Dmitri A. Leontiev

Relevance. The quality of motivation characterizes the nature of urges. It is manifested in how much the motivation of a particular activity is connected with its process (intrinsic motivation) or with an alienated result (extrinsic motivation), or with intermediate types between them (E. Deci, R. Ryan). In the present study we examine how the quality of motivation of students' learning activity is associated with the experiences of pleasure, meaning, effort and void as their absence (in light of D. Leontiev’s three-dimensional model of activity-related experiences).

Objective. We aim to reveal relationships between the quality of motivation of learning activity and experiences related to this activity.

Methods.We used Activity-related Experiences Assessment inventory (AREA) to measure experiences in leisure and study, and Universal Perceived Locus of Causality Scale (UPLOC) to assess the quality of motivation. The correlation study was conducted on students sample of 17-24 years (M=18.35; SD=1.00).(N = 357).

Results. The connection of the pleasure experience in learning activity with its motivation increases monotonously when moving from controlled (external) to autonomous types of motivation, changing the minus sign to a plus; the void experience demonstrates reverse pattern. The meaning experience in general reveals similar dynamics to pleasure, but with some differences. The effort experience is insignificantly related to the most autonomous and least autonomous types of motivation, showing a significant positive relationship with the intermediate types of motivation in the middle of the autonomy continuum.

Conclusion. Significant correlations were observed between different types of motivation and experiences related to the same activity and nonsignificant and/or weak correlations between types of motivation and experiences related to different activities.

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 article deals with the concept of internal dialogue and its understanding in a variety of psychological schools in Russian and foreign psychology. A concept of internal dialogue is introduced as well as its understanding by M.M. Bakhtin, L.S. Vygotsky, G.M. Kuczynski, H. Hermans. The Internal dialogical activity Scale (IDAS) by P. Oles is presented. Russian adaptation of IDAS included two sections with an interval of two weeks between them. 256 respondents participated in the first section, and 123 of them in the second. The general ID score was validated; however, instead of replication of the original 7-factor structure, we revealed a more justified, reliable and valid 3-factor one (internal dialogue, internal world, internal conflict). Construct validity is underpinned by high correlations of IDAS factors with other measures of reflexive processes and aspects of self-attitude. Unlike the differential reflectivity test by D.A. Leontiev and E.N. Osin, IDAS seems to represent mostly the negative pole of self-reflection; this conclusion is based on the analysis of IDAS connections with other personality variables. Russian adaptation of IDAS can be used for research purposes and for practical work.

The paper presents a study of choice process and parameters of its subjective construction in real life situations of different scale of importance. Qualitative and quantitative features of “fateful” (F) and “everyday” (E) choice situations were compared, in each situation the connection was found between qualitative parameters of choice activity with stable personality variables, an attempt was made to allocate different types of choice activity in these situations. The results obtained on a sample of 74 students (55 females and 18 males) of age 17—25 (median age = 18.7; SD = 1.09) with the use of 3 basic and 8 additional questionnaires allowed to make a conclusion about the essential qualitative and quantitative differences between situations of F and E choice.

The paper presents a study of choice process and parameters of its subjective construction in real life situations of different scale of importance. Qualitative and quantitative features of “fateful” (F) and “everyday” (E) choice situations were compared, in each situation the connection was found between qualitative parameters of choice activity with stable personality variables, an attempt was made to allocate different types of choice activity in these situations. The results obtained on a sample of 74 students (55 females and 18 males) of age 17—25 (median age = 18.7; SD = 1.09) with the use of 3 basic and 8 additional questionnaires allowed to make a conclusion about the essential qualitative and quantitative differences between situations of F and E choice. 

The paper presents a study of mechanisms of choice on the case of a real life situation of local authorities elections. The dependent variable was the decision whether to go voting. Using the authors’ test The Subjective quality of choice technique, special questionnaires and a number of personality inventories, we found out intelligible correlations between different aspects of experience of one’s own choice process and some personality variables. The data obtained so far indicate the existence of two stable patterns of choice-making strategies revealed in subjective estimates of one’s choosing process. 

The paper presents the method of assessment of personal autonomy and self-determination through the construct of causality orientations (E. Deci, R. Ryan) and the experience of elaboration of its Russian language version. Theoretical background is presented, as well as the proofs of impossibility to adapt the direct translation of the original English test and the psychometric properties and other results of adaptation of the newly elaborated original Russian language inventory.