Theoretical and Experimental Psychology. 2024. 3.

Background. The article substantiates that today the research emphasis of many psychologists is shifting from understanding the present to analyzing the psychology of understanding the past and the future. Understanding the past is analyzed as a general humanitarian and psychological problem. Counterfactual thinking is considered as a psychological mechanism for understanding the past.

Objectives. To analyze the understanding of the past as a function of counterfactual possibilistic thinking.

Results. The study delivered an analysis of the role of counterfactual thinking in understanding the past, which did not actually happen, but could include alternative possible events. Counterfactual thinking was considered not as Laplace’s consistent description of the human world, but as a complex ambiguous mental formation. It is shown that counterfactual reasoning is a tool of cognition not only for psychologists, but also for historians, linguists, political scientists and researchers in other specialties. The presented analysis allowed to identify and describe five functions of counterfactual possibilistic thinking, manifested in behavior and activity: cognitive, meaningforming, motivational, moral, and affective-regulatory.

Conclusions. The psychological basis of retrospective counterfactual thinking is an appeal to the past, an analysis of the possible but not accomplished options for the development of the events and situations under study. A characteristic feature of the counterfactuals is that counterfactual events are not just something that did not happen, but something that could actually replace what happened.

Background. Personal self-regulation at the level of value-semantic formations is complicated when gender self-awareness is formed with multiple, sometimes mutually exclusive gender roles and images. This creates conditions for the development of intrapersonal conflicts, one of them being the Intrapersonal Gender Role Conflict (IGRC). We define IGRC as a systemic contradiction at the value-semantic level of personality, arising as a result of the clash between the high subjective significance of various gender roles and dissatisfaction with self-realization in these roles. Compensatory behavior serves as a sign of IGRC, while the absence of IGRC is associated with effective self-regulation of a person based on the conscious individual transformation of gender models of self-realization. The study of this phenomenon requires developing the diagnostic tools.

Objectives. Testing of a questionnaire developed on the basis of the five-factor IGRC model.

Study Participants. 397 women and 209 men (working, having a family and children) aged 25 to 46.

Methods. Descriptive statistics and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), non-linear standardization on a five-point scale, intercorrelation analysis.

Results. The study presented psychometric indicators and standardization of the IGRC questionnaire on the role areas of “Gender Self”, “Professional Self”, “I am like a husband/wife”, “I am like a host/hostess”, “I am like a father/mother” on the samples of men and women. It was found that in the female sample the expression, as well as the range and dispersion of indicators in all spheres, are significantly higher compared to those in the men sample. The analysis revealed a correlation between all spheres of the IGRC formation in women, while in men this trend is not observed: the conflict may develop in one sphere and not affect the others.

Conclusions. Testing of the IGRC questionnaire confirmed that both men and women can exhibit compensatory behavior, manifesting the development of this type of conflict in its five identified areas. Gender differences in IGRC are manifested in the fact that in women, as a rule, all areas of the conflict develop in a more integrated way and have greater severity, compared to men. The five-factor IGRC questionnaire with standardized scores on the scales presented in the article makes it possible to use this tool for further studies of the manifestations and mechanisms of IGRC.

Background. Ethnic identity is an important factor in the interaction of different cultures. Studying an ethnic group that lives outside its historical homeland allows to better understand the role that living in a foreign cultural environment plays in the feeling of belonging to one’s people.

Objectives. The study had its purpose to analyze the socio-psychological characteristics of the ethnic identity of Russians living in Azerbaijan compared with Russians living in Russia and Azerbaijanis living in Azerbaijan.

Study Participants. The study involved 185 respondents (71 Russians living in Azerbaijan, 76 Azerbaijanis living in Azerbaijan, and 38 Russians living in Russia) aged 18 to 70 (M = 34,2; SD = 15,8).

Methods. The survey included the authors’ questionnaire and J. Phinney’s inventory (MEIM) adapted by A.M. Arbitailo. The processing methods implemented the Mann — Whitney U test, Pearson chi-square, Fisher’s phi test, and content analysis of open questions.

Results. The study results show that ethnic identity level among Russians in Azerbaijan is lower than among Russians in Russia, which may be due to the influence of Azerbaijani culture and assimilation processes. It was also found that ethnic identity of Russians in Azerbaijan often includes elements of local culture, which supports the assumption of conglomeration processes. An analysis of perception of cultural archetypes and ethno-differentiating features among Russians and Azerbaijanis indicates differences in the perception of cultural and ethnic characteristics, which emphasizes the complexity of the processes of integration and identification in multicultural setting.

Conclusions. The ethnic identity of Russians in Azerbaijan is characterized by a lower level of expression and assimilation of some elements of Azerbaijani culture in its cognitive component. However, the differences in behavioral patterns and values indicate the formation of a conglomerate identity, where ethnic, linguistic, and national identities interact though do not completely merge.

Background. Despite the active development of self-driving transport technology conducted by leading companies around the world, people’s attitude to such technology remains ambiguous. The problem of the attitudes of individuals and various social groups to this type of transport, as well as the specifics of the socio-psychological determinants of such attitudes, remain insufficiently studied.

Objective. To study the socio-psychological determinants of attitudes toward unmanned vehicles depending on professional background, specifics of the residence place, and age group.

Study Participants. The study involved 967 people aged 16 to 72 years (Mage = 25.95; SD = 11.83), including 260 men (27%) and 707 women (73%).

Methods. Portrait Value Questionnaire, scale “Inclusion” of the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation questionnaire, Ten-Item Personality Inventory, the methodology of “Trust/distrust of a person to the world, himself and other people”, a questionnaire of attitudes towards technology, the author’s methodology for assessing attitudes towards autonomous vehicles.

Results. It is shown that attitudes towards unmanned transport differ among people of different professional backgrounds, living in the cities with different population density, and belonging to different age groups. Multiple regression analysis revealed the intrapersonal predictors of such an attitude: an individual value profile, personality traits, basic trust, the need for inclusion in interpersonal communication, and a technical worldview. At the same time, the set of identified predictors depends on the socio-environmental and socio-demographic determinants. The data analysis allowed to develop an empirical model of socio-psychological determinants of a person’s attitude towards an unmanned vehicle.

Conclusions. The attitude towards an unmanned vehicle is determined by a number of socio-psychological determinants, which include intrapersonal (individual value profile, personality traits, basic trust, the need for inclusion in interpersonal communication and technical worldview), as well as external socio-environmental and socio-demographic determinants (professional background, place of residence and age specifics).

Background. The emotional state, the length of screen time and the level of educational motivation of schoolchildren are often a matter of concern for many parents. The study examines the relationship between educational motivation, the level of anger, and parenting styles from the adolescents’ point of view.

Objectives. Identification and description of the specific interrelations between various aspects of parenting and the teenagers’ motivation and anger in the context of global digitalization.

Study Participants. The study involved 265 people (54% — female). The average age of the respondents was 13.8 years (M = 13.8, Me = 14, SD = 1.62).

Methods. To study parenting styles, teenagers filled out the ad hoc questionnaire “Adolescents about parents”. The motivational and emotional components of the adolescents’ personality were examined by means of Andreeva & Prikhozhan’ questionnaire “Motivation of learning and emotional attitude to learning”. The level of digital engagement of adolescents was assessed on the basis of daily statistics of the average time spent using a mobile phone. Statistical analysis was performed using the general linear model (GLM) method in the Jamovi 2.3.16.0 program.

Results. According to the results of the GLM model, the adolescents’ achievement motivation is negatively related to their average screen time. The level of educational motivation of adolescents is positively associated with the positive interest and autonomy provided by their parents. The teenagers’ level of anger is positively associated with directiveness, hostility and inconsistency of parents. According to the Wilcoxon test results, parenting styles such as directiveness, hostility and autonomy are more pronounced in fathers than in mothers.

Conclusions. The most favorable parenting style for achieving high academic motivation and reducing the level of anger in adolescents is a pronounced positive interest and autonomy provided by parents along with a low level of directiveness, hostility and inconsistency. Achievement motivation has a negative relationship with the length of teenagers’ screen time.

Background. The study considers the problem of increasing aggression and anxiety among teenagers in the modern society. The programs for correction of aggressive behavior allowing for effective work with teenagers are in great demand in psychological practice.

Objectives. Testing the effectiveness of the correctional program “Face of Aggression” which has its purpose to optimize (reduce) the level of aggressiveness and anxiety in teenage schoolchildren.

Study Participants. The study involved 61 schoolchildren aged 11 to 14, of them 26 teenagers made up two training groups and 35 teenagers constituted the control group. The research was carried out on the basis of the Universal Library affiliated to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research named after D.I. Blokhintsev in Dubna, RF.

Methods. Personal anxiety scale for students aged 10–16 years by A.M. Prikhozhan; Bass — Perry method for assessing the level of aggression; Toronto Alexithymia Scale.

Results. The obtained data analysis demonstrated effectiveness of the correction program “Face of Aggression”. Comparison of the studied psychodiagnostic indicators before and after the training in the experimental group revealed a significant decrease in the level of anger, statistically significant differences in the overall level of aggression, at the trend level — in indicators of physical aggression and the overall level of anxiety.

Conclusions. Aggression and anxiety, which are significant indicators of the difficulties experienced in adolescence, are “two sides of the same coin” and can be reduced by means of the psychological training using Burno’s method. The empirical study confirmed previously obtained data on the relationship between the emotion of anger and hostility as a factor of readiness for aggressive behavior with self-assessment and interpersonal anxiety in adolescents.

Background. There is a large body of empirical evidence supporting the positive effects of systematic exercise on cognitive development of children and adolescents. However, the results on the immediate effect of physical activity on cognitive functions (in particular attention and memory) which can potentially come immediately after exercise, are practically lacking or quite contradictory.

Objective. The study had its purpose to investigate the immediate effect of physical activity on the measures of attention span and working memory capacity in adolescents.

Study Participants. The study involved 190 schoolchildren (54% girls) aged 13–17 (M = 14.73, SD = 1.61) from several regions of Russian Federation.

Methods. The “Schulte’s tables” were used for diagnostics of attention stability. Working memory scores were measured by means of “Memorization of 10 words”.

Results. Comparison of averages demonstrated no significant differences in the indicators of attention stability before and after physical activity (t = 9401, p = 0.131). In contrast, working memory indices were significantly lower after exercise (W = 7257, p < 0.001). Apart from that, girls were shown to memorize and reproduce on average more material than boys.

Conclusions. Thus, the obtained results indicate that there is no immediate positive effect of physical activity on the attention span and working memory capacity in adolescents. This may mean that the relationship between the indicators of attention stability, working memory capacity and physical activity is more complex and nonlinear, which requires further study.

Background. Presented study shows the potential of using nonlinear analysis algorithms as an opportunity for a comprehensive study of the socio-psychological characteristics of students who are and are not assigned to the risk groups for drug addiction when processing the large data sets.

Objectives. The study had its purpose to compare linear and nonlinear algorithms for assigning students to the risk group for narcotic drug use and to determine by longitudinal comparative analysis which of the algorithms has better prognostic potential.

Study Participants. The study involved 27,790 high school students (Mage = 16.2; SD = 2.03), from this sample, 11,786 students participated in the longitudinal study in 2020 and 2021.

Methods. Organizational method: comprehensive. Empirical method: psychodiagnostic — socio-psychological testing (SPT). The study was carried out using the Unified Methodology of Socio-Psychological Testing (EM SPT-19). Data processing methods: quantitative analysis — neural network method, comparative analysis, contingency analysis, discriminant analysis. Interpretive method: structural. Software: “Statistica” statistical analysis software package, “Loginom” analytical low-code platform.

Results. The study allowed to select errors of positive and negative attribution to the risk group made by using the neural network model. The analysis revealed that erroneous assignment to the risk group is associated with homogeneity of the matched groups on all scales of risk factors, while such homogeneity is not identified by the protection factors. Comparative analysis of data from students positively and negatively assigned to the risk group found significant differences only in anxiety and frustration scales. It is interesting fact that anxiety and frustration also turn out to be the scales that, according to discriminant analysis, do not have a distinguishing ability when predicting the assignment of a student to a risk group.

Conclusions. Classification implemented by means of the neural network model has an advantage over the linear algorithm, associated with consideration of intra-scale relationships and greater stability over time in the identified risk/norm groups. The correctness of the neural network solution is confirmed by the results of discriminant analysis. The study demonstrated that social desirability of answers, which is the most common reason for recognizing respondents’ answers as unreliable, does not play a significant role in classification using a neural network. The problematized categories of “anxiety” and “frustration” require further analysis concerning their role in forming a sample of students at risk.

Background. In an earlier article (Kapustin, 2024a), as a result of the analysis of E. Fromm’s works, three basic theoretical provisions were formulated that constitute the basis of the proposed integrative approach to understanding the personal prerequisites of the clients’ problems in psychotherapy and its purpose, which allows for considering the different perspectives on these issues contained in the well-known theories of psychotherapy by S. Freud, A. Adler, K. Jung, C. Rogers and V. Frankl from a unified common position. The first of them characterizes the objective property of human life inherent in its very nature, the second one concerns the typical personal prerequisites for the clients’ problems in psychotherapy, and the third one identifies the purpose of psychotherapy itself. The subsequent publications (Kapustin, 2024b, 2024c), based on the analysis of the theories of S. Freud, A. Adler and V. Frankl, have demonstrated the declared possibilities of the integrative approach.

Objective. To analyze theoretical ideas on the typical personal prerequisites of the clients’ problems in psychotherapy and its purpose contained in the works of K. Jung and C. Rogers from the position of an integrative approach, demonstrating its capabilities on the basis of these theories.

Results. It is shown that theoretical ideas of the named authors on the typical personal prerequisites of the clients’ problems in psychotherapy and its purpose can be considered as a particular case of the more general basic provisions of the integrative approach.

Conclusions. Ideas of K. Jung and C. Rogers about the typical personal prerequisites for the clients’ problems in psychotherapy and its purpose, despite obvious theoretical differences, nevertheless allow for considering them from a unified, common position set by the three basic provisions of the integrative approach. Thus, on the basis of these two psychotherapeutic theories, the proposed integrative approach obtains a certain theoretical justification for its capabilities.