Actual theme

Relevance. The present study examines attitudes to health supporting and medical prophylactic measures in students before and after the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology and sample. The study was conducted using an online questionnaire with two stages, each involving more than 150 students.

Results. Students adhere to rational attitudes of health supporting and medical prophylactic, but their severity is insufficient. Hygiene rules are observed, a gentle regime for diseases is observed, health is monitored at home, contacts are limited. They are worried about their own health. Active forms of health supporting and medical prophylactic are insufficiently expressed. Vaccination, hardening, and medical examinations are particularly unpopular.

Attitudes before and after the first stage of the pandemic did not differ significantly. The trends towards an active lifestyle, hygiene rules and adequate behavior in the event of an illness have increased. The popularity of vaccinations has decreased. Egocentric motivation for the use of preventive measures prevails.

Key findings. 1. The commitment of the surveyed students to health supporting and medical prophylactic is assessed as insufficiently high, primarily in relation to active methods. Concerns about health, fears of getting sick are observed. However, these experiences do not activate, rather strengthen the restrictive attitudes.

The impact of the first stage of the pandemic on the attitude of students to health supporting and medical prophylactic was insignificant. There is an increase in skepticism about vaccination.

The motive for applying security measures is to reduce personal risk, social components are less significant. Among the reasons for refusing preventive measures are skepticism about efficiency, unwillingness to support “business on problems”. The reason for the refusal of vaccination is indicated by uncertainty in safety. 

Relevance. One of the negative consequences of the pandemic may be an increase in somatization. The analysis of statements about the pandemic makes it possible to identify peculiarities of attitude to the situation by people with different psychological problems.

The aim of the study was the identification of implicit characteristics of texts indicating the peculiarities of the opinion about the situation by people with a high level of somatization.

Materials and methods. The material was obtained in the online survey (03/23/2020 — 01/29/2021, 1188 people). The survey included an assessment of respondents’ condition, it was offered to express an opinion about what was happening in a free form. Used: SCL-90-R, COPE, Constructive Thinking Inventory (CTI).

The statements about the pandemic were divided into the two text arrays — “high somatization” and “low somatization”. The frequency of occurrence of vocabulary in these text arrays was estimated.

Results. The analysis showed an increase in somatization as the pandemic developed. The relationship between somatization and anxiety, sleep disturbances, and depression was revealed. Higher rates of somatization are associated with a decrease in emotional coping, an increase in categorical thinking and personal superstitious thinking. The connection between somatization and a number of non-constructive copings is shown. Lexical analysis showed a number of features of texts associated with high somatization, among them the number of pronouns of the first person, a decrease in the tonality of words, a vocabulary of suffering, negative, a decrease in the vocabulary of motivation and resistance, a decrease in vocabulary associated with the body.

Conclusions. The lexical features of statements, typical for respondents with a high level of somatization, were revealed. The connection between somatization and high emotional distress, which manifests itself in negative emotional vocabulary and is associated with a low level of emotional coping, is shown. In the group with high somatization, a contradiction was revealed in the needs and methods of their implementation — the need for help from others is combined with concentration on the self. The "representation" of the pandemic, presented in the text, is "divorced" from somatic manifestations, fear of illness and death. With this “splitting” of mental and somatic functioning, the somatization can perform the function of emotional coping.

Background. Current investigations shows substantial effect of personal experience on danger perception. During COVID-19 pandemic many people reported about psychological discomfort, anxiety, fear, comes from infection itself and collateral effects of pandemic. Investigations in psychology of risk indicate personal experience as one of components of risk perception. In the same time there are no clearance of the effect of experience of particular danger on wide spectrum of hazards.

Objective. Our aim was to clarify the effect of pandemic experience on perception of dangers of external world, to assess quantitative and quantitative differences in danger perception on different stages of coronavirus spread and restrictions rate in Russian sample.

Design. The research uses original diagnostic complex designed for danger perception assessment: Photo-test “Danger estimate test based on photos”, modified Drawn Apperceptive Test, DAT (itself a modification of Thematic Apperceptive Test), “unfinished sentences” test (original set). The research had two stages. The first stage was held before coronavirus start spreading in Russia (February 2020) and before restrictions were imposed. The second stage of research was held in the period of pandemic acceleration and hard restrictions (March-April 2020). The research was held online

Sample size: 57 undergraduates aged 18–24 years.

Results. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed. In Photo-test integral score of perceived danger is higher on second stage (p ≤ 0.05) as well as anthropogenic score (p ≤ 0.01). Natural and social scores shows no significant differences. There are mentions of coronavirus are found in answers to unfinished sentences on the second stage of research.

Conclusion. Experience of danger situation substantially increases perceived risk score concerning actual hazard. Projective methods shows an actualization of the hazard theme. Experience of pandemic danger don’t effect on assessment of interpersonal relationships risks.

Relevance. Multitasking gets defined socially and dominating with the development of information technologies. It becomes the system of requirements and possibilities for combining, switching and alternating activities of different forms and contents within one complex activity. As a consequence of the technological development of the information society and a result of worldview transformations within the framework of the paradigm of multiplicity of the postmodern culture, the phenomenon of multitasking as a complex form of the activity in the technologized society becomes one of relevant objects of research in psychology and other sciences of man.

Purpose. The theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of multitasking as a reflection of a multifaceted nature and variability of the postmodern culture and a result of the entry of digital technologies of the information society into the daily life in the context of the concepts of multiplicity and complexity.

Method. The logic and methodology of the study is based on the cultural-historical and activity-based and semantic paradigm. The theoretical and comparative analyses and the method of generalization are employed to achieve the defined goals.

Results. The philosophical analysis of socio-cultural, worldview and technological factors that determine the nature of multitasking is carried out. It shows the role of certain philosophical constructs of the postmodern worldview, particular technologies of the information society in developing the basis for the emergence of the phenomenon of multitasking and also its technological embodiment — mediamultitasking.

Conclusions. At present, multitasking is the practice imposed by the specific nature of the information-communication activity under the technologization and complexity of the modern realities. Regardless of the attitude to this phenomenon, multitasking is an objective fact of the culture of the information society and, as a result, is one of the prerequisites for an efficient activity under its conditions.

Acknowledgements: the present study is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project 19-29-14181 “Multitasking in the Structure of the Digital Socialization: Cognitive and Personal Factors of Efficiency in the Context of the Digitalization of General Education”.

Relevance of the work is determined by the need to study the personality and psychological characteristics of students choosing full-time and distance learning to understand the general laws of the formation of the psychological culture of a graduate in the context of the active development of electronic educational space. 

The purpose of the study is to compare the individual characterological elements of the psychological culture of students choosing full-time and distance learning in the development of engineering specialties. 

Methods and sampling. The sample consisted of 84 respondents aged 18 to 22 years studying in the field of information technology. They were divided into two groups depending on the preferred form of education: distance learning (40 students) and full-time (44 students). The following tools were used: five-factor personality questionnaire by H. Tsuyi in the adaptation of A.B. Khromov; B. Bass technique for diagnosing the personality orientation, Yu.M. Orlov technique for identifying communication needs; viability test by S. Muddy; self-attitude test questionnaire (CCA) by V.V. Stolin and S.R. Pantileeva. 

Results. Distinctions in the reflexive-evaluative component, communicative features are highlighted. Students of distance learning have a lower level of the need for communication, lower levels of self-regulation and a more pronounced psychological distance in communication, associated with lower rates of self-acceptance, compared with full-time students. The choice of the method of organizing interpersonal interaction in the educational situation is affected by the psychological distance of the person in communication. In case of distance-learning students, the factor of “attachment-remoteness” appeared to be more significant compared to full-time students, who were characterized by a higher indicator of the need for other people to evaluate them. 

Conclusions. The active development of e-education requires to take into account the specifics of the personal characteristics of students and should not be limited only to the expansion of user competencies. This is determined by the distinguished differences in the characteristics of self-acceptance, the severity of the need for communication, as well as the psychological distance of the person in communication between students who prefer distance or full-time educational formats. 

The purpose(objective) of the empirical study is the measurement of the accuracy of expert-proctors in detecting cheating in online testing. 

Sample of the study. 35 test takers passed an online test of general knowledge on the basis of 30 multiple choice questions. Half of the subjects (18 persons) were “artificial cheaters” – they used cheat sheets with correct answers. 

Methods. The video recording of the testing process included a “screen capture” so that expert-proctors could observe all cursor movements, see a recording of the subject's facial expressions and a visual focus of attention in a separate window (recording from the front camera), and could listen to the subject pronouncing the task conditions and answers (“oral decision”). 14 experts took part in rating of video recordings, of which 8 experts showed satisfactory results in terms of the level of accuracy in detecting cheating (their accuracy that was measured using the Kappa coefficient was higher than 0.5). 

Conclusions. A high asymmetric validity of expert assessments is revealed. More accurate experts allowed a negligible (about 5 percent) number of errors of the “false alarm” type, but a relatively large number of errors of the “skip” type. Recommendations are made for the practical use of the expert assessment method in combination with automatic chronometric analysis of the degree of atypical protocols and subsequent control of face-to-face offline testing of all suspected subjects (examinees). 

Relevance. The COVID-19 pandemic reveals the problem of moral choices for a large number of people: who should be treated first; who can be considered as a subject for urgent vaccines and drugs testing; choice between personal convenience and observation of restrictions for the sake of the “common good.” 

The objective of the study was to evaluate whether the stress experienced by people during the COVID-19 pandemic can change moral decision making. 

Materials and methods. The data of an online survey conducted from March 30 to May 31 (311 people) were analyzed. The survey included sociodemographic questions, questions about assessing one’s current condition, the Simptom Check List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the Moral Dilemmas Test, consisting of 30 dilemmas. 

The relationship of a number of utilitarian choices in personal moral dilemmas with sociodemographic characteristics, respondents' assessments of their state and psychopathological characteristics was analyzed. Solving personal moral dilemmas was considered within subgroups of respondents with a high level of somatization and a high level of psychopathological symptoms and it was reviewed separately. 

Results. The results showed a high level of distress throughout the survey and an increase of utilitarian choices in personal moral dilemmas by the end of the survey. The number of choices in personal dilemmas was lower among older respondents, higher among men, and positively correlated with psychopathological symptoms. In the subgroup with a high level of somatization, personal choices slightly decreased by the end of the survey. On the contrary, in the subgroup with high levels of psychopathological symptoms, the number of personal choices significantly increased. 

Conclusions. Against the background of quarantine, assessments of moral standards change. The level of stress ambiguously affects moral decisions. A high level of somatization leads to a decrease in utilitarian personal choices, and a higher level of psychopathological symptoms leads to an increase in utilitarianшchoices. Utilitarian personal choices are more often made by men and younger people. 

Relevance. The article defines the first-ever directions of psychological aid for children infected with COVID-19 in “red zone” in the context of illness of close adult people. 

The goal of the research is psychological state of children infected with COVID-19 in “red zone” in the context of illness of close adults and determination of the required psychological aid. 

Methods and sample. Analysis of 36 clinical cases of 7–17 years old children in the context of illness of close adults, who were in critical condition in intensive care department (first group – 28 children) or in satisfactory condition being treated at home (second group – 8 children). The research included the following: observation of medical records; screening diagnostics, which included the ‘Three Wishes” technique, an adapted method of “Unfinished sentences” (for adolescents), a drawing (any topic); 10-questions questionnaire focused on child's physical well-being, its wishes for organization of everyday life and leisure activities in hospital ward, etc. 

Results.The majority of patients appeared to be in unfavorable psychological state (close to acute stress or unstable state), which manifested itself in three different ways: severe anxiety; over-excitement, impaired mood. These symptoms were constant and illustrative for children whose relatives were in critical condition in the intensive care department. Children, whose relatives were in satisfactory condition and were treated at home were observed during periods when they were influenced by additional stressors. 

Conclusions. Taking into account psychological differences and other factors (such as age, level of psychological maturity, severity of physical condition) provides an opportunity to give children and adolescents in “red zone” differentiated psychological aid. 

Acknowledgments. This research was carried out with the aid of officers of FSAI “NMRC of Children’s Health” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and medical psychologists M.S. Afonina, M.B. Rabinovich, V.M. Sklyadneva, M.S. Erotievich, and N.N. Pavlova.

Russia joined the European Higher Education Area (Bologna process), that made innovative changes in the organization of educational process in Russian universities an urgent issue. The article raises questions concerning the difficult position of the lecturer in the context of the restructuring of university life, the lecturer’s health and subjective well-being, productivity and quality of his work. It is argued, that innovative educational activity increases not only time, physical, professional, social load for the lecturer, but as well the load on his personality; the work of the lecturer in these conditions is becoming increasingly high-tech, requiring great intellectual and emotional engagement. The authors propose to consider the indicators of subjective well-being (somatic, mental, social, spiritual) of the educational process participants as one of the objective functions of pedagogical technologies development and as one of the indicators of pedagogical activity efficiency. The article covers in detail such factors of the productivity lecturers’ work as educational process automation and lecturers’ activity management. The authors note that the educational process automation through the use of complex forms of artificial intelligence is possible only if it is based on the intellectual potential created by previous generations of university lecturers and scientists. The idea is suggested about the need to save the teaching staff of universities and about the special responsibility of university management for developing the conditions for creative self-realization of teaching personnel. The organization and periodic certification of lecturers is analyzed as one of the areas of university management. The emphasis is placed on the importance of lifelong professional training of high school lecturers and education managers.