Empirical studies

The results of investigation the relationship between the intensity of the experience of traumatic events, post-traumatic stress and the parameters of psychological well-being in conscripts (n=123, age 18—25), passing military service in military units in Moscow and Moscow region are presented. Psychological techniques: Life Experience Questionnaire (LEQ) by J. Norbeck, I. Sarason et al. in adaptation of N.V. Tarabrina et al.; The Scale of psychological well-being by C. Ryff in adaptation of T.D. Shevelenkova, T.P. Fesenko; Symptom Check List-90-r-Revised by L.R. Derogatis et al. in adaptation of N.V. Tarabrina et al.; Mississippi scale (civilian version) by T. Keane et al. in adaptation of N.V. Tarabrina et al. The significant inverse relationship between psychological wellbeing, the intensity of PTSD and the experience of traumatic events was revealed. It is shown that intensive post-traumatic stress is associated with a variety of psychopathological symptoms: somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism. It is revealed that the feeling of autonomy prevents the development of psychopathological symptoms accompanied the post-traumatic stress, supports psychological wellbeing, but without additional resources cannot be directed to influence on the level of psychic traumatization.

The paper presents results of the neuropsychological assessment of processes involved in the maintenance of activation (Luria’s Unit I functions) in 64 firstgraders who demonstrated various levels of academic success. On the basis of this assessment, the children were divided into three groups: (i) the children without any deficit in the Unit I functions (CONTROL children), (ii) those predominantly showing slowness/fatigue (SLOW children), and (iii) those who can be considered as predominantly hyperactive-impulsive (HYPERACTIVE children). It is shown that, relative to controls, both SLOW and HYPERACTIVE children show reduced academic scores and the decrease of most indices that characterize functions of the Units II and III. The weaknesses of executive and visual-spatial functions are predominantly observed in HYPERACTIVE children, whereas SLOW children usually show some deficit in processing of kinesthetic (proprioceptive) and audio-verbal information. Children with functional weakness of the Unit I functions show an overall reduction in performance and its speed in the computerized versions of the “DOTS” and “SCHULTE—GORBOV tables” tests. In HYPERACTIVE children, deficits are observed in the most difficult tasks (those probing mostly into planning and control functions), and their performance is the most unstable. In SLOW children, the performance rate is noticeably decreased for the moderate-to-difficult tasks. Overall, the data reported contribute to the understanding of the diversity of Unit I functions deficits and their relation to the learning difficulties experienced by children in the primary school.

The article is devoted to considering of the interrelation of level of emotional burning out and life-meaning orientations of teachers and psychologists. During empirical research it was shown that workers with the expressed level of emotional burning out statistically mismatches in the system the life-meaning orientations observed more often, than at workers with not expressed syndrome of emotional burning out for whom internal harmony, acceptance of the past, the present and the future are more characteristic. It is the paradox designate in the article: stressful situations provoking emotional burning out, under certain circumstances can be considered as conditions of development of teachers and psychologists. Thus, prospects of new researches of a syndrome of emotional burning out contact us with the identification of these conditions and development on this basis of more modern medico-hygienic standards of work of teachers and psychologists, which while, unfortunately, is not present.

Correlations between various classes of working memory tasks (working memory span tasks, updating tasks) were analyzed. Tasks that share processing and storage requirements correlated with each other. A three factor structure was extracted compatible with the existence of three components within working memory: focus of attention, region of direct access, and activated memory. The data shows that processing and storage are independent in working memory and that storage in working memory is based on two storage systems — one that uses short-term memory mechanisms and one that uses long-term memory mechanisms.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the role of conscious self-regulation in reliability of actions of students in exam situation. Participants were 231 16—18 year old students. The results showed that reliability of regulation (stability of the basic regulatory characteristics in a stressful situation) is the basis of the reliability of action of students with different level of academic success. The study describes the characteristics of the reliability of learning actions of students. We compared personal and regulatory characteristics of high school students with different level of reliability of actions and academic success. We found that students with the highest score on the exam have a low level of anxiety and a high level of conscious self-regulation (especially regulatory reliability). The results of research suggest that individual system of self-regulation plays a significant role in reliability of actions of students in exam situation and provides new information about how we can ensure reliability of actions of students in exam situation.

This article presents the results of an empirical study on the role of hostility in the etiopathogenesis of mental illness such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective and affective disorders. The relationship of the general level of hostility and enmity with the qualitative aspects of the objective characteristics of mental illness (duration and nosology) is described in the following article. The sample consists of 161 people, of which the clinical group consisted of 81 patients who are hospitalized in the 4th department of the clinic affective pathology. Comparison was made with a control group of healthy persons, which included 80 men who do not suffer from mental and neurological disorders. The study used the following methods: semantic differential (modification by Ohmatovskaya A.V.), World assumptions scale, Constructive Thinking Index (CTI), Cook-Medley Hostility scale, Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, Wechsler memory scale, Wagner’s “Hand-test” (modification by A.V. Gerasimov). It was found that mentally ill patients were showing significantly higher quantitative measures of hostility, compared with the norm. Psychopathological marked qualitative specificity of hostility expressed in suspicion, ambivalence, extrapunitive and generalized hostility. According to the results, hostility has not direct connection with the nosology specific of the mental disorders, and does not depend on the patient’s age and duration of disease.

This article describes the nature of the relationship of quantitative and qualitative aspects of aggressiveness with nosology, duration and severity of depression. The study involved 87 patients with a depressive disorder (31 women and 56 men) aged 17 to 46 years. Depressive disorder occurs as an independent disease, or combined with other mental illnesses. The diagnosis was recorded as a psychiatrist in the history of the disease. The study used the following methodology: Zung’s method, Beck scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Wagner’s “Hand-test” (A.V. Gerasimov’s modification), Buss—Durkey Inventory, The Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study (N.V. Tarabrina’s modification), computer psychophysiological method “Operator”. The quantitative and qualitative character of aggressiveness in patients with mental disorders as compared with healthy subjects is shown. In depressed patients compared to healthy subjects are more pronounced aggression, suspicion, resentment and hostility. Intensity of these parameters increases with worsening depression and with increasing duration of disease severity decreased aggressiveness. Level of physical aggression is higher at depressive disorder within psychopathy. In the group of female patients with depression increased aggressiveness, in the group of male patients with depression increased general and physical aggression. In depressive disorders worsens assess and recognize the emotional state of others and their own.

The article describes the results of the empirical research, which aim was to identify features of the volitional regulation changes, when students pass from the first year of studies to the second year. First and second year students of various faculties were involved in the research (n=481). Techniques: “A formalized modification of Dembo—Rubinstein self-esteem technique”, V.A Ivannikov, E.V. Eydman; “Scale of action control in planning” J. Kuhl (NAKEMR-90) in adaptation of S.A. Shapkin; “Questionnaire for detection of self-control in emotional sphere, activity and behavior” G.S. Nikiforov, V.K. Vasilyev and S.V. Frisov; Purpose-in- Life Test in adaptation of D.A. Leontiev. When students pass from the first to the second year of studies, they show some changes: the indices of volitional regulation grow. However, the nature of changes varies for groups of students with different individual features and for male student and female student groups.

The psychoanalytical theory of object relations along with the subsequent theory of structural changes served as basis for the following research. The intrapsychic field of personality’s object relations is formed in the process of internalization of significant objects, relationships and their corresponding affects. The following article is dedicated to empirical testing of the main assumptions underlying the psychoanalytic theory of structural change. The objective of this research was to evaluate in a structured way the dynamics of reorganization of object relations and intrapsychic structures of the personality of the subject undergoing psychoanalysis. The evaluation was based on the method of differentiated semantic categories. The results of the semantic analysis of the dynamics of intrapsychic changes confirmed main hypothesis: namely that in the process of psychoanalysis there is a reorganization of internal object relations; psychoanalytic work brings about intrapsychic transformations in personality, specifically, the indicator of the psychic structure Ego increases while at the same time the indicators of psychic structures Id and Super-Ego decrease.

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.

The purpose of the study was to identify significant aspects of the initial work experience through qualitative analysis of mini-essays on the theme: “Working situation that I could not manage. Working situation that I was able to cope. My conclusions”. Respondents — 5th year full-time students one of the Moscow higher educational institutions (29 women and 9 men), finishing a degree in “Management”. All respondents had the initial work experience (within the workplace practices, in public organizations, children’s summer camps, commercial structures, etc.). Analyzing only texts that were composed in strict accordance with instructions. Main results: 1) Principal issue of mini-essays was the personal aspects of business interaction (with superiors, colleagues, business partners, customers). 2) The central phenomenon was the relation between the “Self ” and the professional role, personal ability or inability focusing on work problems and psychologically distancing from the value judgments of partners in interaction. 3) Respondents` conclusions (final judgments) were of two kinds – related to “work situation» (the behavior throughout the conflict situation, a work adaptation, the image of the superior, internal resources for conflict resolution, the style of own behavior) and related to “personal growth” (relation between the “Self ” and the professional role, self-organization and self-regulation skills, value orientations).

Th is article discusses the fundamental principles of qualitative research: contextual sensitivity, understanding, interpretative reconstruction and refl exivity. Th e principle of contextual sensitivity focuses on qualitative research study of the phenomenon in its socio-cultural and dialogical setting, and the principle of understanding — the study of subjective values and meaning in the positions of the various groups. Th e principles of interpretation of refl exivity give an answer to the question about the methodological tool for qualitative research — how to connect data and formulated analytical synthesis, validity assessment which involves tracking and monitoring impact of refl exive attitudes of the researcher. Th ese principles are formulated on the basis of theoretical analysis and practical experience with qualitative methods and prove the relevancy of combining them into a single methodological approach that is implemented in various directions and strategies of qualitative data analysis. Th e authors emphasize conceptual unity of qualitative research and the underlying common methodology.

Results of research of ideas of time are given in article at 63 schoolchildren (14— 16 years) and 68 students (21—23 years), divided into 3 groups: with the expressed motivation of achievement (MD), with the expressed motivation of avoiding of failure, with not expressed motivational pole. Th e analysis of results of respondents by C. Osgud’s technique «Semantic diff erential» and a projective technique «Draw time» revealed distinctions of data of groups on such indicators, as ideas of the present, an emotional sign of estimates of an image of time and its components, level of the concept of time, a form of the image of time, a ratio of estimates of the present and the future. Th e conclusion is drawn that idea of respondents of time can serve prediktory MD; the obtained data can be used in psychodiagnostics and consultative psychological aid to schoolchildren and students.

Background. The developmental potential of play in the context of mental development of preschool children is recognized by almost all specialists in the field. However, the lack of common understanding of play and the variety of proposed classifications of play types make them currently poorly comparable, complicating significantly further clarification of scientific data on the influence of specific aspects of play activity on the indicators of children's development.

Objective. The study was aimed at examining the preferences of preschool children in different age groups when choosing between role play toys and play figures, as well as the potential impact of the preferred type of play on the development of executive functions.

Study Participants. The study involved 180 children aged 4 to 7 years (M = 5.96 years; SD = 0.69).

Methods. Toy preferences for role-playing or directing play were revealed in an experimental paradigm using the forced-choice experimental paradigm. Executive functions were assessed with a set of neuropsychological tests.

Results. It was shown that 4-5-year-old children were significantly more likely to choose role play toys, and 6-7-year-old children chose to play figures. When controlling for gender and age, preference for play figures was significantly associated with higher visual-spatial working memory scores.

Conclusions. The developmental potential of directing play with figures can be seen as higher for the development of visual-spatial working memory as compared to the potential of the role-play.

Background. AI algorithms have rapidly entered everyday life in the last few years, which caused the appearance of a large number of both texts and images generated by neural networks. Nevertheless, the perception of artificially generated images has not yet been studied. The relevance of the study is to observe the possibility of using artificially generated images to plan experiments in psychology of perception.

Objective. The study investigated the differences in visual search for various stimuli types: photographs and AI-generated images.

Study Participants. Thirty participants (21 females) between 18 and 43 years old (M = 21.29, SD = 5.18) took part in the study.

Methods. The study had an experimental design with two factors and two dependent variables. The subjects' task was to find the target stimulus among distractors; the stimulus material included images of objects generated using a neural network and photographs. The number of objects on the screen also varied. The accuracy of the subjects' responses and reaction time were measured.

Results. No differences in detection accuracy were found between photorealistic and AI-generated stimuli, nor were there any differences in reaction times.

Conclusions. It was shown that the type of stimulus (AI-generated or photorealistic) does not affect the speed and accuracy of finding them. The perspectives of this study are related to the possibilities of using artificially generated stimuli for planning experiments in cognitive psychology.

Background. Applied for defensive justification of immoral actions, the mechanisms of moral disengagement (MD), on the one hand, provoke unethical behaviour, and on the other hand, prevent its direct correction. Thus, the study of the factors underlying these mechanisms is relevant from both theoretical and practical points of view.

Objective. The aim of the study is to identify cognitive and personal factors in the choice of MD strategies (loci).

Study Participants. The study involved 618 respondents aged 17 to 52 years (M = 23.08, SD = 6.32), including 450 women; 410 are students from various universities and specialties, 208 are employees of enterprises and organizations of various profiles.

Methods. Data were collected using valid questionnaires: Short Scale of Moral Disengagement, Dark Tetrad Short Questionnaire, Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy, and Short Form of the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire.

Results. It was found that the most preferred MD strategy is the locus of victim, and the least preferred one is the disregard (or distortion) of the behaviour consequences locus. The main personality predictors of MD are high values of psychopathy and Machiavellianism, as well as low empathy and a weak ability to recognize one’s own feelings. The contribution of personality traits is most significant for the integrative indicator of MD and its behavioral locus, and the least significant for the actor locus (situational justification of immoral acts). Distortion of the victim image is better predicted by the "dark" traits—psychopathy and Machiavellianism—than by low empathy and emotional intelligence. On the contrary, the distortion of the behaviour consequences is better predicted by cognitive empathy and worse by the expression of "dark" traits.

Conclusions. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that moral disengagement most often manifests itself through the defense mechanism of victim blaming, which is likely due to the greater cognitive ease of its formation. The contributions of personality traits, empathy, and emotional intelligence to different loci of MD vary in strength and quality. Thus, the behaviour locus is determined to a greater extent by personality characteristics, the actor locus by cognitive qualities, and the victim locus is determined by both personality and cognitive peculiarities. The discovered patterns can be useful in practical work with beliefs that justify immoral behaviour.

Background. In recent decades, there has been a rapid increase in the importance of the Internet in adolescents' lives. However, data on the relationship between screen time duration and various risks of well-being are inconsistent. Therefore, further clarification of this relationship is needed, particularly in the context of specifying types of aggression.

Objective. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between different types of adolescent aggression, including physical aggression, anger, hostility and the time they spend in front of screens.

Study Participants. The study involved 10,980 adolescents from 10 regions of the Russian Federation aged 15 to 18 years (M_age = 15.9 years; SD = ±0.92; 6,096 girls).

Methods. The level of adolescent aggression was assessed with the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). Adolescents' internet activity was evaluated by analyzing their responses to the question "How much time do you spend on the Internet every day?" To analyze and process quantitative data we used descriptive statistics, crosstabs, correlation analysis and one-way analysis of variance (A posteriori comparisons were performed using the Student's t-test with the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons).

Results. The study found that adolescents' online activity is quite high. Additionally, one in six adolescents aged 15 to 18 years has a high propensity for physical aggression and anger, while one in seven has a tendency towards hostility. The results of the comparative analysis demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between aggression and online activity. It has been shown that adolescents with high levels of aggression manifestations spend significantly more time online as compared to those with low or medium levels.

Conclusions. The study established a correlation between teenagers' screen time and the severity of manifestation of various types of aggression. Based on this, there is a need to develop and implement strategies to help teens resist the negative effects of excessive screen time and reduce aggression, while promoting positive individual development.