of knowing and the contributions of executive functions to the feeling of knowing judgments.
Project team: Berna Güler, Can Soylu, Gözem Turan, Metehan Irak
-Topic: Investigation of the Effects of Mood on the Feeling of Knowing under the Face-Name Recognition Task
The feeling of knowing (FOK) is a metacognitive judgment about whether information that cannot be remembered instantly can be remembered in the future. Studies have shown that mood has an impact on cognitive functions such as language and memory. However, limited number of studies have been conducted on the effects of mood on FOK, and mood manipulation in these studies was conducted through experimental stimuli. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of different mood induction on FOK judgments during face-name recognition task and also the variation of these effects according to different personality traits.
Project team: Emir Akbuğa, Fatmanur Tunç, Begüm Yüksel, Elif Güldemir, Metehan Irak
-Topic: Standardization, Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Form of “Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire for Children (MCQ-C)”
The original name of the scale which was developed by Bacow et al. (2009) is “Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire for Children (MCQ-C)”. In the development of MCQ-C, the adolescent form (MCQ-A; Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire for Adolescent) which was developed by Cartwright-Hatton et al. (2004) was considered as basis. Standardization study started in May, 2010. 470 primary and high school students (205 female, 265 male) from 71 different public schools in Istanbul participated in the study during the 2009-2010 academic year. In addition to MCQ-C, State-Trait Anxiety Scale for Children and Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory were administrated in the study.
Project team: Bahçeşehir University Department of Psychology 3rd year students, Metehan Irak
-Topic: The Effect of External Feedback on the Feeling of Knowing Performance
Feeling-of-knowing is one of the metacognitive judgment type. Basic theories on this subject point to the importance of monitoring and control processes. FOK judgments occur during or after learning. These judgments are about an estimated performance regarding memory that cannot be remembered at the moment, but to what extent they can be known or remembered in a future memory test. Unlike the traditional method of measuring the FOK, this study examined the effect of different and external feedback types on the feeling of knowing.
Project team: Cansın Özgör, Fatih Yıldızhan, Metehan Irak
-Subject: The Relationship of Directed-Forgetting with Different Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms
Do we learn the information which is told to us as 'forget' or 'remember' in the same way? In this project which used directed forgetting task, the relationship of such manipulation with different obsessive-compulsive symptoms (such as washing or controlling) were examined. Tasks that were prepared for this purpose were applied to healthy volunteers and participants diagnosed with OCD. The study was conducted jointly with Marmara University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry.
Project team: Dicle Çapan, Pınar Erçelik, Zülal Oğuz, Hazal Çelik, Metehan Irak
-Topic: Age-Related Changes in Metacognitive Processes.
The relevant literature points out the importance of the 13 to 18 ages for metacognitive beliefs. The project used the cross-sectional method and examined the changes of metacognitive beliefs depending on age by using Adult and Child form of the Metacognitive Scale. The sample consisted of 2251 people of different ages (8-65) with different education level and sex.
Project team: Dicle Çapan, Can Soylu, Metehan Irak
-Topic: Neurobiological Basis of Metacognition: Examining the Temporal Priority of Monitoring and Control Processes Through Event-Related Potentials, and Its Relationship with Attention and Perceptual Processes (Supported by TÜBİTAK 1001 program).
In the generally accepted model developed by Nelson and Narens (1990) for explaining metacognitive processes, it is not clear whether if there is a temporal priority of monitoring and control processes during feeling of knowing (FOK) processes. The proposed project had two main purposes. The first aim was to examine whether there is a temporal priority between the monitoring and control processes by using event-related potentials (ERP), during the FOK judgments, which is a type of metacognition. It is known that FOK judgments are affected by the type of memory task (Irak, 2005, 2009). Therefore, in this proposed study, FOK judgments were measured separately using semantic and episodic memory tasks. The second aim of the study was to examine the relationship of metacognition with attention and perceptual processes again through ERPs. In this direction, it was examined whether there is a relationship between the ERPs obtained during the Stroop and Marking Test and the ERPs to be obtained during the metacognitive performance.
Project team: Can Soylu, Dicle Çapan, Cansın Özgör, Fatih Yıldızhan, BAU Psychology students and Metehan Irak
-Topic: The Effect of Addiction to Violent Video Games on Cognitive Processes and Event-Related Brain Potentials
Violent game addiction (VGA) is a serious threat to individuals' mental health and it brings various psychosocial consequences. It is emphasized that it leads to an increase in the rate of destructive and aggressive behavior, and this situation has the potential to adversely affect the natural development of the brain and is one of the factors that predispose to the emergence of different cognitive and behavioral problems in the long term. Studies have shown that obsessive behavior (such as gambling addiction) causes changes in brain activity as in substance addiction. From this point of view, it can be expected that game addiction may cause some changes in individuals' cognitive processes and brain functions. As a matter of fact, studies on internet addiction also support this assumption. An important feature that makes game addiction different from other addictions is that it also contains violent elements. From these points of view, it becomes important to examine what kind of changes with the exposure to violent games for a long time creates on cognitive, behavioral and neurobiological processes. The main purpose of the proposed project was to examine the effects of game addiction on the event-related brain potentials (ERP) and cognitive processes of the VGA.
Project team: Can Soylu, Dicle Çapan, İnan Şen, BAU Psychology Students and Metehan Irak
-Topic: Neurobiological Bases of Adult Attachment and Its Relation to Cognitive Biases
Behavioral studies revealed that attachment theory is directly related to and has implications for everyday life such as interpersonal relationships, marriage, parental attitudes, parenting, mood disorders (such as stress, anxiety, and depression). Studies have shown that personal differences in attachment levels have various effects on different types of cognitive and emotional processes, especially in social situations that are suitable or unsuitable for attachment. Although information processing and emotion regulation models on this topic indicate that these effects may follow certain paths in the brain, the exact neural mechanisms and cognitive processes in relation to these effects and the type of biases in this process are still unexplored. From this point of view, the aims of the project were to reveal which different attachment levels are related to which brain structures, to examine how event-related potentials (ERP) to be obtained under different cognitive tasks differ according to their attachment levels, and to test the relationship of cognitive and neurobiological responses with physiological responses (skin conductivity responses).
Project team: Can Soylu, Dicle Çapan, İnan Şen, BAU Psychology students and Metehan Irak
-Topic: Effects of Different Encoding Strategies on Metacognitive Judgments: An ERP Study
There are two main aims of this project. The first aim is to investigate whether there is a neural association between episodic memory encoding and later successful and unsuccessful recognition performance. The second aim is to investigate the relationships between episodic encoding processes and metacognitive judgments, namely FOK and JOL decisions by using ERPs method. It is assumed that some strong activations and representations during encoding could be predictive of unsuccessful episodic memory retrievals well as successful retrieval. Besides, FOK decisions, among the metacognitive processes, could be informative in explaining behavioral and neural basis of unsuccessful recall or recognition. Episodic memory and metacognitive judgments of the participants are measuring under three different episodic memory tasks consisted of stimulus from different modalities (e.g. familiar and unfamiliar words, places, and faces).
Project Team: Metehan Irak, Can Soylu, Berna Güler
-Topic: The Effect of Excessive Violent Video Game Playing on Working Memory and Response Inhibition: An Event-Related Brain Oscillations Study
Behavioral addictions have been associated with impulsivity and memory like problems similar to biological addictions. Hereby, in this study, the participants will be divided into two groups namely excessive violent video game players, and non-players. They will perform Go-No-Go task and N-Back Task which are measuring the response inhibition and working memory abilities.
Project Team: Özüm Karya Sakman, Elif Güldemir, Can Soylu, Metehan Irak
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