Lomonosov Psychology Journal, 2008, 2, 192.

Зинченко Ю.П. Олег Константинович Тихомиров — профессор факультета психологии Московского университета.

The article reconstructs the stages of O.K. Tikhomirov’s scientific work. The main attention is paid to programs of studies of human thinking activity. The substance of the personal meanings theory of thinking is exposed. The contribution of O.K. Tikhomirov’s school to the development of A.N. Leontiev’s psychological activity theory is defined.

The contribution of the O.K. Tikhomirov’s school in the field of psychology of thinking is analyzed, and the main elements of the personal meanings theory of thinking are presented: namely, personalityrelated determination of thinking, regulative function of emotions, actual genesis of goalsetting and senseformation processes, creative thinking, and the impact of information technologies on the transformations of intellectual and communicative activities.

In this paper the features of O.K. Tikhomirov’s approach to human reasoning are discussed. These features are connected with the interpretation of conscious as a system, with the unity of the fields of intellect and senses, with the dynamical interaction of cognitive and personal formations. The author pays attention to the sources of the modern psychology of decision making, which one can find in of personal meanings theory of thinking. It is mentioned in the paper, that O.K. Tikhomirov appealed not only to the methodology of cultural_historical and activity approaches, but also to other methodological conceptions (for instance, K. Popper’s), which support the idea of the pluralism of human’s reasoning.

In article influence of personal meanings theory of thinking of O.K. Tikhomirov on studies of consciousness and selfunderstanding is discussed. Proves, that processes of become aware of himself are indissolubly connected with formation of operational senses. The sense is considered as cognitive a phenomenon caused by knowledge the person receives during thinking. At the same time the sense is also such generation of existential experience of the subject which is based on comprehension of limitation by it cognitive rational schemes of knowledge of the world. Affirms, that the most perspective direction of psychological research of a problem of selfunderstanding is the combination cognitive and existential ways of the analysis of generation of sense.

The article deals with the semantic theory of thinking worked out by O.K. Tikhomirov which is considered a unique epistemological phenomenon. By means of its development the theory demonstrates the assimilation of three types of scientific rationality beginning with classical type, passing to non- classical and then to post- non- classical. It is stated in the article that the transspective analysis allows the investigator to examine the formation of scientific theory and to reveal the reasons which determine the “paradigm shifts” taking place in psychology and which are connected with the objective tendencies of the development of scientific knowledge. The article shows the real examples of the ways how the theory falsifies itself forcedly producing the facts, which can be explained only by means of the transition to the new level of its system organization. In accordance with the facts mentioned we can observe the rise of the level of professionalpsychological thinking.

In the article is submitted the comparative analysis of the problem of understanding and research of the creative thinking, describing three approaches: the personal meanings theory of thinking (O.K. Tikhomirov), the theory of problem situations (A.M. Matjushkin), approach of Ya.A. Ponomarev. The affinity of maintenance of these theories is shown in aspect of statement of researching questions to study the creative thinking and their decisions.

The studies held within the O.K. Tikhomirov’s school in psychology of thinking pro vide an approach toward solving the following problem: what are the actual positions and the roles the emotions play in human thinking processes, and in general — in the systemic interactions between human beings and the universe. The paper says that human emotions reflect, or provide dynamic models of such properties of the elements of the external world, which represent neither specific subjects nor objects, but instead belong to the psychological system «active human being in the universe». The correspondence between a human being and the universe is reflected in emotions and in systemic psychological properties, such as meanings, senses, and values. The paper discusses psychological mechanisms of emotional reflection of these properties.

This fact was successfully investigated both theoretically and experimentally. It was shown that motivation determines the various aspects of thinking: the goalsetting strategy, the perspective goalsetting, emotional regulations, the relation between concrete and abstract components, egocentric features. The most important point of motivational influences is connected with the moment of motivational conflict. This conflict may switch the thinking of the subject from cognition to the special personal activity. This kind of thinking activity may be defined as a conceptualization of conflict personality meanings.

Development of psychology of computerization, initiated by O.K. Tikhomirov, is traced and analyzed. The psychology of computerization deals with the specifics of the impact of computers on transformation of psychic processes and functions, as well as with the Artificial Intelligence models and concepts being compared to human thinking processes. This field of research is an essential component of the personal meanings theory of thinking, was also originated by O.K. Tikhomirov. The paper states that the current stage of the psychology of computerization is characterized by the studies of the modern information technologies’ impact on the sociocultural transformations in their psychological aspects. The paper contains the developing nomenclature of research problems have been investigated within the period of over two decades, and the perspective to give an adequate term to this field of research.

The article considers modern tendencies in studying of giftedness. Controversial problems of psychology of giftedness are being discussed. Argumentation for usefulness of general psychological approach, which is being developed in Tihomirov’s school for solving many of these problems, is being provided. Theoretical and methodological backlog created in this school allows to overcome a number of substantial disadvantages of wide spread static “segmental” approach to studying of giftedness, and facilitates the developing of new methods of its diagnostics.

This article is devoted to the investigation the problem of correlation between thinking and speech in the development of deaf and hardofhearing children. There are adduced results of intellect’s verbal and nonverbal components research. It has been shown that the rates of development hardofhearing children’s verbal components of intellect are lower than nonverbal. The result is increased disproportion in development visual and conceptual forms of thinking.

In this article there are demonstrated actual and potential possibilities of the notional apparatus of the concept of jointdialogic cognitive activity, which was developed basing on the personal meanings theory of thinking. The results of employment of the method of experimental diagnostic modeling of virtual monoethnical groups in conditions of research of ethnopsychological phenomena