Editorial

Zinchenko, Yu. P. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia Federal Scientific Center of Psychological and Interdisciplinary Research, Moscow, Russia

This issue is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of O.K. Tikhomirov’s birth (1933 —2001). O.K. Tikhomirov was a professor of psychology at Lomonosov Moscow State University. He is widely known for the development of the Personal Meanings Theory of thinking that creatively extended and synthesized leading conceptions of Russian national psychology: cultural-historical and activity-based methodological approaches. At the same time, O.K.Tikhomirov was an expert in diverse Western psychological theories, and the person who brought Russian psychological traditions to America and Europe.

The extensive special section presents papers written by foreign and Russia colleagues of O.K. Tikhomirov as well as researchers who continue their working the frames of his scientific school. It opens with the review article “Contribution of Oleg K. Tikhomirov to the methodology, theory and experimental practice of psychology” by Julia D. Babaeva and colleagues. A very personal report by Yulia Solovieva and Luis Quintanar, illustrated with unique photos, tell us about O.K. Tikhomirov’s academic and educational work at Autonomous University of Puebla (UAP) in Mexico.

A significant number of papers develop O.K. Tikhomirov’s concepts of cognitive functioning: “Contemporary cognitive science: the transdisciplinary approach and the problem of consciousness” by Eduard V. Galazhinsky and Vitaliy Y. Klochko; “The principle of the activity specificity in episodic memory” by Ekaterina E. Vasyukova and Olga V. Mitina, “Fundamental principles of the cultural-activity approach in the psychology of giftedness” by Julia D. Babaeva.

The article “From the conceptual ideation theory on joint-dialogical cognitive activity” was contributed by the collective of researchers from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University: Satybaldy M. Jakupov, Aliya A. Tolegenova, Nazirash S. Zhubanazarova, Nurgul’ K. Toksanbaeva, Maksat S. Jakupov.

Several papers deal with the links between cognitive and emotional processes, also comprehesively explored by O.K. Tikhomirov: “Moral emotions, conscience, and cognitive dissonance” by Gershon M. Breslavs; “Intellectual emotions” by Igor A. Vasilyev. Some applied aspects of cognitive and emotional regulation are discussed in the paper “A person in a closed environment as a psychological problem” by Yulia V. Klochko.

O.K. Tikhomirov initiated research in the fields that have constantly increasing impact on the contemporary society: the notion of “tolerance to uncertainty” and implementation of activity theory to informational technologies. The first idea is developed in the articles “Creativity and tolerance for uncertainty predict the engagement of emotional intelligence in personal decision making” by Elizaveta M. Pavlova and Tatyana V. Kornilova; “Individual differences in attitudes towards uncertainty: evidence for multiple latent profiles” by Maria A. Chumakova and Sergey A. Kornilov. Interpenetration of psychology and informational technologies is investigated in the articles “Psychology of computerization as a step towards the development of cyberpsychology” by Alexander Ye. Voiskounsky and “Distributed creative activity: expanding Tikhomirov’s original notion of creative activity” by Anthony Faiola.

Anthony Faiola discusses the design and use of health information technology as the key form of mediation in patient care during the diagnostic processes which resembles the contents of another section — Clinical psychology. The section presents transdisciplinary works contributing to both psychology and healthcare fields: “Psychological factors and outcomes of coronary surgery” by Leo A. Bokeria, Yury P. Zinchenko and Maria G. Kiseleva; “Motivation as a factor affecting the efficiency of cognitive processes in elderly patients with hypertension” by Yury P. Zinchenko, Elena I. Pervichko and Olga D. Ostroumova.

It also raises some topical clinical and social issues such as the problem of assessment of shame and guilt, discussed in the same name article by Sergey N. Enikolopov and Irina K. Makogon, and adopting children beyond their early years — “Psychological problems of late adoption as observed in Brazil through a cultural-historical approach” by Carla Anauate.