Articles

Development of psychology of computerization, initiated by O.K. Tikhomirov, is traced and analyzed. The psychology of computerization deals with the specifics of the impact of computers on transformation of psychic processes and functions, as well as with the Artificial Intelligence models and concepts being compared to human thinking processes. This field of research is an essential component of the personal meanings theory of thinking, was also originated by O.K. Tikhomirov. The paper states that the current stage of the psychology of computerization is characterized by the studies of the modern information technologies’ impact on the sociocultural transformations in their psychological aspects. The paper contains the developing nomenclature of research problems have been investigated within the period of over two decades, and the perspective to give an adequate term to this field of research.

This fact was successfully investigated both theoretically and experimentally. It was shown that motivation determines the various aspects of thinking: the goalsetting strategy, the perspective goalsetting, emotional regulations, the relation between concrete and abstract components, egocentric features. The most important point of motivational influences is connected with the moment of motivational conflict. This conflict may switch the thinking of the subject from cognition to the special personal activity. This kind of thinking activity may be defined as a conceptualization of conflict personality meanings.

The studies held within the O.K. Tikhomirov’s school in psychology of thinking pro vide an approach toward solving the following problem: what are the actual positions and the roles the emotions play in human thinking processes, and in general — in the systemic interactions between human beings and the universe. The paper says that human emotions reflect, or provide dynamic models of such properties of the elements of the external world, which represent neither specific subjects nor objects, but instead belong to the psychological system «active human being in the universe». The correspondence between a human being and the universe is reflected in emotions and in systemic psychological properties, such as meanings, senses, and values. The paper discusses psychological mechanisms of emotional reflection of these properties.

In the article is submitted the comparative analysis of the problem of understanding and research of the creative thinking, describing three approaches: the personal meanings theory of thinking (O.K. Tikhomirov), the theory of problem situations (A.M. Matjushkin), approach of Ya.A. Ponomarev. The affinity of maintenance of these theories is shown in aspect of statement of researching questions to study the creative thinking and their decisions.

The article deals with the semantic theory of thinking worked out by O.K. Tikhomirov which is considered a unique epistemological phenomenon. By means of its development the theory demonstrates the assimilation of three types of scientific rationality beginning with classical type, passing to non- classical and then to post- non- classical. It is stated in the article that the transspective analysis allows the investigator to examine the formation of scientific theory and to reveal the reasons which determine the “paradigm shifts” taking place in psychology and which are connected with the objective tendencies of the development of scientific knowledge. The article shows the real examples of the ways how the theory falsifies itself forcedly producing the facts, which can be explained only by means of the transition to the new level of its system organization. In accordance with the facts mentioned we can observe the rise of the level of professionalpsychological thinking.

In article influence of personal meanings theory of thinking of O.K. Tikhomirov on studies of consciousness and selfunderstanding is discussed. Proves, that processes of become aware of himself are indissolubly connected with formation of operational senses. The sense is considered as cognitive a phenomenon caused by knowledge the person receives during thinking. At the same time the sense is also such generation of existential experience of the subject which is based on comprehension of limitation by it cognitive rational schemes of knowledge of the world. Affirms, that the most perspective direction of psychological research of a problem of selfunderstanding is the combination cognitive and existential ways of the analysis of generation of sense.

In this paper the features of O.K. Tikhomirov’s approach to human reasoning are discussed. These features are connected with the interpretation of conscious as a system, with the unity of the fields of intellect and senses, with the dynamical interaction of cognitive and personal formations. The author pays attention to the sources of the modern psychology of decision making, which one can find in of personal meanings theory of thinking. It is mentioned in the paper, that O.K. Tikhomirov appealed not only to the methodology of cultural_historical and activity approaches, but also to other methodological conceptions (for instance, K. Popper’s), which support the idea of the pluralism of human’s reasoning.

The contribution of the O.K. Tikhomirov’s school in the field of psychology of thinking is analyzed, and the main elements of the personal meanings theory of thinking are presented: namely, personalityrelated determination of thinking, regulative function of emotions, actual genesis of goalsetting and senseformation processes, creative thinking, and the impact of information technologies on the transformations of intellectual and communicative activities.

The article reconstructs the stages of O.K. Tikhomirov’s scientific work. The main attention is paid to programs of studies of human thinking activity. The substance of the personal meanings theory of thinking is exposed. The contribution of O.K. Tikhomirov’s school to the development of A.N. Leontiev’s psychological activity theory is defined.

Зинченко Ю.П. Олег Константинович Тихомиров — профессор факультета психологии Московского университета.

Background. Examination stress is observed in the majority of students, which emphasizes the relevance of searching for psychological resources facilitating successful examination.

Objective. The study had its purpose to reveal the stress level of IT students as well as their universal and special regulatory resources for exam success.

Study Participants. The study involved 322 second-year students of a Moscow technical university specializing in information security (M_age = 19.22; SD = 4.64; 29% were female students).

Methods. The students completed 4 questionnaires on the "Testograph" platform (https://www.testograf.ru) shortly before the exam session: Self-Regulation Profile (SRP-2020), Brief Acute and Chronic Stress (BACS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Subjective and Objective Uncertainty Stress (SOUS) scale. The data processing also included the results of the examination session.

Results. The majority of IT students demonstrated an average level of all the studied types of stress when compared to the data from the all-Russian sample. Differences in student performance are mostly related to the level of acute stress experienced during exam preparation period and to the type of academic discipline.

Conscious self-regulation makes a significant positive contribution to examination success in the profile disciplines — mathematics and programming: the higher the level of its development is, the higher the examination grades are. Significant predictors of examination success are regulatory competencies of evaluating results and programming educational activities, as well as regulatory properties of reliability and persistence.

Conclusions. Conscious self-regulation is a universal regulatory resource for examination success for students in technical specialties. Acute stress experiences can influence exam performance both positively and negatively. The study has identified the regulatory competencies acting as special resources for examination success.

Background. Shift work is quite common in different regions of Russia. This method of work is most often chosen by men. In the scientific literature, there are few investigations devoted to the study of couples or families with one of the spouses working on a shift basis. Interest in studying the coping behaviour of women whose husbands work on a shift basis is caused by scientific studies into the manifestation of stress in the families of shift workers.

Objective. The article focuses on identifying specifics of coping behaviour in women whose husbands work on a rotational basis.

Study Participants. The study involved 103 women with marital experience ranging from 5 to 10 years, including: 51 women whose husbands work on a rotational basis and 52 women living permanently with their spouses (control group).

Methods. The study of coping strategies is carried out with the Coping with Stress Questionnaire COPE. The Mann-Whitney U-test is used to process quantitative data.

Results. The results of the study revealed the specifics of coping with stress in women whose husbands work in shifts. They are characterized by the strategy "mental disengagement" to a greater extent as compared to the women who live with their spouses permanently. The presence of children in the families of shift workers also has a certain impact on the choice of coping strategies by women. Women with children have higher rates of productive strategies: "positive reinterpretation and personal growth", "acceptance" and "humor", it helps them cope with the stress of periodic separation from their husbands. In separation from their husbands, women without children are more likely to use the following strategies: "active coping", "denial", "religious coping" and "mental disengagement".

Conclusions. Taking into account two aspects in the course of the study (the mode of living with a spouse and the presence of children) made it possible to identify the specifics of coping behaviour of women whose husbands work in shifts. This will allow psychologists to better organize psychological assistance and support for families in this category.

Background. The issue of emotional burnout in medical professionals is sufficiently represented in modern psychology - first of all, due to the prevalence of the phenomenon, as well as the influence of the emotional state of a professional on his/her efficiency and the possibility of constructive interaction with a patient. However, the study of the factors of emotional burnout syndrome in oncologists is far from being exhausted. We believe that one of them is the peculiarities of attitude to death, which may have cross-cultural differences.

Objective. Comparative analysis of the relationship between the dominant type of attitude to death and the severity of emotional burnout in Uzbek and German medics.

Study Participants. The study involved 190 medical specialists from oncological institutions in Uzbekistan and Germany (M_age = 37.1; SD = 9.6; 73 women and 117 men), including 139 Uzbek doctors and 51 German doctors.

Methods. Two questionnaires adapted in Russian and German were used: the method of diagnosing professional burnout and the attitude to death questionnaire, as well as questionnaires to collect data on socio-demographic, professional, worldview (religiosity and specific religion) characteristics of the respondents.

Results. The majority of oncologists in both countries are experiencing symptoms of emotional burnout, with the highest rates observed in subscales of reduced professional achievement and emotional exhaustion. The level of emotional burnout among older doctors is lower in comparison with younger colleagues, regardless of the country. A high level of professionals' satisfaction with wages is accompanied by a decrease in the level of emotional burnout, regardless of the country. Uzbek doctors have a more pronounced burnout syndrome. Experts from both countries most often have a positive attitude towards death: approaching acceptance in Uzbekistan and neutral acceptance in Germany. A significant positive association of emotional burnout is observed with almost all types of attitudes towards death in a sample of doctors from Uzbekistan, while among doctors from Germany it is observed only with its approaching acceptance. Only neutral acceptance of death is associated with a low level of emotional burnout, and this is characteristic of medical oncologists in Uzbekistan, but not in Germany.

Conclusions. The type of attitude towards death can be considered one of the factors of emotional burnout of oncologists. A low level of emotional burnout is most likely determined by a neutral acceptance of death. The relationship between attitudes towards death and emotional burnout has cross-cultural differences that need further study.

Background. Nuclear medicine is one of the innovative areas of healthcare. This area is associated mainly with the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases, though its application is much wider. The use of nuclear medicine methods is promising, including in such areas as neurology and cardiology. The development of nuclear medicine requires not only the creation of a modern infrastructure in combination with expert-class equipment, but also the timely training of doctors whose competencies meet the requirements of the industry. At the same time, the duration and high cost of training for specialists in the field of nuclear medicine raises the issue of maintaining the professional health of the current staff and identifying conditions that prevent the development of burnout. One of the assumptions explaining susceptibility to professional deformations is the presence of a connection between the development of burnout symptoms and the personal characteristics of a specialist.

Objective. An empirical study is aimed at defining the role of personality factors that provoke the development of burnout or protect nuclear medicine physicians.

Study Participants. The study involved 122 employees of radiation diagnostics and radiation therapy departments of 23 institutions of the Russian Federation. A total of 122 respondents: 40 radiologists (33%), 19 radiologists (15%), 63 radiation therapists (52%), of which 35 were men (28.7%), and 87 were women (71.3%).

Methods. Autobiographical questionnaire, "Diagnostics of professional burnout" by K. Maslach, S. Jackson, adapted by N.E. Vodopyanova, E.S. Starchenkova, "Short portrait questionnaire of the Big Five" (B5-10) adapted by M.S. Egorova, O.V. Parshchikova, "Short questionnaire of the Dark Triad" adapted by M.S. Egorova, M.A. Sitnikova, O.V. Parshchikova.

Results. High friendliness and conscientiousness of doctors, their emotional stability are personal traits that protect them from burnout, while neuroticism, Machiavellianism, low benevolence and conscientiousness can be predictors of burnout. In addition, the expression of the "Extroversion" factor in physician-managers distinguishes them from ordinary doctors, while the reduction of personal achievements in the latter is significantly higher.

Conclusions. Timely monitoring of burnout symptoms among staff will allow identifying risk groups for the development of professional deformations, and information about the personal profiles of doctors will help preventively respond to negative symptoms and create a targeted program of psychological assistance to doctors.

Background. The growing research interest in the phenomenon of conformity leads to the necessity of studying individual factors influencing its manifestation. These factors include, but are not limited to, personality dispositions. The current data on the relationship between personality characteristics and conformity remain contradictory.

Objective. The goal is to analyse the relationship between different types of self-reported conformity and personality dispositions as well as to validate the scale of moral conformity in the virtual environment.

Study Participants. The study involved 287 subjects aged 18 to 55 years (M = 24.2, SD = 9.3), 215 women and 72 men. 30 people from the sample (M = 19.1, SD = 2.77) took part in a retest to assess the test-retest reliability of the virtual moral conformity scale.

Methods. The following instruments were used in the study: Mehrabian and Stefl Conformity Scale; the author's scale of moral conformity in virtual environment; a series of 14 specially designed hypothetical scenarios containing conflict situations and suggesting two possible solutions (in favor of the individual or in favor of the group); short form of the Eysenck Personality Inventory; the Dirty Dozen questionnaire.

Results. A scale of moral conformity in a virtual environment was tested. A positive relationship was found between the indicators of self-reported conformity and the indicators of neuroticism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, psychoticism, and narcissism. However, when controlling for the narcissism indicator, the relationships between moral conformity in a virtual environment and neuroticism and Machiavellianism were insignificant; when controlling for the psychopathy indicator, the relationship between psychoticism and the tendency to choose antisocial conformist responses was insignificant. It was shown that there were significant relationships between all indicators of self-reported conformity, which gave grounds to assume the potential presence of a common latent factor of conformity. However, further analysis showed that the structural model of self-reported conformity without a common latent factor fits the data better than the model including the latent factor. This result suggests that different types of self-reported conformity may represent independent aspects of conformity behaviour rather than manifestations of a single, common trait.

Conclusions. The obtained results provide evidence for the existence of independent types of self-reported conformity and also confirm the presence of relationships between different indicators of self-reported conformity as well as the relationships between self-reported conformity and personality dispositions.