Bogacheva, Natalya V.

Relevance. There is no understanding of the role of risk perception in medical decision-making, as well as the cognitive representations and implicit theories of risk of doctors. The concept of an intellectual-personal human potential helps us investigate the links between those levels of risk perception and the specifics of decision-making.

Objective. The hypothesis about the relationship between cognitive representations of risk, the preference towards certain choices in verbal tasks, and the engagement of implicit risk theories in the regulation of choices was tested.

Methods. 103 people aged 21-73 years participated, 59 doctors, and 44 realtors. Medical Risk Scale (SHMR, MRS), Cognitive Risk Representations Inventory (CRR) and Implicit Risk Theories Questionnaire (ITR) were applied.

Results. Risk representations are weakly related, though the variables are more integrated within the same level. The differences between the groups were found in: some implicit risk theories; average risk assessment; estimates of the riskiness of situations and the likelihood of a negative outcome. The groups also differed in preferences of risk reduction strategies, depending on a subjective riskiness. Thus, the inventories reflect different levels of risk perception, mediated by the professional specifics of the participants. Among doctors evaluation of riskiness of the situation is linked with the lack of control; their implicit risk theories, in general, have little relationship with the representations of specific risks.

Conclusion. Implicit risk theories and cognitive representations of risks appear as different levels of procedural regulation of decision-making; Inventories we developed are good tools for diagnosing representations of medical risks.

The aim of the article is to give a brief overview of cognitive studies in computer games psychology. The researches of psychological specifics of computer gamers have become very important recently due to a great popularity of computer games among children, teenagers and adults all over the world. Numerous studies are made that show significant differences between cognitive characteristics of computer gamers and non-gamers. There are possible negative consequences (such as long-term memory decline) as well as positive ones. Computers games are shown to enhance attention, spatial cognition and cognitive control of computer gamers and participants of specially organized computer games sessions. Cognitive function can possibly be trained in computer games. Computer games experience affects processes of thinking, decision making as well as multitasking and task-switching capability. Studies of connection between cognitive styles and computer games are also reviewed.

The aim of the article is to give a brief overview of cognitive studies in computer games psychology. The researches of psychological specifics of computer gamers have become very important recently due to a great popularity of computer games among children, teenagers and adults all over the world. Numerous studies are made that show significant differences between cognitive characteristics of computer gamers and non-gamers. There are possible negative consequences (such as long-term memory decline) as well as positive ones. Computers games are shown to enhance attention, spatial cognition and cognitive control of computer gamers and participants of specially organized computer games sessions. Cognitive function can possibly be trained in computer games.Computer games experience affects processes of thinking, decision making as well as multitasking and task-switching capability. Studies of connection between cognitive styles and computer games are also reviewed.

The empirical study was carried out to check the hypothesis that myopia can influence the development of self-attitude features of teenagers and youths. 50 participants took part in the study (30 myopic participants — 12 males and 18 females, and 20 participants with normal eyesight — 8 males and 12 females) from 15 to 20 years old, senior pupils and students. Projective methods and inventories were used: the nonexistent animal figure test, self-portrait picture test, S.R. Pantileev’s methodic of self-attitude measurement (questionnaire), and self- attitude scoring questionnaire developed by us. The results of the study confirm the hypothesis and show that myopic teenagers and youths has specific features of self-attitude, such as the disposition towards self-criticism, negative attitude towards characteristics of self, the decline of communicational self-attitude and communicational activity, the tendency to deep intelligent reflection of self with great attention toward weaknesses. Moreover, myopic respondents show rigid and extreme scores of self-attitude, passiveness in communication, sensitivity towards other people’s scores. It was shown, that self-attitude of myopic teenagers resembles that of blind and visually impaired people. It was also shown that myopic teenagers are more self-critical and tend to negative evaluation of themselves as communicational partners.