Lomonosov Psychology Journal, 2011, 3, 176.

The paper presents a comparative analysis of the two major forms of pedagogicalactivity of an educator — pedagogical activity (with agency) and pedagogicalcommunication. We show that the two are qualitatively different yet they are sincreticallyunited and cannot function in isolation. We describe general and specific functionsof pedagogical activity and pedagogical communication emphasizing the role ofunmediated (direct face to face) communication between an educator and a studentin communicating personal knowledge. We also discuss the issue of developmentof the optimal individual style of pedagogical communication as a component ofcommunication competence of an educator.

Possibilities of the human activity approach in psychological research are discussed. The paper states about the necessity of subsequent development of psychological human activity theory: first of all the general structure of human activity is to be specified. Particular importance must be given to diachronic aspect of its structural analysis. The system of essentially different components that constitute its process must be described, and their interdependencies must be revealed. The author emphasizes the significance of the final component of the human activity, i.e. the action of satisfying the initial drive of the subject. Regarding this action as the activity “realization phase” can give the key to the problem of reinforcement. The pair of notions — “orientation” and “execution” — will be of value when solving the problem of set consciousness.

The study conducted at a representative sample of 6—11 graders from regularsecondary schools (N=665) has shown, that high academic achievers are characterizedby particular motivational profile, i.e. high level of intrinsic motivation and lowerlevel of extrinsic motivation based on the striving to get recognition and respect fromparents, teachers and classmates than their less successful peers. Besides that, observeddifferences in extrinsic motivation of boys and girls allowed to explain gender differencesin academic achievement favoring girls. This data should be used selecting children tospecial classes and schools for gifted and developing programs for teachers and parentsthat support intrinsic motivation in children.

The results of a study of the motivational component of the student intellectualactivity in solving insight problems are presented in the article. For the evaluation ofmotivation the technique of “creative field” developed by D.B. Bogoyavlenskaya hasbeen used before and after teaching students to implement heuristics with the help ofthe method developed by I.I. Ilyasov. Additional data on the positive influence of theintrinsic cognitive motivation upon the success in solving insight problems has beenreceived. The possibility to contribute to arising and increasing of this motivationthrough teaching to use heuristics has also been revealed.

This study examined coping styles and intellectual characteristics of self-regulation in learning activity of technical and humanitarian student in college. Results of this study students sample (N=546) allowed to conclude, that people with high level of psychometric intelligence use far less emotion-oriented and avoidance-oriented coping styles.

This article deals with researches of the cognitive component of interpersonalcognition, and it also studies a possibility of improving it during the process of teachers’education. On the basis of numeral researches data the author describes mistakes, peoplemake estimating one another, and, as a result, she offers the model of interpersonalcognition strategies, allowing minimizing them. The author describes the researches,carried out under her leadership, showing that teachers, who use these strategies,estimate children’s personality feathers much better, than their colleagues, who are notable to use them. The author also presents the method “Improvement of the Strategiesof Interpersonal Cognition”, and analyzes forms and conditions of its usage in theprocess of teachers’ education.

The article studies the relationships of interpersonal cognition strategies with personality identity statuses, implicit theories of self-perception, intelligence, some kinds of anxiety and sociometric status of teenagers.

Students’ mistakes in problem solving are analyzed from the positions of activity approach. Each type of students’ mistakes is connected to certain conditions of students’ activity organization during the lesson. We analyzed the mistakes, which students make when they do not turn to the knowledge obtained before problem solving. It has been demonstrated that students from different educational systems have differences in the frequency of mistakes in question.

The article is devoted to description of an experimental study of the problem of a generalized method assembling of composite pictures by preschool children age (based on puzzles (P), composite pictures (CP) and geometric brain-twisters (GBT). A number of conditions have an influence on formation of an assembling method, e.g. type of playing material, insertion sequence of different kind of materials, insertion of materials with/without of used patterns. All these conditions assist or prevent from guidelines selection for an action implementation, formation of a generalized method with formation of which is linked perceptual development.

In the study the levels decentration development obtained by Hughes and Piaget’s methods are compared both among themselves and with the levels of formation of classification, seriation logical operations and conservation principle understanding at preschool children. Statistically significant correlation interdependence (r-Spearman) between all investigated indicators is proved. The Piaget’s position on the importance of cognitive egocentrism as the starting point of child development, determined the logic thinking characteristics of the child was substantiated, it is necessary to consider all characteristics of logic thinking by designing and evaluating of decentration diagnostic methods. It is concluded that the Hughes and Piaget’s decentration diagnostic methods should be viewed as complementary rather than mutually exclusive when assessing the overall level of development of logical thinking of the child.

The article describes the main ideas of A.A. Verbitskiy’s model of contextual learning of high school students, and some of the results of questionnaire study of Moscow State University psychological department students’ impressions, collected from them after the completion of general psychological practicum course. In his model, A.A. Verbitskiy attempts to solve the crucial methodical (if not methodological) controversy of higher professional education, which is that students must master the basics of professional activity during their learning activities. The students’ evaluation of general psychological practicum appears to be consistent and comparable with the foundational principles of A.A.Verbitskiy’s concept of high school education.

Brain mechanisms of subjective (internal) rhythmisation were examined in two experimental cases. One of the tasks was to combine acoustic rhythmic clicks as pairs; another task was to combine the same monotone clicks as triples. With the method of factorial analysis some types of specific variation of EVP form on the clicks which took different place in patterns were figured out. Analysis of dynamics of brain structures activity revealed some types of functional brain architectonics while subjects were performing a task of combining clicks. Specific cerebellum activation took place both in rhythm perception and in subject’s activity of integration of cognitive processes. This took place when subject used hierarchical strategy of rhythm perception.

To the 80th anniversary of Nina Gavrilovna Salmina.

To the 70th anniversary of Tatiana Vasilievna Akhutina.

To the 70th anniversary of Sergey Dmitrievich Smirnov.