The Effectiveness of Cognitive Training Method and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on the Metamemory in the Students with Special Learning Disorders

Background: The present study was aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive training method and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the metamemory in the students with special learning disorders. Methods: The study has been conducted based on a semi-experimental design of the pretest-posttest type with a control group. Forty-five students were selected based on a purposive sampling method and assigned to two groups, a control group and an experimental group (each containing 15 individuals) based on a simple randomized method. One of the experimental groups received cognitive training for a period of 20 to 30 sessions, every 45 minutes (twice a week) and the other group was subjected to transcranial direct current stimulation for 20 minutes during ten consecutive days. The statistical method of choice was multivariate covariance analysis (ANCOVA). Significant level was set at 0.05. Results: The results of data analysis using covariance analysis indicated that both the cognitive training method and the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) were effective in the metamemory (Pvalue < 0.01). Conclusions: Cognitive training and the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) methods can be applied for improving the metamemory in students with special learning disabilities