Background. The study of the connections between values and the aggression of student youth is an independent area of scientific interest in social psychology and has significant implications for youth policy.

Objective. To study the values of Russian university students based on Schwartz’s values theory, and to compare those values with their level of aggression.

Design. The sample consisted of 2,328 university students from nine cities in the Russian Federation. The data was collected online using the Yandex Forms platform. Multi-site convenience sampling with gatekeeper-mediated recruitment was employed. The PVQ-RR instrument was used to evaluate the significance of different values in accordance with Schwartz’s framework. Aggression indicators were assessed using the Buss-Perry questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in RStudio. Student’s t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used in repeated trials.

Results. Respondents with high physical aggression have significantly higher levels of Stimulation and Power. Respondents with low physical aggression have significantly greater values of Security, Conformity, Humility, and Universalism. High anger relates to values of Self-Direction - Action, Stimulation, Hedonism, Achievement, Power, and Face. A low level of anger is associated with the values Tradition, Conformity, Humility, Universalism, and Benevolence - Dependability. Low hostility corresponds with the expression of Universalism – Tolerance.

Conclusion. Within a sample of Russian students a preference for personal-focused values is associated with higher levels of aggression, while a preference for social-focused values is linked to lower levels.

Background. The issue of caring for chronically and seriously ill patients is becoming increasingly relevant all over the world. Relatives caring for such patients typically perform a significant number of functions to maintain the well-being of their ailing loved ones and are often exposed to significant psychological distress or even trauma during the caregiving process. Various tools have been developed to assess such distress, family burden, and burnout among relatives of chronically ill patients. At the same time, there is an acute shortage of tools for assessing the constructive aspects of the transformation of an individual’s values, beliefs and meanings under conditions of chronic stress. One such tool, which allows for the simultaneous assessment of both positive and negative changes in mental functioning resulting from exposure to traumatic events, is the “Posttraumatic Growth and Posttraumatic Depreciation Inventory - Expanded version” (PTGDI-X).

Objective. To define the factor structure and psychometric characteristics of the Russian-language version of the PTGDI-X.

Design. The sample consisted of 404 Russian-speaking informal caregivers (M age = 48.95 years, SD = 13.3; 89 males and 315 females). A quantitative approach with non-experimental, cross-sectional design and instrumental scope.

Results. Analysis of the factor structure using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicates that the models of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) and Posttraumatic Depreciation (PTD) fit the empirical data and confirms the construct validity of the analyzed version of the questionnaire. A significant inverted U-shaped quadratic relationship was found between the scores on the overall PTG scale and the overall PTD scale. The Russian-language version of the questionnaire demonstrated good psychometric characteristics in terms of reliability (Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were .956 for the PTG-total and .942 for the PTD-total scales; McDonald’s omega values were .964 and .952, respectively), internal construct validity, and convergent and divergent cross-validity.

Conclusion. The Russian-language version of the PTGDI-X can be used to study posttraumatic growth and depreciation arising in individuals in various stressful and psychologically traumatic situations.

Background. Self-monitoring is critical for online learning, yet many students struggle due to cognitive load. Students with higher self-monitoring skills manage this demand better, but which load types they handle effectively remains unknown. Metacognitive prompts are a common support tool, but it is unclear whether they amplify or compensate for skill differences.

Objective. To examine (1) how self-monitoring skills relate to intrinsic (ICL), extraneous (ECL), and germane (GCL) load and performance, and (2) whether metacognitive prompts moderate these relationships.

Design. Participants completed an online reading task with prompts, followed by measures of self-monitoring skills, cognitive load, and a performance test. Linear regression examined relationships between self-monitoring skills, cognitive load, and performance, and whether use of prompts moderated them.

Results. After FDR correction, higher self-monitoring skills showed marginal associations with lower ICL (b = -.48, p = .054), lower ECL (b = -.72, p = .054), and higher performance (b = .92, p = .054), but were unrelated to GCL (b = .09, p = .703). Prompts significantly weakened the relationships between self-monitoring skills and ICL (b = .99, p = .024), ECL (b = 1.65, p = .016), and performance (b = -2.34, p = .016).

Conclusion. Higher self-monitoring skills may help manage cognitive load more effectively but are unrelated to GCL, suggesting that online learners employ self-monitoring differently than in traditional settings. Preliminary evidence also suggests that metacognitive prompts may compensate for rather than amplify skill differences. When prompts are provided, outcomes depend less on pre-existing skills.

Background. The concept of body schema continues to evolve, and the taxonomy of body representations remains debated. Two well-established paradigms provide experimental access to it: the rubber hand illusion (RHI), which modifies the body schema by incorporating a new object into it, and the hand laterality judgment task (HLJT), which requires participants to determine the laterality of a depicted hand and has been shown to involve mental movement.

Objective. To investigate body schema components using two well-validated experiments, the RHI and the HLJT.

Design. Thirty-one right-handed healthy volunteers aged 18–35 years completed the HLJT and then took part in the RHI. Proprioceptive drift and sense of ownership served as measures of RHI onset, whereas accuracy and response time were recorded in the HLJT. Data analysis was performed with mixed linear modelling.

Results. A cross-analysis of the performance in these tasks revealed distinct associations: 1) between higher accuracy in the HLJT and slower proprioceptive drift in the RHI; and 2) between longer response time in the HLJT and early emergence of the sense of ownership over an artificial hand in the RHI.  We propose that the first pair of variables reflects the strength of the structural body representation (the cognitive level of body schema), whereas the second reflects confidence in those representations (the metacognitive level of body schema).

Conclusion. We observed that participants with better performance on the HLJT showed weaker RHI effects: stronger internal body representations were less susceptible to illusion-related artificial distortions.

Background. Sociodramatic play is widely recognized as a leading activity in early childhood development, yet a persistent gap exists between its theoretical value and systematic implementation in educational practice. In this review we use the term as an umbrella construct for educator-supported collective pretend play defined by four criteria: (1) enactment of explicit roles, (2) interaction between roles rather than solitary pretense, (3) an unfolding narrative storyline, and (4) collective participation sustaining a joint imaginary situation.

Objective. To identify pedagogical approaches to implementing sociodramatic play, to map required teacher competencies, to synthesize implementation barriers, and to document outcomes for children and educators.

Design. Following PRISMA guidelines, searches were conducted across ScienceDirect and PubMed, supplemented by hand-searching and expert consultation. Studies were eligible if they involved educator-led collective sociodramatic play with children aged 3–7 in Early Childhood Education (ECE) settings. Narrative synthesis was conducted across 27 studies (35 papers) from 10 countries.

Results. Five implementation approaches were identified and systematically characterized. Child outcomes across content acquisition, developmental progress, and play maturity were broadly positive across diverse international contexts, despite null findings in some studies. A multidimensional teacher competency profile was identified and implementation barriers were multilevel: personal, pedagogical, and systemic.

Conclusion. Effective implementation requires performative and reflective competencies distinct from conventional teaching skills, which may explain persistent low confidence among educators. Widespread adoption demands pedagogically accessible approaches supported by sustained professional development and systemic infrastructure.

Background. e actual motive may be experimentally diagnosed through study of the system of perceived motivations. However, since perceived motivations are always expressed in terms that are not unambiguous (for a number of reasons, including age, gender, context, etc.), the experimental reconstruction of the actual motive is always as- sociated with an ambiguity in interpretation of the respondents’ perceived motivations. We need to use a method of diagnosing motivations that would allow us to identify, for the groups of students studied, not only the contribution of a particular perceived moti- vation, but also the substantive features of the designated motives, through the pattern of correlations of these perceived motivations.

Objective. This article presents the results of research on the age and gender specifics of learning motivations of high school students.

Design. Experimental identication of their motivational proles was made by means of factor analysis, separately for each of four groups of pupils (in Moscow schools with a traditional learning paradigm): two junior groups (8th-9th grades, 14-15 years old) of boys (62) and girls (59); and two senior groups (10th-11th grades, 16-17 years old) of boys (63) and girls (54).

Results. As a result, a motivational structure specic for the corresponding gender and age was identied and described.

Conclusion. We showed that as a child grows up, the orientation in learning becomes more and more generalized, with a stronger expression for boys than for girls. In the junior group, girls have a motivation that is oriented to the future, whereas boys do not; such motivations in boys are seen only in the senior group and are inextricably linked to the parents’ approval. Both for boys and girls, the content of their motivation for cognitive achievement in the older age group is based on two motives, which are independent at the younger age: curiosity and prestige. However, with girls, apart from a desire to learn new things, the aspiration to differ notably from others and to demonstrate their achievements to others is significantly greater than with boys

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), also known as domestic violence, spousal abuse, and relationship violence, among other names, is becoming a widely recognized social and public health problem. Theory and practice suggest it is vital that the issue be addressed comprehensively in both the healthcare and socio-legal contexts. The theoretical perspectives underlying inquiries into the nature and etiology of the IPV phenomenon are of fundamental importance in promoting our understanding of how to prevent, reduce, or eliminate the problem. In order to integrate various aspects of knowledge about the phenomenon, it is important to consider and evaluate the approaches to IPV currently prevalent in the field. 

Objectives: The present article aims to provide a critical overview of the existing theories, methodological frameworks, typologies, and definitions of Intimate Partner Violence. 

Design: The present paper reviews the international literature on the conceptual frameworks and definitions of IPV. First, it draws on the conceptual frameworks of violence; it then reviews relevant theories and definitions of IPV considered from sociocultural, individual, and integrative perspectives. The disparities, limitations, and explanatory powers of these theories, as well as their clinical and research applications, are discussed in an attempt to bring more clarity into the current state of understanding in the field. 

Results and Conclusions: Our review suggests that there is no universally accepted definition of IPV, nor a conceptual framework that would encompass the complexity of the phenomenon. Some of the theoretical frameworks for studying IPV appear to provide potential advantages over others, but their empirical viability has yet to be determined. We argue that, due to the complex multifaceted nature of IPV, a narrow theoretical stance might exclude a variety of exploratory factors and limit understanding of the phenomenon. 

This article describes research on visual semantics, different forms of metaphor used in rhetoric and philology (tropes: metonymy, hyperbole, litotes, oxymoron, and others), and images, which are metaphorical also. The research was carried out using paintings. The authors state that the function of metaphor is to transform the sense of the image from a psychological point of view.

Measuring resilience to stress (or stress resistance) validly and reliably is an important theoretical and practical problem. Process-oriented stress theories assume that primary and secondary appraisals play an important role in determining the level of resilience. In the present study, a model of resilience based on the analysis of the interplay between primary and secondary appraisal processes is developed. Resilience is high if benign primary appraisals of taxing situations are accompanied by secondary appraisals of coping resources as being sufficient for controlling stressors. In an implementation of the model, the quality of primary appraisals is assessed through the assessment of anxiety, anger and depression, which characterize the most typical cognitive-emotional reactions to demanding situations. The assessment of secondary appraisals is restricted to the analysis of psychophysiological (functional) resources, which are involved in all forms of coping activities. The implementation of the model gives rise to a measure of resilience, which is shown to successfully predict the outcome of the stress process in a sample of Russian police officers.

Traditionally, neuropsychology has focused on identifying the brain mechanisms of specific psychological processes, such as attention, motor skills, perception, memory, language, and consciousness, as well as their corresponding disorders. However, there are psychological processes that have received little attention in this field, such as dreaming. This study examined the clinical and experimental neuropsychological research relevant to dreaming, ranging from sleep disorders in patients with brain damage, to brain functioning during REM sleep, using different methods of brain imaging. These findings were analyzed within the framework of Luria’s Three Functional Unit Model of the Brain, and a proposal was made to explain certain of the essential characteristics of dreaming. This explanation describes how, during dreaming, an activation of the First Functional Unit occurs, comprising the reticular formation of the brainstem; this activates, in turn, the Second Functional Unit — which is formed by the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes and Unit L, which is comprised of the limbic system, as well as simultaneous hypo-functioning of the Third Functional Unit (frontal lobe). This activity produces a perception of hallucinatory images of various sensory modes, as well as a lack of inhibition, a non-selfreflexive thought process, and a lack of planning and direction of such oneiric images. Dreaming is considered a type of natural confabulation, similar to the one that occurs in patients with frontal lobe damage or schizophrenia. The study also suggests that the confabulatory, bizarre, and impulsive nature of dreaming has a function in the cognitiveemotional homeostasis that aids proper brain function throughout the day.

An important direction of human cognitive development is the development of abilities at activities in complex dynamical environments containing multiple interacting structures (Dorner, Frensch & Funke, Spector, Voss). Cognition of the interacting structures by experimentation is the main function of causal-experimental thought (Demetriou). Usually preoperational children are not considered to have well-expressed abilities for causal-experimental thought. In the paper I describe heuristic rules for design of didactic multivariable objects stimulating preschoolers’ combinatorial experimentation and causal-experimental thought, the objects designed, and several studies of the children’s cognitive activity (exploratory learning) aimed at the objects and revealing their abilities to combinatorial experimentation. Participants: 623 children of 3-7 years old. It has been shown that the children successfully explore the objects containing hidden mechanical, logical and mathematical relationships by using strategies of combinatorial experimentation of various levels of complexity.

When acculturation strategies of migrants and acculturation expectations of a host society do not coincide, psychological outcomes for members of the groups in contact can differ significantly. Berry (2013) proposed that intercultural relations can be understood on the basis of three hypotheses: the multiculturalism hypothesis, the integration hypothesis, and the contact hypothesis. Our goal was to test these three hypotheses in Russian majority and Asian minority groups. Migrants from Central Asia (N = 168; 88 ethnic Uzbeks and 80 ethnic Tajiks) and ethnic Russians (N = 158) were surveyed using a self-report questionnaire that included measures developed by the Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies project. Data processing was carried out using Structural Equation Modeling with the Russians and the migrants separately. We found significant and positive relationships between perceived security and multicultural ideology in both groups. We found a positive relationship between intercultural contacts and the integration strategy among the migrants from Central Asia. Intercultural contacts in the group of Russians was positively related to the expectation of integration and negatively related to the expectation of assimilation. The integration strategy of the migrants was positively related to their self-esteem, while the assimilation strategy was positively related to their sociocultural adaptation and life satisfaction. Among the Russians, the integration expectation promoted their better life satisfaction and self-esteem. The multiculturalism hypothesis was partially supported with both the migrants from Central Asia and the Russians: perceived security promoted an acceptance of multicultural ideology but didn’t promote ethnic tolerance. The contact hypothesis was partially supported in both groups: interethnic contacts were positively linked to the integration strategy of the migrants and the integration expectations of the Russians. The integration hypothesis was fully supported in the sample of Russians and partially supported in the sample of migrants. The migrants’ adoption of the assimilation strategy promoted their life satisfaction and sociocultural adaptation.

Multiculturalism is an increasingly common characteristic of contemporary societies. In culturally diverse social contexts, virtually every person experiences intercultural contact on a daily basis. It is essential to understand that there must be both cultural diversity and equity in social participation for true multiculturalism to exist in these settings. Beyond its core definition, it is clear that multiculturalism is a complex concept encompassing many dimensions and meanings. First, the term is understood to describe a demographic fact, indicating the existence of cultural diversity in a society. Second, multiculturalism refers to the policies and programs that are in place to manage intercultural relations and acculturation. Third, multiculturalism refers to psychological phenomena, including individual attitudes and ideologies that accept or reject the demographic, civic and policy features of multiculturalism. This chapter considers Canadian multiculturalism policy, examining how the multiple meanings of multiculturalism vary around the world. Within this framework, I highlight the psychological processes and outcomes of multiculturalism, particularly in connection with acculturation, adaptation and intercultural relations and consider whether these processes and outcomes differ for dominant and non-dominant groups. I suggest some ways in which to enhance the positive outcomes of intercultural contact and the resultant acculturation outcomes. Finally, this chapter sets the stage for the presentation of the other chapters in this volume. It elaborates three hypotheses derived from Canadian multiculturalism policy: the multiculturalism, integration and contact hypotheses.

The paper introduces virtual reality systems as a new methodolology of carrying out both traditional and originally designed experimental studies in psychology and in a broader context - in neuroscience. This methodology, often differing from classical approaches toward planning and performing a study in cognitive, social, educational, organizational and numerous other disciplines within psychology, is placed in the context of genuine Russian and at the same time of world-wide psychological theories, conceptions and traditions. Advantages, currently available results, challenges and perspectives of the virtual paradigm in experimental psychology, psychotherapy and psychological rehabilitation are thoroughly described and analyzed. The ideas of immersive virtuality are also shown to play a profound role at diverse levels of innovative learning and teaching, including special, extracurricular, and college education. Besides, applied virtual reality sys­tems are presented as being of serious importance for the university students' training: it is expected that new generations of professional psychologists will use these systems extensively. The multifaceted theoretical activities and applied work of the staff and students affiliated with the Psychology Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, aimed at development and usage of immersive virtual reality systems are fully presented in the paper.

Authors discuss notable philosophical and psychological aspects of Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as different features of meditation techniques in their relations to psychological study of consciousness.

This article presents an analysis of Vygotsky’s work on the psychology of art and his use of the image of Hamlet in the psychological analysis of personality. It also describes the capabilities of the dialectic method for assessing psychological problems. Reference to three dialectical oppositions—of the story and the plot, of the main character’s spinelessness and his insanity, and of subject and personality—allows the development of a theoretical analysis of the psychology of personality in its relationship to culture. Culture is defined as the system of normative situations. Keywords: image of Hamlet, dialectic method, culture, normative situation, personality, subject.

The work presents historiographic and theoretical methodological study of establishment of fundamental theses of L.S. Vygotsky’s cultural-historical concept within the field of clinical psychology.

We prove potency in application of contemporary philosophical concepts, which help distinguish between the types of scientific rationality (classical, nonclassical, and postnonclassical), for scientific reflection over the development of psychology and designation of paradigmatic status of cultural-historic concept suggested by L.S. Vygotsky and Vygotsky-Luria syndrome approach at the contemporary stage of science.

Present study of scientific works of L.S. Vygotsky and his followers demonstrated that fundamentals of cultural-historic conception suggested by L.S. Vygotsky and further developed in methodology of Vygotsky-Luria syndrome approach, these fundamentals presented the origins of not only non-classical, but as well post-nonclassical model of scientific rationality. They are characterized by post-nonclassical understanding of the object and method of psychological study and post-nonclassical mode of thinking of the scientists.

As it was showed, in works of L.S. Vygotsky there formulated general methodological requirements to organization of mental studies, which, on the whole, go in tune with the requirements introduced for study of complex self-developing systems. There were produced arguments to prove that the concept of Vygotsky-Luria syndrome approach describes mental syndromes as dynamic structures, which display the features of self-organization, self-determination and adaptive rationality. Hence, they can be regarded as open self-developing systems.

We assume and verify the hypothesis that the syndrome analysis, due to the features of post-nonclassic modeling of scientific rationality it reveals, may be regarded as theoretically productive methodological approach at the modern stage of science.

The article aims to demonstrate advances in methodological means suggested by Vygotsky’s cultural-historical concept in association with a theoretical model of a Person-centered diagnosis and practical use of the construct for clinical psychology and medicine. This, to a greater extent, arises from the fact that the cultural-historical concept (due to its humanistic nature and epistemological content) is closely related to the person-centered integrative approach. But for all that the concept corresponds to the ideals of postnonclassical model of scientific rationality with a number of ‘key’ features. Above all it manifests its “methodological maturity” to cope with open self-developing systems, which is most essential at the modern stage of scientific knowledge.

The work gives consideration to ‘defining pillars’ of Person-centered approach in modern medicine, to humanistic traditions of the Russian clinical school, and high prospects in diagnostics of such mental constructs as “subjective pattern of disease” and “social situation of personal development in disease” - within the context of person-centered integrative diagnosis.

This article discusses the need for implementation a cross-cultural study of subjective pattern of disease and its correlation with a particular “social situation of personality development under disease conditions”. It aims at development and substantiation of the model of person-centered integrative approach, enhancement of its diagnostic scope and, consequently, improvement of the model of person-centered care in modern psychiatry and medicine.

Background. Ideas about relationships between “I”, egocentric spatial orientation and the sense of bodily “Self ” date back to work by classics of philosophy and psychology. Cognitive neuroscience has provided knowledge about brain areas involved in self-ref­erential processing, such as the rostral prefrontal, temporal and parietal cortices, often active as part of the default mode network (DMN).

Objective and Method. Little is known about the contribution of inferior parietal areas to self-referential processing. Therefore, we collected observations of everyday be­havior, social communication and problem solving in patients with brain lesions local­ized either in the left inferior parietal cortex (LIPC group, n = 45) or the right inferior parietal cortex (RIPC group, n = 58).

Results. A key characteristic of the LIPC group was an overestimation of task com­plexity. This led to a prolonged phase of redundant and disruptive contemplations pre­ceding task solution. In the RIPC group, we observed disorders in reflective control and voluntary regulation of behavior. Abilities for experiencing emotions, understanding mental states, and social communication were to a great extent lost. Results are inter­preted within a multilevel framework of cognitive-affective organization (velichkovsky, 2002). In particular, we highlight the role of right-hemisphere mechanisms in self-refer­ential cognition, emotional and corporeal awareness. This is consistent with recent data on a profound asymmetry in connectivity of left and right hippocampi within the DMN (Ushakov et al., 2016)

Conclusion. It seems that the center of egocentric spatial representation plays a spe­cial role in accessing self-related data. Normally, the right hippocampus provides a holis­tic representation of surrounding and, thus, an easy-to-find gateway into much of what we used to call “subjective experience”. This heuristics becomes misleading in the case of right-sided brain lesions.