Background. Language development is one of the most important tasks of education. Therefore, the study of those factors that affect it remains in demand. Though the relationship between language development and executive functions has been broadly studied recently, there is no data on their relationship in a longitudinal perspective in children aged 6 to 8 years. A comprehensive analysis of the relationship between language development and executive functions is of great importance for transition from kindergarten to primary school.

Objective. The study focuses on how narrative ability develops in children from preschool to the middle of elementary school and how it is associated with the level of executive functions.

Sample. The material was obtained during a three-year longitudinal study. The study sample data was collected in two sections: a) in kindergarten (n = 288, M = 6.59 years, SD = 4.11 months) and b) in the second grade of primary school (n = 210, M = 8.75 years, SD = 3.84 months).

Methods. The children’s executive functions were assessed with the NEPSY-II diagnostic toolkit, as well as with the DCCS method. The children’s narratives were assessed with the method of creating stories based on a series of pictures.

Results. 1) A statistically significant increase in micro- and macrostructure of narratives was found. 2) In kindergarten, girls demonstrate higher indicators in both macro- and microstructure of narrative than boys. However, by the 2nd grade, these significant differences are no longer observed. 3) Analysis of the relationship between narrative indicators and components of executive functions revealed that the strongest positive relationship is observed between auditory working memory and macro-microstructure in the preparatory group, however, by the 2nd grade, this relationship ceases to be significant. 4) It was shown that children who demonstrated higher rates in all executive functions at preschool age have higher results in narratives at school.

Conclusions. The important role of the development of executive functions during the preschool period of childhood in the development of narrative ability at school age is shown.

Background. Psychological well-being of a modern person is largely connected with his adaptation to the risks of the digital world. A review of modern studies into psychological consequences of everyday digitalization suggests that the latter affects all areas of the personality: motivational, cognitive, and affective ones, as well as the features of self-awareness.

Objective. The task of the pilot study was to determine the possible relationships between the level of psychological well-being and the content of personal dispositions related to it (hardiness and dispositional optimism) with the features of adaptation to digital everyday life.

Sample. The study was conducted on a youth sample of 131 people. The average age of respondents was 22.8 years (median age = 21), 118 females, 13 male respondents).

Methods. The paper uses standardized scales of psychological well-being, resilience, dispositional optimism and a questionnaire specially designed for the purposes of the study aimed at identifying the level of psychological adaptation to digitalization, which included the scales of digital anxiety, behavioral, communicative and normative adaptation.

Results. The check of reliability of the scales in the questionnaire of psychological adaptation to digitalization gave acceptable results. Indicators of digital anxiety are negatively associated with indicators of psychological well-being, resilience and dispositional optimism. Behavioral and normative adaptation to the risks of digital world are not associated with psychological well-being and dispositional optimism, though they do positively correlate with resilience. Indicators of communicative adaptation were not associated with any of the methods used.

Conclusion. Modern youth have a developed repertoire of skills to ensure their own digital security and to organize a conscious information search, though at the same time they follow certain norms of virtual interaction that are consonant with social norms. However, this does not increase confidence in the ability to protect oneself and influence one’s own digital everyday life, which explains the generally weak correlation of indicators of digital adaptation with psychological well-being, general resilience and dispositional optimism.

Background. Currently, the number of entrepreneurs who run traditional business or create a startup is growing. A startup is a special type of entrepreneurial activity that increases the risks of doing business. In this regard, the question of the personality traits of the entrepreneur who has a traditional business and the founder of the startup arises.

Objective. The aim is to identify distinctive professional values of entrepreneurs who prefer traditional business (hereinafter referred to as TB entrepreneurs) and startup entrepreneurs.

Methods. The hypotheses were tested by a survey including two test methods: the Rokich values method, a modified method from the Bushkova-Shiklina study. The paper compared the set of professional values of traditional business entrepreneurs (TB) and startup founders. Differences in values were checked through Pearson’s chi-square calculation (χ2 — Pearson consent criterion).

Sample. The sample consisted of 90 people. Of these, 46 participants (25 men and 21 women) are entrepreneurs, and 44 (27 men and 17 women) participants are startup founders living in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The age of respondents is from 20 to 40 years.

Results. Statistically significant differences in the values of TB entrepreneurs and startup founders could not be found. The set of common values of TB entrepreneurs and startup founders is the same: interest in work, financially secure life, development. However, each group of entrepreneurs has its own specific values. TB entrepreneurs emphasise professionalism while startup founders emphasise success.

Conclusions. TB entrepreneurs and startup founders have similar values. The personalities of TB entrepreneurs and startup founders have many similarities, similar values and directions in life, despite the fact that the activities of these two groups are not identical and have their own characteristics. A startup should be considered as a subtype of entrepreneurship. TB entrepreneurs demonstrate professionalism as a specific professional value. Startup founders have another specific professional value which is freedom.

Practical application of the results. The results of the study are useful for group and individual work with entrepreneurs, and also serve as a starting point for a more detailed study of the socio-psychological aspects of entrepreneur’s personality.

Background. This study discusses one of the last L.S. Vygotsky’s works — the fourth chapter in «Fascism in Psychoneurology» bulletin (1934). Motivation of the author to write this text is analyzed in the broad context of sociopolitical and personal aspects of his life: general growth of sociopsychological tension, repressions that touched L.S. Vygotsky’s family in 1930s, personally significant Jewish question and antisemitism in nazi Germany. In addition, joint letter from R.N. Vygodskaya and L.S. Vygotsky to D.I. Vygodsky published for the first time. This letter mentioned the arrest of Vygotsky’s cousin L.I. Vygodsky.

Objective. The aim of the study was to reconstruct personal meanings and circumstances of L.S. Vygotsky in writing a chapter for «Fascism in Psychoneurology» bulletin.

Methods. Elements of source analysis, search and analysis of archival documents, theoretical analysis of literature on L.S. Vygotsky’s biography.

Results. The analysis showed that L.S. Vygotsky and A.R. Luria’s criticism of Fascism in psychology is built around several topics: criticism of the basic anthro-pological idea of the Third Reich about the predestination of human development depending on «blood and race»; an analysis of the process of politicization and ideologization of science, exemplified by the concept of «Integrationstypologie» introduced by E.R. Jaensch, which L.S. Vygotsky criticizes; political self-defense of Soviet scientists against possible persecution; the issue of national self-determination of Soviet Jewish scientists.

Conclusion. Authors of this article suggested that this work may be seen not only as a scientific criticism and assertion of humanistic values in psychology but also as an act of political self-defense from sanctions and persecution that took place during the second half of the 1930s.

Background. Neuropsychology and neuroscience solve a number of general issues concerning the relationship between brain and psyche, the principles of the structural and functional brain organization, the cerebral basis of mental processes, patterns of damage and recovery of complex behavioral systems. Neuroscientific basis for higher brain function recovery allows us to explain the regularities of neuroplasticity. The neuropsychological basis makes it possible to build an adequate programme of neuropsychological rehabilitation, taking into account not only psychological but also biological patterns. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen the integration of neuroscientific and neuropsychological points of views in this domain.

Objective. The study aims to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of modular theory and the theory of system and dynamic localization of functions in solving the question of structural and functional brain organization and their reflection in approaches to neuropsychological rehabilitation.

Methods. Comparative analysis and the method of generalization were applied.

Results. Modular theory and the theory of system and dynamic localization of functions have a number of common key points. 1. The principle of the system (distributed) organization of higher cortical functions. 2. Horizontal-vertical structure of higher brain functions. 3. Сortical function is the constellation of factors/modules. 4 Functional unit (factor/module) is a structural element of different brain systems. 5. Damage of a functional unit leads to a selective damage of a certain group of cognitive processes. Theories differ in understanding the content of a functional unit of a brain, which leads to differing understandings of the typology in the ways to recovery. The study considers the role of subcortical structures in providing behavioral automatisms. The paper shows the importance of the intact conduction pathways in making rehabilitation prognosis.

Conclusion. The study reveals limitations of the concept of factor in explaining the variability and dissociative picture of a neuropsychological symptom. The content of factor as well as its structural elements are to be revised and described. Certain statements of the theory of system and dynamic localization of functions have to be modified in order to reflect the regularities of neuroplasticity in the methodology of neuropsychological rehabilitation.

The paper analyzes the emergence of the concept of motive in Alexey N. Leontiev’s early writings and its correspondence to Kurt Lewin’s ideas and to the distinction of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and the concept of the continuum of regulation in the present day self-determination theory of E. Deci and R. Ryan. The distinctions of extrinsic motivation based on reward and punishment versus “natural teleology” in K. Lewin’s works and of (extrinsic) motive versus interest in early A. N. Leontiev’s texts are explicated. The relationships between motive, goal, and personal meaning in the structure of activity regulation are analyzed. The author introduces the concept of quality of motivation referring to the degree of correspondence between motivation and one’s needs and authentic Self at large; the complementarity of activity theory approach and self-determination theory as regards the quality of motivation issue is highlighted.

The paper presents test questionnaire, developed by the author based on methodology K. Yang and allows the quantification of the severity of the degree of enthusiasm of younger teenagers playing computer games — CG). The questionnaire contains 22 questions, defining five 5 major scales: emotional attitude to the CG; self-monitoring in clinical trials; goal orientation on the CG; parental relation to the CG; preference for virtual communication real. A study conducted on a sample of 304 students of Nizhny Novgorod aged 11-12 years, showed that the developed test questionnaire allows to quantify the extent of computer abuse younger teenager; allows mathematical treatment; is relatively expeditious means evaluation of a large number of respondents; contributes to the objectivity of assessments that do not depend on the subjective attitudes of the person conducting the study; ensures comparability of the information obtained by different researchers in different subjects.

The main approaches to moral development in foreign (J. Piage, L. Kohlberg, C. Gilligan, N. Eisenberg, E. Turiel) and domestic psychology (L.I. Bozhovich, S.N. Karpova, E.V. Subbotsky, S.G. Jacobson) are analyzed in the article. The justice and care principles as the foundations for constructing the approaches to moral development are examined. The differences between care and justice principle are revealed. Some results of investigation about the dependence of moral-value development in adolescence and youth from social situation of development are discussed. 

The issue provides the overview of modern approaches to the definition and research of coping with difficult life situations. The article highlights the problems of difference between the concepts of coping and defense mechanisms. Coping as personality dispositions and dynamic process is considered. The issue deals with the controversial issues of questionnaires’ use and other methods of coping strategies’ research. The article covers the prospects of complex approach to the study of coping. 

It is impossible to give English variant of the abstract because English language does not have exact analogy of the Russian notion «самооценка».  

This research is devoted to the investigation of the role of conscious self-regulation in human development and activity. The concept of conscious self-regulation of a subject’s voluntary activity and the history of its research conducted in Psychological Institute RAE are discussed. The results of the research dedicated to the typology of individual styles of self-regulation and their relationship with educational and professional activity effectiveness are presented. Personal dispositions have specific influence on the individual peculiarities of regulatory profile. It is concluded that the integrated system of individual self-regulation includes dynamic and content aspects of a personality, its conscious and subconscious structures for development and achievement of goals.

The paper analyzes the emergence of the concept of motive in Alexey N. Leontiev’s early writings and its correspondence to Kurt Lewin’s ideas and to the distinction of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and the concept of the continuum of regulation in the present day self-determination theory of E. Deci and R. Ryan. The distinctions of extrinsic motivation based on reward and punishment versus “natural teleology” in K. Lewin’s works and of (extrinsic) motive versus interest in early A. N. Leontiev’s texts are explicated. The relationships between motive, goal, and personal meaning in the structure of activity regulation are analyzed. The author introduces the concept of quality of motivation referring to the degree of correspondence between motivation and one’s needs and authentic Self at large; the complementarity of activity theory approach and self-determination theory as regards the quality of motivation issue is highlighted.

In this article the authors comment and discuss the results of the expert 16 definitions of the term “competence”. The participants were 45 psychologists of higher qualification (candidates and doctors of Sciences) — members of the Internet community of psychologists on the website www.ht.ru. They judged all definitions by means of 7 different rating scales. The resulting data cube 45×16×7 was analyzed by factor and cluster analysis. It was revealed 2 significant factor reflecting the level of popularity of definitions (the first factor), as well as the proximity-distance from the pole of terminological Russian national tradition (the second factor), mainly related to the concepts of “PVK” (PIQ in English “professionally important qualities”) and “ZUN” (KAZ in English — “Knowledge Ability-Skills”). Rating of the definitions by academic specialists was appeared to be close to the national tradition and evaluation of psychologists-practitioners closer to the Western tradition. Using cluster analysis discovered 4 robust clusters: 1) the competence as an area of authority and responsibility, 2) competence is the same as “PVK”, 3) the competence as mobilization the knowledge and skills to solve a specific task, 4) competences are descriptive units (elements) of effective professional activity. The most promising and creative approach, according to the authors, is the third cluster, in which an attempt is made to search a synthesis of the domestic (based on activity theory) and Western (behavioral approach) conceptual-terminological traditions.

The paper discusses the role of hardiness in organizations and the issues of its assessment. The results of a study aimed at development and validation of a short 24­item Russian version of the Hardiness Survey by D.A. Leontiev and E.I. Rasskazova are presented. Using a student sample data (N=1285), a subset from the set of 45 existing items were selected for the short version that was subsequently validated in a large process plant employee sample (N=4647). Using confirmatory factor analysis, a one­dimensional structure of the test was supported (with a single hardiness factor and two independent method factors corresponding to systematic bias associated with regular and reverse­scored items). The resulting shortened scale showed high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91). Convergent validity was demonstrated by predictable associations with other measures of psychological well­being, including dispositional optimism, optimistic attributional style, hope, general self­efficacy, tolerance for ambiguity, subjective vitality, life satisfaction, work satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation in academic and professional domains. The resulting short version of the Hardiness Survey can be recommended for diverse samples.

The concepts of ethnic identity and ethnicity are compared to each other; the main approaches of research on ethnicity are analysed. The restrictions of the primor- dialistic approach are discussed. The psychological analysis of the constructivist model of ethnicity as well as of its criteria is proposed in here. The analysis of the ethnological theories allows concluding that the unilateral vision of ethnic identity nature is illegiti- mate and ethnic identity should be studied as result of the cognitive-emotional process of self-determination of individual towards the ethnic groups in the social space — as result of belonging to the ethnic community experience.