Articles

The article considers problems in zoopsychology and comparative psychology teaching that Russian universities are facing nowadays. The teaching of this discipline by lacking special interdisciplinary qualifications lecturers often leads to misapprehension of the subject by students. The problem is also aggravated by growing opposition between two major paradigms in treatment of the human nature (socio-cultural and biological approaches) and increased biologization tendencies in human behavior interpretations manifesting themselves in direct analogies with behavior models of animals belonging to various taxons.

XVI International Christmas educational readings.

The article shows that the educational sets formulated by prof. Klimov and proved to be effective for training both teachers and psychologists. The author beleifes that three key points of professional training (that is a keen sense of animateness, an ability of obtaining any psychological knowledge required as well as active cognitive position) are common for all human-related professions. The article also briefly describes the “Introduction to profession” course.

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 gives an account of the empirical study results involving 650 respondents. The aim of the study was to determine the degree of need for security satisfaction. The author’s research method (a questionnaire) is described. It is outlined that gender, age-related and profession-associated distinctions in representation of need-for-satisfaction components differ with representatives of various social and economic groups.

The article describes the results of the several years introduction of computerized testing in the outcome examinations for the final year students of psychological faculty of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The procedure of testing, the features and the structure of the test item bank, technological and organizational issues are discussed including the procedural rules for students and professors. The main focus of the article is statistical analyses of the obtained correlations between test scores, traditional oral exam scores and academic history scores for all years in the university. As a result of the systematic improvements of test item bank the correlation between test scores and academic history scores increased each year and is equal last year 0.72 (the Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient) and 0.86 (Gulford’s coefficient for extreme groups). At the same time the analogical correlation for oral exams remained at the same level (0.55—0.59 the Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient). 

To the 80th anniversary of Yulia Borisovna Gippenreiter.

The article presents the results of empirical studies of information processing in patients with migraine in a headache period and in healthy control by means of tests for the assessment of psychopathological symptoms and cognitive styles tests: Gottschaldt’s Embedded figures test (EFT) (style field dependence/field independence) and Cluster Classification test — a new method, based on the design of artificial concepts. Patients with migraine showed lower stability and selectivity of the processes of structuring information. A positive correlation of structure in patients with migraine and exposure to psychopathological processes (healthy observed an inverse relationship) may be a consequence of adaptation to high for them requirements for the structuring of information imposed by the environment.

Cognitive psychology in contemporary research paradigms: summer psychological school.

The essence of a prejudice that determines the practice of so called specialized education at schools is that it is considered that a choice of professional specialization made during adolescence period guarantees further professional development in the defined direction. In fact, as we see in biographies of successful professionals, professional development is a nonlinear process, which specifically takes place in an effort to overcome situations of uncertainty, and is characterized as an intermittent (“start-stop”) process.

The International scientific-practical conference «Communication psychology: Humanity training» dedicated to the 70th anniversary of L.A. Petrovskaya (1937—2006)

In the literature on professional self-determination there is a notion about a successful choice of a profession as conscious, independent and responsible. The analysis of errors of senior pupils when they choose a profession has shown, that the most common reason of errors is low consciousness of the main factors of the choice – «I want» and «I can». Therefore it is necessary to start the psychological support of professional self-determination of teenagers with their personal self-determination as a necessary stage of professional self-determination.

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.

The main theme of the article is the system of foreseeing and managing social and psychological risks in emergency situation (ES) areas. The method is based on a risk estimation of adverse social processes and phenomena such as: mass aggressive, hysteroid, phobic and panic reaction, rumors. In the process of analyzing 36 emergency situations the authors have identified 24 factors that have the most significant influence on the socio-psychological situation in the ES area. Accounting for identified factors allows us to construct a model which can become a base for analyzing and forecasting risks of all adverse social processes. It will help to organize the process of rational resource distribution in ES areas and to achieve the needed level of public safety.

Psychologically the “little man” is defined through his willingness to recognize experience and change his social status in different communities: from family to his place in the broad cultural-historical process. Special conditions and potential opportunities of success of the “little man” are emphasized, that gives him sometimes a better position — even in comparison with those men, who have greater status (e.g. in comparison with recognized representatives of the elite). The problem of psychological unpreparedness of many “little men” to use their specific advantages is considered. An attempt to understand the reasons for unexpected success of people, who never ware taken seriously, is made.