Lomonosov Psychology Journal, 2007, 4, 112.

Some key aspects of the terrorism as an object of psychological research are described: 1) ideological principles as an object of political psychology; 2) emotions such as aggression and hatred as an object of development psychology and psychology of personality; 3) terrorists’ organizations as an object of social psychology; 4) psychological motives inciting people to participate in terrorism activity as an object of clinical psychology; 5) usage of global informational space by terrorists as an object of psychology of mass communication. Instead of conclusion all participants of the round table are invited to discuss the following issues: a) terrorism as social-psychological phenomenon; b) psychological essence of the terrorism, psychological features of terrorists; c) motivation of terrorists; d) reduction of inter-ethnical tension as a factor of decreasing of terrorists’ activity; e) psychological mechanisms of mass-media influence on peoples’ behavior in a risk conditions of terrorists attacks; f) mass-media publications as a way to prevent the terrorism; g) psychological mechanisms of involvement into terrorist organizations; h) psychological rehabilitation of people survived different kinds of violence, including terrorist acts; i) psychological accompanying of antiterrorism measures; j) psychological training of specialists in counteraction to terrorism and elimination of consequences of terrorists’ acts.

The address is devoted to the following issues: a) congratulation of Faculty of Psychology at Saint-Petersburg State University with the opening Conference timed to 100th year Anniversary of birthday of famous Russian psychologist, one among the founders of the Faculty Boris Gerasimovich Ananiev from Russian Psychological Society and Faculty of Psychology at Lomonosov Moscow State University; b) collaboration of Faculties of Psychology at Lomonosov Moscow State University and Saint-Petersburg State University; c) some basic psychological problems that are general for Moscow’s and Saint-Petersburg’s scientific traditions; d) perspectives of further collaboration.

The monograph is devoted to one of the most complex and mysterious scientific problems, to the problem of neurobiological nature of consciousness. What is the connection between psychological and neural levels of consciousness? The author proposes to consider consciousness within the spherical model of subjective processes, which unlike other models integrates psychophysical and neural levels of analysis to answer this fundamental question. The experimental researches results acquired by the author and his followers who have proved the propriety of the spherical model are serving as basis for this approach, data about deliberate discrimination of colors, emotions and other categories of stimuli are quoted. The spherical model of consciousness assumes that activity of specific neurons should be responsible for separate acts of consciousness. Functionally specialized “neurons of consciousness” which are forming “neurons fields” or “neuron maps” are serving as such neurons according to the author’s hypothesis. The change of one act of consciousness by another is determined by moving of the excitation’s focus on such type of map resulting in replacing the activity of the “neuron of consciousness” by the activity of another neuron of the same class. A number of consequences for an experimental check-up follows from this hypothesis and it opens the prospect of objective studies of consciousness. The hypothesis of the existence of specialized “neurons of consciousness” leads the author to the conclusion of the existence of the endocellular mechanism of consciousness. The author considers two possible processes in this connection: 1) local coding of signals on the micromodules of separate dendrites; 2) quantum-mechanical coding in cytoskeletal microtubules arising from generation of coherent photons. The radical physical hypothesis about of the quantum processes enable to explain brain’s work and the nature of human consciousness in a new fashion is a basis of the second idea. The book will cause doubtless interest among the wide audience of specialists in the humanities and natural science and senior students interested in problems of psychology and neurobiology of consciousness.

In this article the history of the formation of military-psychological knowledge, in Russia, is analyzed. The basic stages of development of military-psychological theory and practice are explored. The characteristics of the object and purpose of military psychology is explained. Military psychology’s place in the system of science is shown. Proof is given of the general and special problems of military psychology.

The analysis of differences between two theoretical approaches to visual perception — the ecological and the constructivist ones — is presented. The modern experimental data are considered which demonstrate the presence of two physiologically separate pathways, labeled as the ventral and dorsal streams. The questions are discussed if the differences between theoretical approaches may be reduced to differently functioning physiological streams.

The subject of topic is the discussion about interaction between affective and cognitive factors in whole personality style, which determined subject capacity to contain coherent, integrate and abstract representation about social communication, specific disturbances this capacity in subject with affective pathology personality disorders and comorbid suicidal behavior. Analysis of the main theoretical approaches experiential schema and results of the assessment (researches) of two groups patients (100 subjects) with depressive disorder suicide attempts and without are presented. The dates confirm the connection between structural-functional organization peculiarities, affective-motivational investment and content themes of I—Other relations representations patterns with three bipolar affective-cognitive personality style dimensions — differentiations/integrations, dependency/autonomy, hostility/mutual cooperation. They allow to specify the role of cognitive-symbolic means disturbances in low effective functioning of the defense and coping self-regulatory systems.

The investigation of consecutive actions of various complexities has led to observation of the effect of functional transformation of cognitive stages of these actions and analysis of its selective properties. The merging of cognitive components and its respective functions occurs when it guarantees the most effective performance in the solution of the overall task. The effect of functional transformation is a fundamental explanatory principle of construction of continuous activity consisted of discrete actions and submitted to the completion of the final task.

The results of studying the dynamics of volitional regulation through the work adjustment in three groups of interns (length of service: less 1 year — n=42, 1—3 years — n=47, 3—5 years — n=27) are presented. Following significant differences between the groups are discovered: “Action control scale”, emotional self-control, intrinsic and positive extrinsic work motivation, motivation for achievements, attraction of profession, “Purpose-in-Life test”. The positive correlation between the success in work adjustment and the volitional activity of interns in their occupation are demonstrated.

This article presents a research made in French Rail Transport Company about professional culture. It uses the Bakhtinian concept of genre to analyze the dynamic between individual activity and professional culture in a cultural-historical perspective. At the beginning of the article, theoretical bases and concepts of the research are represented, then by means of extracts from the protocols is illustrated the idea of the development of professional culture under the effect of the individual activity as well as the development of individual activity under the effect of the professional culture.

The paper analyzes factors influencing formations of the higher mental functions in primary school children. The role of musical activity in activization of mental development of children — the formation of speech and mnestic functions — is shown. Anatomic, psychophysiological and clinical data prove influence of music training on development of various brain structures both in professional musicians, and in children, having lessons of music.

Cognitive psychology in contemporary research paradigms: summer psychological school.

To the 70th anniversary of Valentina Vasilievna Nikolayeva.

To the 60th anniversary of Alla Semenovna Spivakovskaya.