Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, Moscow: Russian Psychological Society, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2022, 4

On the 120th anniversary of P.Ya. Galperin

• The Scientific Biography of P.Ya. Galperin: Stages of Life and Creative Work

  Stepanova, M.A.

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  • Background. This article is dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the birth of Piotr Yakovlevich Galperin (1902–1988), an outstanding Soviet psychologist, the author of an original psychological concept and scientific school, and an organizer of psychological science.

    Objective. To reconstruct the main stages of the scientific biography of Piotr Yakovlevich Galperin.

    Results. The paper demonstrates the internal logic of P.Ya. Galperin’s developing scientific views in creating the theory of stage-by-stage formation of mental actions and concepts, which analyzes the process of formation of the main components of mental activity and develops a system of conditions for transforming an objective action into a psychological phenomenon.

    This biography is based on Galperin’s publications and speeches, memoirs of associates and family members, and numerous archival materials.

    All the periods of Galperin’s life are presented, reflecting his participation, starting from the mid-1920s, in scientific and scientific-practical events. Particular attention is paid to Galperin’s work at M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU): 55 years of Galperin’s professional and personal life (from 1943 until his death in 1988) were associated with the Philosophy Faculty, and then with the Psychology Faculty.

    Conclusion. The importance of preserving P.Ya. Galperin’s scientific legacy is shown and steps taken in this direction are indicated.

    Keywords: History of psychology/ Lomonosov Moscow State University/ MGU/ scientific biography of P.Ya. Galperin/ P.Ya. Galperin’s theory of stage-by-stage formation of mental actions and concepts / general psychological theory of activity/ non-classical psychology

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0401

• On Several Problems with the Application of P.Ya. Galperin’s Classical Theory

  Podolskiy, A.I.

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  • Background. The theoretical and applied works of Piotr Ya. Galperin have attracted the attention of scholars for more than 70 years. But what about the contemporary situation? Does the Galperin’s “System of Psychology” have only historical significance, or does it deal with crucial problems of contemporary psychology?   

    Objective. This article explores several opportunities for applying Galperin’s System of Psychology and his theory of planned stage-by-stage formation of mental actions (PSFMA) as part of the System, in current conditions.

    Design. There are three main areas where the concepts of P.Ya. Galperin’s System of Psychology can be applied. The first is the application of the method of planned stage-by-stage formation to studying the formation and development of human mental activity. The second is the study the theoretical and actual process of planned stage-by-stage formation as a psychological reality. The third area is the use of the provisions of the theory in the practice of teaching.

    Results. We argue that the efficacy of the provisions of the main components of Galperin’s System, and especially the PSFMA, is closely related to the solution of a number of purely theoretical issues today.

    Conclusion. The condition for the successful application of PSFMA principles is a harmonious combination of the basic psychological foundations of this process, taking into account the specifics of both the activity being formed, and of those socio-economic and technological parameters that create the space where such formation is carried out.

    Keywords: Planned stage-by-stage formation of mental actions (PSFMA) / System of Psychology/ practical application of the theory of planned stage-by-stage formation of mental actions

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0402

• Orienting Activity of the Subject as a Mechanism for Instruction, Learning and Development

  Burmenskaya, G.V.

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  • Background. The 120th anniversary was celebrated in 2022 of the birth of the outstanding Soviet scientist P.Ya. Galperin (1902–1988), who made a significant contribution to the development of Russian psychology.

    Objective. To analyze the significance of P.Ya. Galperin’s concept of “orienting activity” for the study of processes of mental development, learning and instruction.

    Design. The concept of “the zone of proximal development” (L.S. Vygotsky) is interpreted in light of the doctrine of orienting activity, presenting three examples from different areas of research, where the concept of orienting activity is used to analyze the phenomena of mental development in children and adults.

    Results. 1. The concept of orienting activity makes it possible to substantially concretize the psychological content and mechanisms of “the zone of proximal development.” 2. The subject’s orienting activity plays a key role, which is implicitly present in the method of “cognitive learning” developed in the Geneva psychological school and reproducing (according to the followers of J. Piaget) “an autonomous process of constructing new operational structures”. 3. The study examines the organization of orienting activity in the process of children’s mastery of the concepts of combinatorial thinking in a learning experiment based on Galperin’s method of stage-by-stage formation of mental actions and concepts. 4. The role of a client’s orienting activity is explicated, and its special organization by the psychologist who is counseling parents on the mental development and upbringing of children and adolescents.

    Conclusion. P.Ya. Galperin’s discovery regarding the structure of human activity and introduction of the concept of “orientation,” and the creation of a method for studying the orienting component of action as distinct from the executive component, lead to a much deeper understanding of the central problem posed by L.S. Vygotsky: the interrelation and mechanisms of connection between the processes of learning, instruction (teaching) and development.

    Keywords: orienting activity of the subject/ P.Ya. Galperin’s theory of the stage-by-stage formation of mental actions and concepts/ zone of proximal development/ types of orientation and types of learning / mental development in ontogenesis/ cognitive learning method/ Piagetian phenomena/ combinatorial thinking/ psychological counseling

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0403

• The Action “Wanted!”: The Concept of Valency during the Early Steps of Mastering Chemistry

  Vysotskaya, E.V.; Lobanova, A.D.; Yanishevskaya, M.A.

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  • Background. We apply the theory of step-by-step concept formation (Galperin) and the theory of learning activity (Davydov) to the practice of education and teacher training.

    Objective. This paper describes a feasible way to teach the basics of Galperin’s theory to students studying pedagogical psychology, by involving them into an exemplary educational module on combining chemical formulas according to the elements’ valency values.

    Design. We suggested that our students participate in an educational module which was designed as an example of how to materialize orientation components of action as the basis of concept formation. The “practical” action for mastering the valency concept was to combine the correct formula for a pair of elements, whose valency was provided, and correct the formulas made by someone else. However, the core “orientation” required an extended procedure of building a “molecule” structure with a special construction kit. The key challenge for the students was to coordinate their calculation of the number of bonds needed for the molecule, and name the exact total before they would receive their atom-tokens for constructing the model.

    Results. Our workshop participants took on the role of students facing their first encounter with chemistry, and embarked on the formation sequence. At the same time they analyzed the mistakes they had made by ignoring some procedural steps. Considered through the lens of Galperin’s theory, these “adult” mistakes proved how vital his theoretical principles are for educational design.

    Conclusion. Our workshop thus illustrated that the search for the proper action for concept formation within Galperin’s theory framework is a challenging task. The difficulties that our participants experienced while they worked as pupils revealed the divergence of didactic approaches. The effectiveness of the concept formation approach, even within our small exemplary educational module, once again confirmed the practical value of pedagogical psychology in general, and Galperin’s theory in particular.

    Keywords: step-by-step concept formation/ Activity approach/ materialized form of action/ interiorization/ orientation

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0404

• Effectiveness of Different Teaching Resources for Forming the Concept of Magnitude in Older Preschoolers with Varied Levels of Executive Functions

  Veraksa, A.N.; Sidneva, A.N.; Aslanova, M.S.; Plotnikova, V.A.

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  • Background. Studies have shown the great importance of early mathematical development as a predictor of subsequent success, which poses the question of how to organize preschool mathematical education with a view to the children’s age characteristics, including their cognitive development. In other words, mathematical concepts and actions should be formed with the help of teaching resources appropriate to the child’s development.

    Objective. To determine the effectiveness of three teaching resources (examples, models, and symbols) in formation of the concept of magnitude in older preschoolers (ages 6–7) with different levels of executive function.

    Design. Four training programs (with 15 twenty-minute lessons each) were developed and conducted in a formative experiment for older preschoolers with different levels of development of executive functions. The lessons addressed the concept of magnitude (length, area, volume), using different types of teaching resources: exemplars (in traditional and game variants), models, and symbols. The total sample of 116 subjects (44% boys) was divided into 4 groups for each of the programs, plus a control group in which no sessions were conducted. The groups were equalized according to the initial level of development of concepts of magnitude and the level of development of executive functions.

    Results. There was a statistically significant increase in the quality of mastery of the concept of magnitude in three experimental groups (“symbolic,” “traditional,” and “traditional with game elements”) compared with the control group. The formative effect of the “model-building” program showed no significant differences from the effect of the child’s natural development (the control group). We also showed that children with a low level of regulation learned mathematical concepts more effectively with the “symbolic” program; children with a medium level of regulation with the “symbolic” and any variant of the “traditional” program; and children with a high level of regulation with the “symbolic” and “model-building” programs.

    Conclusion. The findings underline the importance of both the type of teaching resources used and the level of development of voluntary regulation, when teaching mathematics to preschoolers.

    Keywords: Teaching resources/ regulatory functions/ executive functions/ symbol/ elementary mathematical conceptions/ older preschool age

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0405

Social psychology

• An Adaptationist Framework to Examine Intergroup Contact

  Berry, J.W.; Grigoryev, D.

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  • Background. Many culturally-plural societies like Canada or Russia seek ways to manage their cultural diversity in order to promote harmony among coexisting groups. The social sciences have long viewed intergroup contact as a beneficial intervention to achieve such harmony.

    Objective. This paper proposes an adaptationist framework within which to explain how and why intergroup contact contributes to the positive and negative outcomes for individuals who live together in a plural society. We employed this framework in a case study that may serve as an example of the conceptualization and analysis of these issues in international research. Its structural framework included both positive and negative contact and the role of this contact in the distribution of intercultural and psychological adaptation among a large representative sample of the Canadian population.

    Design. We used a correlational design with a representative sample of Canadians from a survey carried out by Environics in 2019, which was stratified according to the most current population statistics. The total sample was 3,111 persons age 18 and over and included the largest racialised groups in the country.

    Results. Our main finding was that intergroup contact (both positive and negative) related to both psychological and intercultural adaptation. These findings have implications for improving intercultural relations, especially through the role of positive contact.

    Conclusion. The experience of negative contact (e.g., discrimination) in the near term is an important factor in undermining both forms of adaptation. Nonetheless, while intergroup contact can bring both positive and negative experiences during intercultural interactions, it leads to mutual adaptation over time.

    Keywords: Intergroup contact/ intercultural adaptation/ psychological adaptation/ personal wellbeing/ multicultural ideology/ prejudice/ acculturation

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0406

Psychometrics

• The Development and Psychometric Characteristics of the “Virtual Identity of Social Media Users” Test

  Pogorelov, D.N.; Rylskaya, E.A.

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  • Background. Modern society is characterized by the widespread use of social media, which provides users with communication, leisure, work, and study opportunities. With the growth of such opportunities, more time is being spent online. These circumstances explain why we developed a test entitled the Virtual Identity of Social Media Users (VISCMU).

    Objective. To develop and test the psychometric characteristics of the VISMU test.

    Design. The research methods included theoretical analysis, modeling, expert assessments, questionnaires, and statistical analysis. The research sample was comprised of 285 users of VKontakte and other social media.

    Results. The results of factor analysis proved the acceptability of the three scales identified in the test. Expert assessments showed that the test had sufficient face and content validity. The scales were characterized by optimal indicators of internal consistency, homogeneity, and discriminatory power. The test-retest reliability values demonstrated that the test indicators were stable. Statistically significant differences in the parameter measuring virtual identity in groups with different levels of success in adult life justified a sufficient level of criterion validity. The correlation between the test scales and the components of the factor structure of the modified test "Who am I online?" indicated its compliance with construct validity norms. Positive connections between virtual identity and Internet addiction, smartphone addiction, aggressiveness, hostility, and negative relationships with vitality , indicated sufficient convergent validity. The test has been standardized and specified.

    Conclusion. The test was aimed at measuring the extent to which a person’s virtual identity would reveal the specific characteristics of its impact on the individual’s personal development.

    Keywords: Virtual identity/ social media/ social media users/ test/ psychometric characteristics/ standardization/ specification

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0407

Clinical psychology

• Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms, Distress, and Optimism in Mexican Colorectal Cancer Patients

  Acevedo-Ibarra, J.N.; Juárez-García, D.M.; Espinoza-Velazco, A.; Buenaventura-Cisneros, S.; Téllez, A.

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  • Background. The diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer are considered highly stressful and potentially traumatic events that can generate post-traumatic stress symptoms and distress among patients.

    Objective. This study assessed levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms, distress, and optimism, as well as differences between these conditions relative to sociodemographic and medical variables, in Mexican patients with colorectal cancer.

    Design. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was employed, in which 192 colorectal cancer patients over the age of 18 years participated. They filled out the following questionnaires in person: a sociodemographic and medical data questionnaire; the Event Impact Scale-Revised (EIE-R); the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); and the Life Orientation Test (LOT-R).

    Results. The results showed that 32.3% of the patients reported post-traumatic stress symptomatology, and 21.4% reported distress. Post-traumatic stress symptoms and distress varied according to age and monthly income. Significant differences between the sexes were also observed in the levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms and distress. Post-traumatic stress was positively and significantly related to distress, and negatively and significantly to optimism.

    Conclusion. Based on these data, we concluded that a significant percentage of colorectal cancer patients present high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms as well as distress, and that these levels may vary according to sociodemographic and medical characteristics.

    Keywords: Cancer/ colorectal cancer/ distress/ post-traumatic stress/ optimism

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0408

Cognitive psychology

• The Manifestation of Incidental Findings in Different Experimental Visual Search Paradigms

  Rubtsova, O.S.; Gorbunova, E.S.

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  • Background. Incidental findings are items of visual search that are potentially of significance, but were not the main object of the initial search. They have been previously widely discussed in the field of radiology. However, the underlying perceptual mechanisms of such phenomenon are still unclear.

    Objective. The current study aims to examine incidental findings in different paradigms of visual search in order to reveal their primary perceptual aspects.

    Design. Two behavioral visual search experiments were conducted. The mixed hybrid search task model was used in the first experiment, while the subsequent search miss effect was employed in the second experiment. The task was to find targets among distractors, according to given instructions. Stimuli material consisted of images of real-life objects that were randomly distributed across the screen for each trial.

    Results. Accuracy and reaction time of the participants were analyzed in both experiments. Similar effects were observed for both parameters. Specific targets in the first experiment and typical targets in the second experiment were found significantly faster and more accurately in comparison to categorical and atypical targets. Moreover, this tendency did not depend on the order of target identification. Hence, the prevalence of the targets was revealed to be the primary factor in the case of incidental findings.

    Conclusion. The study revealed the emergence of incidental findings in both experiments. Typical or specific targets were detected significantly more accurately, compared to atypical or categorical targets. Subsequent search misses were not detected, suggesting that target prevalence could be a crucial factor that is specific for incidental findings. 

    Keywords: Incidental findings/ visual search/ subsequent search misses/ prevalence effect/ target similarity/ visual attention/ visual perception

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0409

Psychogenetics

• Recognition of Emotional and Neutral Visual Scenes in Carriers of the MAOA, COMT, DRD4, and 5HT2A Gene Polymorphisms

  Ermakov, P.N.; Vorobyeva, E.V.; Denisova, E.G.; Yavna, D.V.; Babenko, V.V.; Kovsh, E.M.; Alekseeva, D.S.

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  • Background. It is known that some genes regulate neurochemical metabolism, and their polymorphisms affect cognitive performance, including the ability to categorize emotionally significant information.

    Objective. The aim of our study was to analyze the recognition of emotional and neutral visual scenes in carriers of different polymorphic variants of the MAOA, COMT, DRD4, and 5HT2A genes.

    Design. The study sample consisted of 87 university students (Caucasians, women 63%, average age 20.4±2.6 years). The genotypes of the COMT, 5HT2A, and DRD4 genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction. Agarose gel electrophoresis was used to determine the number of tandem repeats of the MAOA gene. Three hundred sixty (360) photographic images of scenes of different emotional valence (positive, negative, and neutral – 120 images for each category) were used as stimuli. These images were classified by expert assessments. The images were presented in a random sequence. The exposure time was 700 ms. The research participants were asked to determine the emotional valence of each scene.

    Results. We found that only the COMT gene genotype affected the recognition of emotional and neutral visual scenes. Carriers of the COMT Val/Val genotype, which causes dopamine to stay in the synaptic space for a shorter time, are better in recognizing and demonstrate higher sensitivity to the emotional content of scenes. Carriers of the Val/Met genotype demonstrated the worst ability to differentiate the emotional valence of visual scenes.

    Conclusion. This study has shown that the length of stay of monoamines in the synaptic space regulated by the COMT gene affects the recognition of emotional visual information.

    Keywords: Visual scene recognition/ MAOA/ COMT/ DRD4/ 5HT2A genes

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0410

Educational psychology

• Conscious Self-regulation, Motivational Factors, and Personality Traits as Predictors of Students’ Academic Performance: A Linear Empirical Model

  Morosanova, V.I.; Bondarenko, I.N.; Fomina, T.G.

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  • Background. The theoretical basis of the study was the resource approach (Morosanova 2014, 2017), in which the conscious self-regulation of learning activity is understood as a meta-resource, of students allowing them to consciously and independently set learning goals and manage their achievement. This approach made it possible to create models of direct and mediate contributions of self-regulation and school engagement not only to the academic performance, but also to other motivational and personal competencies.

    Objective. Our study is aimed to investigate the impact of conscious self-regulation, school engagement, motivation, and personality on academic achievement, while taking into account the effects of mediation.

    Design. A quantitative research design was applied, using data collected from more than 1524 students from the 5^th to 11^th grades in Russian schools and applying Structural Equation Modelling (SEM).

    Results. The results allowed us to construct a statistical model of predictors of students' academic achievement. The model was verified on the total sample, as well as samples differing in gender and age. The results show that conscious self-regulation is central to non-cognitive predictors of academic achievement. For the first time, a study has revealed and described the reciprocal relationship between self-regulation, academic motivation, school engagement, and academic performance. The resulting model demonstrates that behavioral and cognitive engagement make a significant contribution to academic performance, while emotional and social engagement do not find significant links with it, although they determine other areas of school life.

    Conclusion. Our paper investigates the nature and strength of the effects of major non-cognitive predictors of academic achievement. The study results substantiated the resource role of conscious self-regulation not only for students’ academic performance, but also for their academic motivation, school engagement, and attitude toward learning. The predictor model of academic achievement we developed will provide a foundation for combining existing heterogeneous concepts into a single integrated model and clarify the contradictions between them.

    Keywords: Conscious self-regulation (SR)/ engagement/ motivation/ personality/ academic achievement

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0411

Bibliometrics

• A Bibliometric Analysis of Scientific Publications on Cultural-Historical Psychology from 2010 to 2020: Dynamics, Geography, and Key Ideas

  Meshcheryakov, B.G.; Ponomareva, V.V.; Shvedovskaya, A.A.

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  • Background. This paper presents the results of a study into the breadth, dynamics, and diversity of the interdisciplinary branch of cultural-historical psychology. The scatter of thematic areas within the cultural-historical approach indicates the urgent need to continue a systematic and holistic analysis of research related to cultural-historical topics in the context of its various directions and research groups.

    Design. A bibliometric analysis of scientific publications indexed by the Web of Science CC was carried out for the 2010–2020 period . Our previous bibliographic study (Rubtsov et al., 2019) revealed that the number of publications on cultural-historical psychology and citations of them, has recently increased, although unevenly.

    Results. According to our results, the number of publications on cultural-historical psychology is growing unevenly; publications from Russia and the United States made up almost equal shares of the sample, and third place was taken by England, followed by Finland and Sweden. The top 10 journals fell into two subject areas: Psychology and Education and Educational Research. With regard to the geographical location of the publishing houses of the top 10 journals, the highest number was taken by England and Russia. The dominant areas of research were teacher education, university education, and learning activity.

    Conclusion. The most frequently used terms were Vygotsky, activity approach, CHAT, CHP, ZPD, and learning activity.

    Keywords: Scientometric analysis/ cultural-historical psychology/ activity approach/ L.S. Vygotsky/ Web of Science/ scientometrics

    DOI: 10.11621/pir.2022.0412